West Ham were still on the trail of Ghanaian international Stephen Appiah today following their late twin loan signings of Italian striker David di Michele and Congolese left-back Herita Llunga.

West Ham chief executive Scott Duxbury, it emerged, was working on both deals until midnight on transfer deadline day but they are still subject to Premier League registration.

The club are confident of both deals going through and are also hopeful of signing Appiah, who is a free agent following a dispute with Turkish club Fenerbahce and, as such, is not bound by the transfer deadline.

The signings may placate manager Alan Curbishley as he wanted to keep full-back George McCartney who was sold to Sunderland in a £6million deal, also on deadline day.

Llunga, 26, will join from Toulouse and 32-year-old former Palermo striker di Michele from Torino.