Ghana captain Stephen Appiah could finally be signing for a Premier League London club, by agreeing a deal with West Ham United.
Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola is believed to be considering a move for the powerhouse midfielder, who is thought to have already taken part in a trial at Upton Park, with a second one due to take place before the east London outfit make any decision on whether to offer him a deal.
The former Parma and Juventus midfielder has been a free agent since parting with Fenerbahce last year, and has been on trial with Tottenham Hotspur and Russian champions Rubin Kazan, while Arsenal were reported to be interested in offering Appiah a deal.
However, none of the above have resulted in the Ghanaian signing a contract, with some media reports suggesting Appiah's large wage demands have been the reason behind the succession of failed moves.
While others have cited a lack of fitness, with the 28-year-old suffering a lengthy knee injury while at his previous club.
But Appiah has stressed that neither are true.
“I went to England as everyone knows and trained with Tottenham for about four weeks,” he told his personal website.
“I was supposed to be there for a week, but it got extended for various reasons. Then I had another offer from the Russian champions, Rubin Kazan, and started talking to them, but that did not materialise.
“I can definitely say that it wasn’t about my wage demands and both clubs will confirm that. I wasn’t demanding what has been stated in some quarters of the media.
“My fitness levels were good given that I have been injured and out of the game for over 18 months. However, those deals with Tottenham and Rubin didn’t materialise and I have to move on.
“The future still looks good. I will be carrying on with my training as usual. There are a couple of offers I received which I didn’t consider, so I will be exploring them in the coming weeks.
“I will also be training hard so that, if the Black Stars call on me, I will be ready.”
Ghana captain Stephen Appiah could finally be signing for a Premier League London club, by agreeing a deal with West Ham United.
Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola is believed to be considering a move for the powerhouse midfielder, who is thought to have already taken part in a trial at Upton Park, with a second one due to take place before the east London outfit make any decision on whether to offer him a deal.
The former Parma and Juventus midfielder has been a free agent since parting with Fenerbahce last year, and has been on trial with Tottenham Hotspur and Russian champions Rubin Kazan, while Arsenal were reported to be interested in offering Appiah a deal.
However, none of the above have resulted in the Ghanaian signing a contract, with some media reports suggesting Appiah's large wage demands have been the reason behind the succession of failed moves.
While others have cited a lack of fitness, with the 28-year-old suffering a lengthy knee injury while at his previous club.
But Appiah has stressed that neither are true.
“I went to England as everyone knows and trained with Tottenham for about four weeks,” he told his personal website.
“I was supposed to be there for a week, but it got extended for various reasons. Then I had another offer from the Russian champions, Rubin Kazan, and started talking to them, but that did not materialise.
“I can definitely say that it wasn’t about my wage demands and both clubs will confirm that. I wasn’t demanding what has been stated in some quarters of the media.
“My fitness levels were good given that I have been injured and out of the game for over 18 months. However, those deals with Tottenham and Rubin didn’t materialise and I have to move on.
“The future still looks good. I will be carrying on with my training as usual. There are a couple of offers I received which I didn’t consider, so I will be exploring them in the coming weeks.
“I will also be training hard so that, if the Black Stars call on me, I will be ready.”
