Allardyce: Reid may already have new club in mind

FA Cup Third Round:

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce believes defender Winston Reid has probably already agreed to play somewhere else next season.

The 26-year-old New Zealand international is out of contract with the Irons in the summer, and has so far failed to agree new terms at Upton Park.

Allardyce, who takes his side to Everton in the third round of the FA Cup tonight, now feels the player has decided to further his career elsewhere, with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United having been touted as possible destinations.

“(With) what other managers are telling me, it doesn’t bode well. Who knows? Only Winston and his agent can decide at the end,” said Allardyce.

“But from what other people are telling me, what is going on in the world of football makes it difficult to think he is going to stay here.”

Allardyce believes Reid may already have decided his next destination. “If he is not going to sign a contract (here), I (would) find it highly unlikely if it is not already verbally done.

“You have to accept the way it is and contrary to whether it breaks the rules or it doesn’t, it happens.”

But the manager stressed there was no real need for the club to look to “cash in” on Reid during this month. The Irons boss said: “What is it, £1.8m a place (in the Premier League table)? So you might not be losing that (transfer fee) money actually and you have to balance it out.”

Meanwhile Everton’s Irish midfielder James McCarthy will miss the visit of West Ham as he has not fully recovered from a hamstring problem.

Centre-back John Stones is likely to start, having missed the last two matches with an ankle injury, in place of the suspended Antolin Alcaraz.

Martinez admits his side need to put in a display to silence the doubters.

His team have lost their last four matches and have just one win and a draw in nine games, a run which has seen some fans begin to question the Spaniard’s suitability.

“As a club we have all been disappointed by the results. We now have three games at home and it is really important we support each other,” said Martinez.