Hammers sign Upson

[COYG]

West Ham have landed Birmingham City defender Matthew Upson for an initial £6million.

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