Alan Pardew has reiterated his insistence that he is not
looking to sell any of his senior strikers following another bout
of unhelpful media speculation.
This time, the tabloid rumours have focused on Bobby Zamora, following the arrival of Chelsea and England under-21 star Carlton Cole last week. After rubbishing reports a few days ago claiming that Marlon Harewood was set to head out of the Upton Park exit gates, the Hammers boss is again having to deflect unwanted attention away from one his attacking stars.
Pards says: "I'll say the same thing about Bobby that I said about Marlon last week - he is not for sale. People can create as much speculation as they like, but none of our strikers are going anywhere.
"We are trying to build a squad at this football club and create competition for places in all areas of the pitch. Bobby is very much a part of our plans and he will be fighting for a first team spot on an equal footing with the other guys at the start of the season.
"I'm sure he has got a very good chance of winning himself a place in the team, and I would again like to stress to all our fans that we have no intention of selling him. I have five excellent strikers here now and they will all have a part to play next season."
This time, the tabloid rumours have focused on Bobby Zamora, following the arrival of Chelsea and England under-21 star Carlton Cole last week. After rubbishing reports a few days ago claiming that Marlon Harewood was set to head out of the Upton Park exit gates, the Hammers boss is again having to deflect unwanted attention away from one his attacking stars.
Pards says: "I'll say the same thing about Bobby that I said about Marlon last week - he is not for sale. People can create as much speculation as they like, but none of our strikers are going anywhere.
"We are trying to build a squad at this football club and create competition for places in all areas of the pitch. Bobby is very much a part of our plans and he will be fighting for a first team spot on an equal footing with the other guys at the start of the season.
"I'm sure he has got a very good chance of winning himself a place in the team, and I would again like to stress to all our fans that we have no intention of selling him. I have five excellent strikers here now and they will all have a part to play next season."