Rebrov free for Hammers move

West Ham’s chances of signing Ukrainian striker Sergei Rebrov have improved after Tottenham confirmed the player they bought four years ago for £11m (€16.6m) is now a free agent.

It means that the Hammers, with whom Rebrov is currently training, can sign him without paying a fee and now have only to negotiate his personal terms plus work permit and international clearance if manager Alan Pardew decides to go ahead with a deal.

Pardew warned: “It is early days yet. Sergei and I had a look at each other for the first time on the training pitch just the other day.

“He’s obviously a quality player but there are hurdles like contracts and work permits to overcome.”

Rebrov, 30, would be ineligible to play in West Ham’s pre-season friendly at Peterborough United tomorrow where another former Spurs player, Teddy Sheringham, is due to make his debut.

Sheringham, 38, signed a one-year deal at Upton Park earlier this week having spent last season with Portsmouth in the Premiership.

And he immediately gave Rebrov, who has more than 50 Ukrainian international caps, a glowing testimony, saying: “He can score goals and make goals and I enjoyed playing alongside him at Tottenham.”

Hammers’ Northern Ireland midfielder Steve Lomas has also urged the club to take a gamble on Rebrov, who netted just eight League goals for Spurs but harvested a bumper crop for Dynamo Kiev in a famous partnership with Andrei Shevchenko, now at AC Milan.

He could not impress either George Graham or Glenn Hoddle during their management spells at White Hart Lane, however, and was on loan all last season to Turkish club Fenerbahce where he also became surplus to requirements.

A statement on Tottenham’s official website www.spurs.co.uk read: “A report in the media yesterday said there was confusion over Sergei Rebrov’s status.

“We can confirm that he is a free agent and that notification of this was forwarded to his legal advisors at the end of last week.”

Meanwhile, Spurs are denying rumours that skipper Jamie Redknapp has been struck down by a new injury crisis.

Redknapp, 31, who had to have career-saving knee surgery in America during his time at Liverpool, has had further knee problems in each of the last two campaigns since joining Spurs on a free transfer.

But Spurs assistant-coach Chris Hughton insists he will be fit for the start of the new campaign despite failing to appear in any of the three matches on tour in Sweden last week or a run-out at non-league Stevenage.

Redknapp, who was awarded a new contract in the summer, is hopeful of appearing against either Hull City tomorrow or Sheffield United on Sunday and Hughton said: “Jamie hasn’t been injured again.

“As you know over the past couple of years he’s experienced problems with his knee and knows best how to manage it.

“By that I mean when to make himself available for matches. As players get more experienced in these things they train a little differently, work a little differently and are a little more cautious. Jamie is at that stage.

“But we are all looking forward to the start of the season with him being ready.”