Hammers rule out sales

// A bit of a hack but it works// The article snippet is wrapped onto a second line, even when #article-sub is emptyif( $("div#article-sub").children().length == 0 ) {$("div#article-sub").remove();} West Ham chief executive Scott Duxbury insists the club are under no pressure to sell players. The Hammers were dealt a financial blow towards the end of last season as the global credit crunch began to bite.New owners were brought in to help steady the ship, with Icelandic investment bank Straumur taking the helm.However, they have troubles of their own and reports have suggested that West Ham will need to offload some of their most saleable assets in order to balance the books.Duxbury, though, insists that is not the case, claiming manager Gianfranco Zola is actually being encouraged to identify potential new recruits, not prepare for departures.He told the club's official website: "The club's position today remains the same as it was last week or it was in January. There is no question of Straumur forcing us to sell anyone - in fact we are actively looking for new players."The papers are unsurprisingly full of speculation at this time of year but the situation is clear. The only way a player would be allowed to leave is if Gianfranco thinks it is in the best interests of the squad as a whole and it is right for the club. It is as simple as that."Non-executive chairman Andrew Bernhardt added: "As I said earlier in the summer, the club is on a sound financial footing and Straumur creditor meetings have no bearing on the operations of West Ham United. This remains unchanged."We fully support Scott and Gianfranco and endorse their continued efforts in strengthening the squad as quickly as possible, with a new striker their top priority. We are looking forward to a great season."

Source: SKY_Sports