Brady, Stratford & Beckham Claims

The poisonous harpie has been wailing again . . . . . .



A spokesman for David Beckham has told BBC Sport it is "laughable" to suggest his move to Tottenham is a ploy to help Spurs move to the Olympic Stadium.

West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady made the suggestion about the LA Galaxy star's move in her newspaper column.

Brady wrote on Saturday: "They may feel he could help their rival bid to ours for the Olympic Stadium."

But Beckham's spokesman retorted: "It is laughable... We would never get involved in anything like that."

Both London clubs are vying to move into the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, with the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) due to make a decision before March.

West Ham had also wanted to take Beckham on loan from the Major League Soccer side, with the England midfielder set to return to the Premier League while it is the off-season in the United States.

Explaining the reason behind her comment, Brady said: "The link is this: LA Galaxy is owned by Philip Anschutz - whose company AEG is Tottenham's partner in their stadium bid.

"I admire Beckham as a football champion and I'd hate to see him being used as puppet for AEG."

Beckham has agreed to train with the north London club until 10 February, but sources close to him have admitted the prospect of the 35-year-old actually playing for them during the course of his short-term move hang in the balance.

Talks between Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy and AEG CEO Tim Leiweke will continue on Monday regarding the length of Beckham's stay and what proportion of his wages Spurs will pay.

One sticking point is that Spurs want the former Manchester United man until mid-March, meaning Beckham would miss all of LA Galaxy's pre-season.

However, Beckham will undergo a medical at Tottenham on Monday and it is believed that once he starts training, that could help the deal progress one way or other.