West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola: I don't want to sell Matthew Upson

Gianfranco Zola has insisted West Ham are a buying and not a selling club - and told Matthew Upson he should stay at Upton Park to realise his World Cup ambitions.

The England defender admitted yesterday he would be willing to move to "the right club" to help the Hammers' financial plight.

Craig Bellamy was sold to Manchester City in January to help West Ham's cash flow with the manager's approval. But Zola, who saw Upson score the second goal in their opening win at Wolves, is opposed to the further sale of key players in a squad which is already paper thin.

And Zola and chief executive Scott Duxbury are trying to wheel-and-deal to bring in at least one more striker before the transfer window closes.

With England Under 21 international James Tomkins highly rated by the club, selling Upson could release funds to bring more depth to the squad and help pay debts.

But Zola reiterated today that he wants the 30-year-old, who has established himself as a regular in the England squad, to stay and push West Ham forward. How much influence the manager has over transfer policy will be revealed over the next fortnight.

"Matthew Upson realises that he is a good player and that there might be teams who are looking at him," said the Italian. "We have had no offers for him and we are very pleased that he is here. We want to keep him. I think he is enjoying his football and he's looking forward to this season because it's going to be vital for his career.

"As far as I'm concerned we are looking to buy some players not to sell them."

After previous heavy spending, the club has been told to be self-financing by new Icelandic owners Straumur.

West Ham have made bids or held talks with Eidur Gudjohnsen, Luca Toni and Marouane Chamakh without closing a deal leaving Zola's side over-reliant on England striker Carlton Cole.

"I am sure that it would not do us any harm if we had some more striking force," said Zola. "I am sure that the club is doing everything they can to fill that space for a striker. I rely on them and we'll see what happens."

Last week, non-executive chairman Andrew Bernhardt said: "As I said earlier in the summer, the club is on a sound financial footing and Straumur creditor meetings have no bearing on the operations of West Ham United. This remains unchanged.

"We fully support Scott and Gianfranco and endorse their continued efforts in strengthening the squad as quickly as possible, with a new striker their top priority. We are looking forward to a great season."