A West Ham return may prove as costly as staying at Spurs for Parker

Tottenham are not short of a midfielder in their ranks and, with Andre Villas-Boas looking to trim down his club’s monstrous wage bill, Scott Parker could be the first top-earner to go.

West Ham – currently available to back at 7/4 to finish in the top half of the Premier League – are known to harbour an interest in taking their former captain back to Upton Park, but will require the England star to take a chunk out of his reported £70,000 a week pay packet in order to complete the deal.

The issue of the transfer fee is likely to be minimal, with Spurs eager for any potential move to take place, while the player – now 32 – will be keen to move on with first-team chances sure to be limited behind Brazilian duo Paulinho and Sandro.

Furthermore, with the World Cup taking place at the end of this season, Parker cannot afford to warm Spurs’ bench if he wants to feature in football’s finest competition at all in his career.

If he does make a return to the Hammers and can rediscover the form that won him the 2010-11 Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year award, he’ll stand every chance of making the plane to Brazil.

From the east Londoners’ perspective, though, it’s quite difficult to place where he would fit into their team.
Mo Diame was the standout performer in their midfield last term, carrying out the similar all-action role which Parker endeared himself to the fans with, although with a touch more finesse. He is certain not to be ousted, unless he’s sold.

Mark Noble and Kevin Nolan are also staples in the middle of the park for Sam Allardyce’s side; it will be interesting to see how the team line up on the opening day should they complete the Parker deal.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date