West Ham may sell Upson despite Premier League relegation battle

West Ham may have to do without the services of Matthew Upson from January in their battle with relegation as the club look to offload their captain to ensure that he does not leave for nothing in the summer.

The Hammers are not only stuck at the bottom of the Premier League standings after 18 games of the Premier League season, but also have the problem that a number of their players are set to be out of the contract at the end of the campaign.

West Ham are currently three points from safety and have played a game more than the majority of the teams around them, which makes them 4/9 in the Premier League betting odds to be relegated in May.

Their chances of beating the drop may become particularly tougher if they lose England international defender Upson, but the club have an important decision to make.

If Upson does help Avram Grant’s team stay up, then the money they retain from staying in the top flight will surely be greater than the cut-price deal they may get if deciding to offload Upson with just six months of his contract remaining.

However, with Manuel De Costa and James Tompkins looking like decent defenders in the making, West Ham may decide to sell in order to fund any purchases in the January transfer window.

Liverpool may be one club interested in Upson as cover for injury victim Jamie Carragher, while there has also been speculation that Harry Redknapp is considering making an offer to take him to Tottenham.

Fellow defenders Lars Jacobsen, Jonathan Spector and Danny Gabbidon are others close to seeing their contract expire and could be allowed to leave for the right price, alongside the recently rejuvenated Kieron Dyer.

West Ham travel across London to Fulham in their next game in search of a first away win and are 11/4 to take the three points.

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