West Ham United deny a transfer row over Tal Ben Haim.
The Observer says i is understood that Portsmouth are not paying his £37,000-a-week salary due to their claim that the Israeli is in disagreement with West Ham and that he only trained for the first time on Thursday. Ben Haim is said to believe that under the terms of his loan deal with West Ham he should be offered an extension until the end of the season.
Asked about Ben Haim's situation, Steve Cotterill, the Portsmouth manager, said: "I don't know the answer. That's more of a political question, probably for someone else. He could come back I suppose, but I absolutely don't know.
"The only small bit I do know is that he is in a disagreement with West Ham over whether his contract was valid from 1 January. As a player we would welcome him. Whether we would welcome his wage is a question for someone else."
A West Ham spokesperson said: "As far as the club is concerned Tal Ben Haim is back with Portsmouth and a Portsmouth player."
