Tevez High Court case continues
West Ham's battle to avoid a huge pay-out to Sheffield United in the Carlos Tevez affair will continue in the High Court on Tuesday.
An independent tribunal ruled that Tevez, who is now at Manchester United, was not eligible to play for West Ham at the close of the 2006-2007 campaign.
The decision left the Hammers liable for damages of up to £30m.
The Blades want an injunction to stop West Ham appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).
As well as ruling on Sheffield United's injunction, the court will also give clarification on the findings of September's independent Football Association tribunal.
This could also have a large impact on whether Cas will be able to hear the case.
The hearing was held in private, in court 24 of the Commercial Court, before Mr Justice Teare.
There is also due to be a separate directions hearing, in which guidelines for the awarding of damages to Sheffield United will be laid out.
This will involve representatives of the two clubs and the three-man panel that sat on the original tribunal in September.
The tribunal ruled that Tevez had not been eligible to play for West Ham at the end of the 2006-7 season and that he played a key part in the London's club's Premier League survival as the Blades were relegated.
West Ham have already appealed to Cas but must overcome two obstacles before the case is heard in Lausanne.
The first is obviously to overturn the Blades' injunction, while Cas must also be persuaded that it has the authority to hear the appeal.
It is set to decide on this at the end of November.
Bellamy 'wants to join Tottenham'
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp claims striker Craig Bellamy wants to leave West Ham, despite the Hammers declining bids from Spurs and Manchester City.
"We can confirm that Craig Bellamy has been offered a new contract," said a West Ham spokesman on Friday.
"We can also confirm that he has no permission to talk to other clubs including Spurs and Manchester City."
But Redknapp said: "Someone has told me he wants to come here and play. If we can do a deal, good."
City have had three bids for the 29-year-old Wales captain rejected, and Spurs have also had offers turned down.
On Monday, City offered £9m before making an improved bid two days later, while Tottenham are reported to have bid £12m as West Ham maintain that Bellamy is not for sale.
However, Hammers manager Gianfranco Zola has admitted it is pointless keeping players if they do not want to play for the club.
"What can I do about it? As far as I am concerned, I want to keep him - and the club want to keep him. But if a player wants to go it is difficult," said Zola.
"At the moment, he is a West Ham player and he will stay a West Ham player. However, I do not know if he will play on Sunday. We will see what happens.
"It is difficult to keep players who are unhappy at the club, but we will see what happens."
West Ham, whose owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson may sell the club, insist they do not want to offload players and are under no pressure to do so.
Manchester City have also so far failed to prise midfielder Scott Parker away from Upton Park
And the Hammers have reacted angrily to Newcastle's interest in captain Lucas Neill, saying they have not received any approach for the player despite Magpies boss Joe Kinnear claiming to have spoken to Neill's agent.
"We are astonished by reports that a Premier League manager has claimed contact with one of our contracted players," said the London club.
"Talks over a new contract with Lucas Neill - who remains committed to West Ham United - are due to be held in due course when appropriate for all parties."
Bellamy played under City manager Mark Hughes and assistant Mark Bowen with both Wales and Blackburn.
And Bowen told BBC Sport on Thursday: "Of course we're interested in Craig Bellamy, he is a player we very much admire and we are hopeful we can bring him to Manchester City.
"We've known Craig for many years, and had him at Blackburn Rovers, and we know what he brings to any team he plays for.
"It does make me smile as I think he is one of those players who you either love or hate. But fans of teams that he has played for love him and know what he gave for their team."
Redknapp is especially keen to bolster his squad's forward strength during the transfer window as he only has Darren Bent, Manchester United loanee Fraizer Campbell and Roman Pavlyuchenko, who is cup-tied in Europe.
Bellamy, a former Liverpool, Blackburn, Newcastle, Coventry and Norwich forward, has made 54 appearances for his country, scoring 16 goals.
Often a controversial figure, Bellamy has helped lead 10th-placed West Ham back up the Premier League table in recent weeks after they had initially struggled as Zola settled in at the club after joining as its new manager in September.
