MATTHEW UPSON has given the clearest indication yet that he is heading for the Upton Park exit door after admitting he is unsure whether he will be at West Ham at the end of the season.

The defender, who has 18 months left on his current deal, has been one of the club's most consistent performers, despite their perilous position and captained the side to a 1-1 draw against league leaders Chelsea on Sunday.

West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola is keen to hold on to the England international, but the club's debt-ridden owners, CB Holdings - a subsidiary of Icelandic bank Straumur - may look to cash in on the club's star players in the January transfer window in an attempt to balance the books.

Upson revealed he was in the dark about any possible transfer, but could not guarantee he would be at the Boleyn Ground come the end of the season.

“It's a difficult question because there are so many things out of my control and things that may happen,” he said. “All I can focus on is the next game and being in the best form I can to pick up points for West Ham.”

Upson is eager to secure his place on the plane to South Africa for next summer's World Cup finals and, with Tottenham and Liverpool among the clubs thought to be clamouring for his signature, he may feel that a winter move would be in his best interests.