Defoe ignores transfer talk

Jermain Defoe insists he will not let talk of a big-money move to Manchester United unsettle him.

Defoe has been linked with a move away from Upton Park ever since handing in a transfer request the day after West Ham were relegated before later withdrawing it.

But he claims the latest speculation about his future will not affect his game.

He told the official club website: "You read stuff in the papers but once I get out there I don't want to think about anything else but playing well and scoring goals.

"It is not unsettling, though. I am used to it now and at the end of the day I have been in the papers since I was 17.

"I am used to it in one sense, and when I get out on the pitch I just focus on playing and scoring for West Ham.

"I don't think I need to say anything. I just play football and that is it - that's what I always say.

"I scored on Saturday so I can't see why I can't continue - I am just getting on with it."

Defoe has watched former team-mates Joe Cole, Glen Johnson, Trevor Sinclair and Frederic Kanoute leave Upton Park in recent weeks as the financial reality of relegation to Division One hit home.

But he claims there is life after his old colleagues in a new generation of emerging talent like Youssef Sofiane and Anton Ferdinand.

He said: "All the players that have gone are good players and obviously they are my mates so I wish them all the best.

"But we have good players coming in like Youssef who is so quick and Anton, a great player who played really well on Saturday. I have a lot of respect for him."