West Ham chairman David Sullivan has sensationally asked Alan Curbishley to invest his financial pay-off from the Hammers back into the club

West Ham chairman David Sullivan has sensationally asked Alan Curbishley to invest his financial pay-off from the Hammers back into the club.

The former Charlton boss left Upton Park in September 2008 and won a case of constructive dismissal in November last year.

Curbishley left after feeling his position had become untenable when the club sold both Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney to Sunderland without his say-so, when a clause in his contract stated he had the final say on transfers.

The compensation figure has yet to be decided and West Ham could yet appeal, but that has not stopped Sullivan pleading that the Canning Town-born manager put the money back into the club.

"Allan will get somewhere between �1.25million and �3.25m and we'd love him to invest his settlement with us in West Ham," said the Hammers co-owner who after buying the the East End outfit last week revealed the club debts to be over �100m.

Curbishley is a boyhood West Ham fan and even after he won the case was keen to point out that he never wished to leave the club in the first place.

However, Sullivan is not too confident that his request will be accepted.

"It would be marvellous," he said.

"I could think of nothing better, but I don't think he is going to do it."

Sullivan has touted Tony Fernandes, one of Sullivan's competitors to buy West Ham as another potential investor and was last week offering 10 percent of the club for �10m.

"We're hoping to start talking topeople we hope will invest with us by the middle of the week," Sullivan added.

"We've got a few people who've got a gold card who we're going to see and we're hoping they'll join us in the battle to keep West Ham alive.

"We're talking about substantial sums of money from some very rich people and we're hoping in a few months time they will have signed up for the fight.

"We will show them what we did at Birmingham, where all the investors doubled or quadrupled their money they invested..

"We have always had partners wherever we have been and if you buy a part of the club you get a place on the board, we are not dictorial people.

"The debt is so large and we want to spread the debt.