Neill laughs off pay hike talk

West Ham skipper plays down contract demand

Last updated: 17th December 2008

Neill laughs off pay hike talk

Neill: Looking to end career a Hammer

I know the situation with the club and the way things have gone. I love the club. I love the role that I have. I relish the challenge.

Lucas Neill
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Lucas Neill has vehemently denied he has demanded West Ham offer him increased terms or he will leave next summer on a free transfer.

Reports suggested the Hammers skipper, who is out of contract next summer, had approached the club's board for improved terms on the two-and-half year deal he penned in January 2007.

Neill's initial reaction was to laugh off the report stating it was 'clearly untrue', although he can understand why some West Ham fans would have different feelings after reading the story.

When asked whether he had demanded an improved deal from the West Ham hierarchy, he told Sky Sports News: "No, not at all.

"My reaction was to laugh it off. Obviously because it's clearly untrue, but for 40,000 West Ham fans there is a different reaction. The first one is 'how dare he?' and 'how greedy'.

"I know the situation with the club and the way things have gone. I love the club. I love the role that I have. I relish the challenge.

"It's just for me now being 31 in March it's about being able to play as long as I can."

Initial talks

Former Blackburn defender Neill has confirmed the club have held initial talks with him over an extension, although he claims the length of the deal or terms have not been discussed.

"There's been no on-going negotiations," he added. "There's been no talk of how long, how much. It's just been a case of me saying I want to finish my career at West Ham.

"I made that statement at the season and when the time is right and when the time is right for the club, because it's not their priority at the moment, then we'll do it.

"It's just interesting all the things come out now which are totally untrue and unquoted. It doesn't affect me, but obviously it can sometimes influence people involved in the club."

It has been suggested West Ham's Icelandic owners could be forced sell some of the club's more valuable players in January due to the collapse Iceland's national bank coupled with the hefty bill they need to settle with Sheffield United over the Carlos Tevez affair.

The Blades are reportedly willing to settle for a £25million out-of-court settlement in a bid to put the bed the episode that saw the South Yorkshire outfit claim compensation following their relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2006/07 campaign.

No worries

Although many of West Ham's players may not know if they are staying or going, Neill believes Gianfranco Zola's squad are happy and enjoying their football under the Italian tactician.

"The players aren't worried. The immediate first-team squad is all really happy and really enjoying their football.

"Inside the dressing room you can take it straight from me that no one's thinking about leaving. No one's talking about leaving.

"I've had assurances from the manager that he wants me to stay. I can't speak for any of the other players because they are one-on-one conversations, but as a team he's building, he's still building, he likes what he has and wants to add to it, so the last thing he'll want to do is remove some of the quality that we have because obviously that'll affect his plans massively and what we're all trying to achieve.

"I can't speak from a financial or board point of view but from a player or coaching point of view the squad needs to stay together."