Neill Denies Pay Rise Claims

Lucas Neill has denied he has asked for more wages and says he wishes to remain at West Ham when his current contract finishes in 2008.

"Inside the dressing room you can take it straight from me that no one's thinking about leaving. I've had assurances from the manager that he wants me to stay.

"I can't speak from a financial or board point-of-view but from a player or coaching point-of-view, the squad needs to stay together."

When asked about accusations that he has threatened to leave on a free if the club didn't offer him more money Neill said,

"My reaction was to laugh it off. Obviously because it's clearly untrue, but for 40,000 West Ham fans there is a different reaction. The first one is 'how dare he?' and 'how greedy'.

"I know the situation with the club and the way things have gone. I love the club. I love the role that I have. I relish the challenge. It's just for me now being 31 in March, it's about being able to play as long as I can."

"There's been no talk of how long, how much. It's just been a case of me saying I want to finish my career at West Ham. When the time is right and when the time is right for the club, because it's not their priority at the moment, then we'll do it. (sign a new contract)"