West Ham complete Nsereko signing
West Ham have signed Brescia striker Savio Nsereko and will confirm his capture later on Monday.
The Uganda-born forward will be a direct replacement for Craig Bellamy, who moved to Manchester City last week.
The fee for Nsereko, 19, has not been revealed but it is expected to be a club record, topping the £7.5m West Ham paid Liverpool for Bellamy in 2007.
Hammers technical director Gianluca Nani worked with Germany under-19 star Nsereko when he was at Brescia.
The striker can play in a variety of attacking positions and was named player of the tournament at last year's Uefa Under-19 Championship in the Czech Republic, which was won by Germany.
He was also reported to have attracted interest from Italian giants Roma and Juventus.
Nsereko has scored three goals in 17 appearances for Serie B side Brescia this season.
His signing will reassure fans who had feared the Londoners would only be a selling club during the January transfer window.
Owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson has been beset by financial problems in recent months and is considering selling the club.
But other than Bellamy, who was determined to leave Upton Park, West Ham have only sold fringe players Matthew Etherington, Lee Bowyer and Hayden Mullins.
Meanwhile, both the Hammers and Juventus have quashed speculation that Carlton Cole could be about to move from east London to Turin.
"We are very happy with the players we have in the team and we will not make any moves in the January transfer market," said Juventus sporting director Alessio Secco.
Hammers scrap Sulejmani loan after work permit failure
West Ham have failed in their bid to get a work permit for Serbian striker Miralem Sulejmani, who they had hoped to sign on loan from Ajax.
The 21-year-old had agreed terms but the move is off and West Ham have turned their attentions elsewhere.
"We didn't succeed and are looking forward - I can't look back on things I can't change," said boss Avram Grant.
He is thought to be close to sealing a deal for Manchester City's Ecuador international striker Felipe Caicedo.
Sulejmani joined Ajax from Heerenveen in the summer of 2008 for a fee of about £13.5m but failed to make an impact, scoring 12 goals in 68 games, and was left out of Serbia's World Cup squad.
Former Portsmouth and Chelsea manager Grant, who assistant is Serb Zeljko Petrovic, replaced Gianfranco Zola, who was sacked in May after West Ham finished 17th last season, just one spot above the relegation places.
He has already signed Thomas Hitzlesperger, Pablo Barrera, Frederic Piquionne, Tal Ben Haim and Winston Reid this summer since taking over the Upton Park hotseat.
Grant slams impatient bosses
West Ham manager Avram Grant has slammed 'impatient' bosses following the sacking of Roberto Di Matteo.
The former Baggies coach was put on gardening leave last Sunday following a poor run of form that has seen Albion slip to 17th in the table.
But after guiding West Brom to promotion from the Championship last season, Di Matteo's departure shocked many and has been met with wide criticism.
Grant, who was on the verge of the sack himself in January and remains under pressure at Upton Park, has hit out at the short-term decisions being made in the modern game.
"It isn't the first and it won't be the last. I don't like it," said the Israeli of Di Matteo's sacking.
"In the last year there have been more losses in the history of football because everyone is interested in the short term.
"It's always the easiest solution. Sometimes the easiest solution is not the right solution.
"The best managers in the world are Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.
"If they would have started today I don't know what would happen to them because everybody loses patience."
West Ham face a trip to the Hawthorns on Saturday and take on a Baggies team now under the caretaker charge of Michael Appleton.
Announcement
Meanwhile, the Olympic Park Legacy Company are set to announce who will move into the Olympic Stadium after London 2012, with the Hammers understood to have pipped Tottenham to the post.
Grant is hoping for confirmation on Friday and believes it makes sense because the Stratford site is so far away from Spurs.
"There has been no definite decision yet, but I think if we are successful it will take the club forward," he added.
"I think it's in our area so the people in the area deserve it.
"I have said it before - I don't think that we would want to build a stadium in Chelsea."
