West Ham co-owner David Gold is desperate to hold on to the club s best players and insists it is boss Gianfranco Zola who has the final say on transfer dealings.

West Ham co-owner David Gold is desperate to hold on to the club's best players and insists it is boss Gianfranco Zola who has the final say on transfer dealings.

The East End born former Birmingham supremo refused to name players, but reiterated his desire to keep the club as competitive as possible in the top tier of English football.

"There will be deals to be done, there might be some players that might want to leave," he said.

"We need to sit down and talk to players coming towards the end of their contracts, we will do everything to keep our best players.

"We would sit down and discuss it with the manager. There are difficult decisions.

"As an example, what I have experienced is a player will say 'I want to see my contract out and don't want to make a new deal', I can't let him walk away, you have to do business."

And Gold is adamant whatever happens it would be to the benefit of the football club.

"I'd do the best for the football club, working closely with the manager," he said.

"If the manager says 'I need him for next 12 months and let him go on for a free'.

"I'd explain the alternative. You get �5m now, he'd have to go, but get the money.

"You say he's sold and here is the �5m replace him.

"These scenarios need to be worked through, some of them are emotional, some are very financial but the final decision is with the manager, unless you get managers that just do not understand the economics and reality of life.

"In the main, we've never been selling people, we've always been buyers."

And with regard to the bringing players into the club, Gold was clear about his methods.

"None of it (transfers) is dictatorial, I can assure you the manager makes the decision.

"It is a two-way thing. I can promise you that. There's a misunderstanding and I want to put the record straight.

"We run around like headless chickens trying to deliver what he wants.

"What we would never do is bring a player and say 'by the way here's your player'.

"We know owners have done that in the past, at West Ham it's happened."

"It's no different to the way we have operated in the last 17 years."

By Matt Diner