Upson seals Hammers switch
By James Pearson - Created on 31 Jan 2007
West Ham United have landed Birmingham City defender Matthew Upson
for an initial £6million.
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The relegation-threatened Hammers saw two bids for the 27-year-old
rejected by Blues before they were able to strike a deal.
Upson, who has penned a four-and-a-half year deal at Upton Park,
has become manager Alan Curbishley's sixth signing in the transfer
window.
The arrival of the England international is a timely boost for the
struggling East London outfit, who suffered a 2-1 home loss to
Liverpool on Tuesday.
Upson, who has been capped seven times by his country, could now
make his Hammers debut in the side's trip to Aston Villa this
weekend.
Birmingham chairman David Gold has stated the deal was never about
money and is disappointed Upson did not want to honour his
contract.
"This is not and never had been about money," Gold told the Blues'
official website.
"It was always about Matthew doing the right thing and honouring
his contract; as we did when he was out injured for the past
year.
"25 per cent of the profit on this deal goes to Arsenal, so this is
not a big money deal for us. This is just simply about player
power."
