Hammers line up McCarthy-Gudjohnsen strike force

West Ham’s battle for Premier League survival is set to be spearheaded by a strike force of Eidur Gudjohnsen and Benni McCarthy.

Former Chelsea and Barcelona striker Gudjohnsen, who is now at Monaco, looks set to join South Africa striker McCarthy at Upton Park after Tottenham admitted defeat in the race to sign the Icelander on loan.

“I like Eidur, but I think he’s going to West Ham,” Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp said after his side’s 2-0 win over Fulham on Tuesday evening. “I spoke to his agent today but I’ve left it with chairman.

“I’d take him on loan because he’s a good player and we could play different systems with him.” he added.

Blackburn have agreed to sell McCarthy to the Hammers for a reported fee of 2.25 million pounds and the deal was expected to be wrapped up on Wednesday following a medical and negotiations on the striker’s personal terms.

McCarthy had grown disillusioned with his lack of first-team starts at Blackburn under manager Sam Allardyce and wanted a move to ensure regular football in the run-up to the World Cup finals in his home country in June and July.

He has departed Ewood Park in acrimonious circumstances however after failing to turn up for training sessions this week, conduct which Allardyce branded “unprofessional”.

Allardyce said: “It shows you that the only loyalty a player has got is to himself.

“This is what we deal with today in football, there’s not such a thing as loyalty as there used to be in the older days when I was a player.

“It’s a selfish attitude they have and that’s not just about Benni, that’s all players today. If they want something they do anything to try and get it.”

West Ham are currently hovering just above the relegation zone with only goal difference keeping them out of the bottom three following Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw at Portsmouth.

The Hammers had looked on track for a valuable win after taking the lead with a scrappy effort from club captain Matthew Upson seven minutes into the second half.

But former Manchester United trainee Danny Webber came off the bench to claim his first Premier League goal and rescue a point for the Premier League’s bottom side, who remain four points adrift of the side above them, Hull, and five away from safety.

Pompey manager Avram Grant admitted afterwards that the lifting of a Premier League transfer embargo may have come too late to help their survival bid.

Grant is hopeful of landing “three or four” new players by the end of the month but the club’s perilous financial position means he can only take players on loan or on free transfers.

“We’ll try to do our best but we have only four days,” Grant said. “It will be very difficult but we’ll do it because the squad is very short.”

Grant hopes to bring left-sided midfielder Jamie O’Hara back to the club on loan from Tottenham and he played down the possibility of Younes Kaboul and Nadir Belhadj leaving.

“If these players go, I would need to play, and I cannot play!” Grant joked.

Portsmouth are however expected to allow England goalkeeper David James to go to Stoke on loan until the end of the season in a move dictated by the financial pressure currently on the club.