EXCLUSIVE: West Ham face fight to keep star man Diame with transfer trigger clause in his contract West Ham are fighting to keep explosive midfielder Mohamed Diame, who has an escape clause in his contract and could leave the club in January. Talks are expected this week with the players’ agent but the free transfer signing from Wigan appears in no rush to sign a new deal. In order to lure him to West Ham in the summer, the club were forced to agree a ‘trigger clause’ in his contract. The size of the clause is a closely-guarded secret at Upton Park, but rival clubs are circling and prepared to pay around £6million. Trigger clause: West Ham could face a fight to keep hold of star man Mohamed Diame in January The player, who was compared by Jamie Redknapp as a cross between Yaya Toure and Patrick Vieira, has been drawing attention from Liverpool and Everton. After his powerhouse performance against Chelsea at the weekend, other clubs are expected to be interested and West Ham have a fight on their hands to keep him. Diame arrived from the bench to turn the game in West Ham’s favour after they trailed 1-0. He scored in the second half and inspired a comeback that saw them win 3-1 and defeat Chelsea for the first time in ten years. He has also scored against Arsenal this season. West Ham had a similar deal with Demba Ba, who exercised his escape clause when the club were relegated and joined Newcastle, where he has been a huge success. Ba has scored eight times for the club in the Premier League this season. Newcastle striker Demba Ba is yet to be persuaded to sign a new deal as the January transfer window looms. the 27-year-old Senegal international has rejected the club's latest offer as they attempt to negotiate out the release clause contained in his initial contract. Despite concerted speculation during the summer, no potential suitor activated the £7.5million get-out which could have lured the former West Ham frontman away from St James' Park. However, while supporters heaved a sigh of relief that last season's leading scorer would be staying on Tyneside, manager Alan Pardew revealed that the clause would become active once again next month. The Magpies have been locked in negotiations with Ba's representatives for some time, but there is understood to be a significant gap between the wage deal the former are prepared to offer and that which the latter are willing to accept. Newcastle are hopeful that the player, who has scored eight times this season, is happy to stay and he too has given little indication that he is looking to leave. Pardew will hope for a breakthrough if he is to avoid a month of waiting anxiously to see if the former Hoffenheim player will remain within his grasp by the end of it. In the meantime, he will hope Ba and compatriot Papiss Cisse can find the goals to fire the club out of their current Barclays Premier League slump as they head into Monday night's home clash with Wigan looking to avoid a fifth successive defeat. Demba-Ba-talks-stall-release-clause-set-kick-Newcastle.
Both players would improve the majority of clubs fortunes tbh, including the top 3 or 4. Neither will be playing for us after this January.
Should have gone for Diame when he was free in the summer. Ba Wouldnt come here. People turn their noses up at players from lower leagues but we should go for Peter Whittingham at Cardiff imo. Anyone who has actually watched him will know why, great vision quality passer and has a wicked left foot (best set piece taker in the country) Fulham had a bid turned down in the summer and id be shocked if there's not bids in January
Should have gone for Diame when he was free in the summer. Ba Wouldnt come here. People turn their noses up at players from lower leagues but we should go for Peter Whittingham at Cardiff imo. Anyone who has actually watched him will know why, great vision quality passer and has a wicked left foot (best set piece taker in the country) Fulham had a bid turned down in the summer and id be shocked if there's not bids in January
