Sam 'frustrated' at lack of activity

Sam Allardyce is becoming increasingly frustrated at West Ham's inability to land any of his favoured transfer targets, KUMB has learned.

The West Ham manager has seen a string of deals fall through already this summer due to the board's unwillingness to pay high wages and is said to be disappointed at the lack of backing he has received from the club's co-owners, Davids Sullivan and Gold.

Sunderland's Kieran Richardson, ex-Tottenham defender Ryan Nelson (now QPR) and former Rangers forward Steven Naismith (now Everton) are three of the players who Allardyce has failed to land having seen negotiations fall through due to the board's insistence on refusing to accede to extortionate demands.

Sullivan - and to a lesser degree, Gold - have refused to sanction such transfers, preferring instead to wait in the hope that some of their targets remain available until later in the transfer window when they are more likely to accept more agreeable terms.

"We’ve identified a number of players but, as yet, we’ve not been able to sign them because of their demands," Big Sam said earlier today. "At the moment, we have signed two out of 12 players we have gone for but I believe we need another four.

"I still believe we will sign the players we need but every day that goes by makes me more anxious."

27-year-old Richardson, for example, is thought to have demanded circa £45,000-per-week to join West Ham despite having failed to stand out since moving from Manchester United to Sunderland for £5.5million in July 2007.

Despite the lack of activity in the past fortnight, West Ham have already signed four players since confirming their return to the Premier League - Stephen Henderson, Jussi Jaaskelainen, Momo Diame and George McCartney - whilst Modibo Maiga is expected to join within the next few days.

Allardyce is seeking a full back, a central defender, a wide forward and a central striker.