Back in December, the Boleyn Ground was an anxious place. With the Icelandic owners feeling the pinch and West Ham up for sale, the Hammers were expected to be at the focal point of the New Year player sales.

Matthew Upson, Scott Parker, Robert Green and Craig Bellamy were the prized assets most sought after.

And yet, with the January transfer window now shut, only one first-team regular - Bellamy - has left.

Manager Gianfranco Zola has even been allowed to recruit Savio Nsereko for £9million.

Bellamy joined the billionaire revolution at Manchester City but for Upson, Parker (below) and Green, Upton Park remains the place to be.

Upson may still become a target for Arsenal again in the summer but, for the time being, his footballing ambitions override any desire to chase big-money contracts on offer elsewhere.

"It starts as a football ambition," he told Standard Sport. "At nine years old you're not thinking about how much money you want to put in the bank. Then, when you leave school and you're with a club's academy, the question becomes 'Can I make a living out of the game?'

"Once you get your first professional contract and make the first team, then you begin to think about how to make yourself financially secure.

"For some of the top international players, it gets to the stage where they have so much money that, financially, it doesn't really matter if they have more success or not.

"Then it has to be back to a football ambition, otherwise you wouldn't drive yourself on to greater things."

Back in December, Upson told me that he would "be very disappointed if I was still at the club in January and others were sold".

Now, he is just relieved that all the speculation is over and he can get back to playing for Zola.

"The person who has the biggest headache in the transfer window is undoubtedly the manager," added Upson.

"He may have to make a decision on a player who wants to leave but he doesn't want to let go. As far as I am concerned there was never, ever a genuine enquiry. There were quite a few rumours but as far as I am aware, that's all they were."

The Italian manager has led the Hammers on an eight-match unbeaten run and it is clear that the pull of playing for Zola is important to Upson.

"I have to say the club have done a fantastic job in what could have been a difficult month," he said. "They've done the right thing and maintained their ambition on the pitch, which is something I was concerned about back in December.

"The one player who's gone was out of their control really. It was a situation where the player [Bellamy] took things into his own hands."

Upson, who scored in a West Ham victory over Manchester United last season, now cannot wait for Sunday's game with the champions.

"The reason why things are so enjoyable is because we're doing well and that's down to the job the new management team are doing," he added.

"People who know about West Ham and who have watched us regularly will have noticed that we're playing with a bit more positivity and confidence and in a fashion which is more attractive to watch. They've been drilling these messages into us from the day they arrived."

Upson looks certain to be included in Fabio Capello's England squad for next week's friendly in Spain, when it is named tomorrow.

He added: "This is a huge 18 months for me, both on a domestic and international level. The 2010 World Cup, for example, is something which I'm looking forward to every day and preparing myself for.

"The football I'm playing every week for West Ham is no less important.

"I'm very near my peak now. I still think there are improvements to be made but my form this season has been very consistent, which is a sign I'm more mature as a player and a person."