Matthew Upson pledges his future to Upton Park as he welcomes new owner

James Olley
8 Jun 2009

Matthew Upson has said his future is with West Ham after the club were taken over by Icelandic bank CB Holding.

The centre-back, who is currently preparing for England's World Cup qualifier with Andorra on Wednesday, expressed his delight over the end to financial uncertainty at Upton Park.

It was rumoured Upson would have to be sold — with former club Arsenal among the clubs lying in wait — to balance the books but the arrival of new owners means his departure is no longer a necessity. And he said: “I am very positive that the club has got some good financial investment. As a player there, I want the team to improve.

“My future is there and I am enjoying working under Gianfranco Zola so I think times are good. The takeover is a positive thing and any kind of financial investment into the team is great.

“We are in a crucial period in terms of developing the team. It's a positive sign that the manager can maybe go out and strengthen the squad.”

Of more immediate concern to Upson is the visit of Andorra to Wembley, when victory can move England within three points of qualifying from Group Six for next summer's World Cup in South Africa. After Saturday's 4-0 victory in Kazakhstan, just one match stands between England's players and a summer break but Upson insists his team-mates remain focused on the task in hand.

“Its important to have the right mentality,” said the 30-year-old. “It's not over yet — we have put ourselves in a strong position but we are still a couple of wins away from confirming that.

“I don't think we can take our eye off the ball and start thinking ahead to next summer. It's important that we get this game out of the way with a positive result, then regroup for next season.

“As a player you just have to focus on winning whether it's 1-0 or whatever the scoreline may be. We just need to win the game. We haven't really dwelled on that at all — everyone is training hard and wants to compete to get in the team.

“I can't see us being complacent as there are a lot of players who want to play on Wednesday. I don't think that's going to come into the mindset of the team.”

Upson, who will partner John Terry on Wednesday in the absence of the injured Rio Ferdinand, is driven by a burning ambition to reach his first international tournament.

He added: “It would mean everything to go to a World Cup. It's something that I have dreamt about and have worked very hard for over the last four of five years.”