Harry in for another defender?

  • by Staff Writer
  • Thursday, 18th January 2001

Reports emerging this morning are linking West Ham with a move for South African Olympic captain Matthew Booth.

Despite the Hammers adding to their already healthy stock of defenders earlier this week with the capture of Ragnvald Soma and Christian Dailly, Harry Redknapp has made enquiries into the availability of Booth, who currently plays for South African outfit Mamelodi Sundowns.

The players agent, Richard Gomes told planetfootball.com earlier: "I spoke to West Ham manager Harry Redknapp and he was very keen to sign Matthew - in fact, he still is.

"But he said, at that stage, the asking price was 'oceans away' from what they were prepared to pay."

Sundowns are looking for around £1.5m for the 23-year-old, whom Redknapp reportedly first enquired about last October. But the player will become a free agent at the end of the current season allowing him to move for nothing.

Several other English clubs are believed to be monitoring the situation closely.

* The arrival of Soma and Dailly took the number of defenders on West Ham's books to 15! For the record the list consists of:

1.Christian Dailly, 2.Ragnvald Soma, 3.Stev Angus, 4.Gary Charles, 5.Stuart Pearce, 6.Ian Pearce, 7.Steve Potts, 8.Igor Stimac, 9.Nigel Winterburn, 10.Scott Minto, 11.Javier Margas, 12.Shaun Byrne, 13.Adam Newton (on loan), 14.Hayden Foxe (on loan), 15.Hannu Tihinen (loan) PLUS occasional defender Steve Lomas, 16.Rigobert Song, 17.Izzy Iriekpen.

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