Rumours: Tottenham to hijack West Ham’s £6m target

Reading full-back Nicky Shorey has been a West Ham target for a while now and with his side's alarming plummet towards the foot of the table, a move away from the Madejski seems more likely than ever for the former O’s man.

Hammers boss Alan Curbishley is not alone in wanting the impressive assist machine – Kevin Keegan at Newcastle also sees the England international as a solution to some of his defensive woes (Sunday Telegraph) and now it appears that Tottenham may be keen on the 27-year-old.

Having lost the injured Gareth Bale for most of the season and with South Korean Young-Pyo Lee not exactly setting the world alight, you can see why Shorey could be a useful addition to Juande Ramos's squad.

Shorey himself is trying to reduce the incessant paper talk about his future and said: "There has been a lot of speculation this season and it is always hard when there is speculation about your future. I don't want anyone to read anything into it, but people obviously will.