IF REPORTS are to be believed, Scott Parker has been offered an uber-lucrative new contract by West Ham's owners, the two Davids, worth £20million over five years.

Clearly, Sullivan and Gold are desperate to keep their talisman out of the reach of Aston Villa and Tottenham, who this week saw their initial reported £7million bid rejected out of hand. Liverpool may also come calling, as Roy Hodgson is now resigned to losing midfield enforcer Javier Mascherano.

Sullivan came out in full battle gear following Spurs' offer, clearly delighted at being given the chance to drive the evil enemy back from whence they came, ensuring they had been suitably chastised.

“The club informed Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy prior to him making the offer that we would not welcome any approach to unsettle the player,” said a club statement.

“I made a promise that I would not sell Scott and I will not, for any amount of money, break that promise to the West Ham supporters,” Sullivan was directly quoted as saying.

Never one to shy away from the media glare, Sullivan was in his element here. It was as if Tottenham had dished up a juicy full toss that he could gleefully hammer away to the boundary.

If there is one thing West Ham fans love, it is the sight of their bitter rivals being humiliated. And Sullivan was only too happy to oblige. After all, the bid was still some way off the club's valuation of Parker.

The two Davids have received a lukewarm welcome from the Hammers faithful since they took over back in January. And this was the perfect chance to win several thousand of them over.

Parker was the heartbeat of the West Ham side last season and he almost single-handedly kept them in the Premier League with a string of stirring performances. It was a travesty that he was overlooked for England. It is impossible to conceive that he would have surrendered as meekly as Fabio Capello's elected rabble against Germany in the World Cup. But that is an argument for another day.

So, Sullivan was true to his word, having said that Parker was the only member of the squad that finished last season that was not for sale. In truth, he has yet to be faced with an offer that would make him reconsider his position.

But there are suggestions that Parker is eager to leave. He is in the form of his life and, at 29, his chance to play in the Champions League is getting smaller by the day. Honestly, who could really blame him for realising a dream and finally fulfilling his potential at the very top level?

However, Sullivan and co know that his presence is essential if the club are to grow into the European candidates the owners so wish them to be.

So he has temporarily forgotten the club are still racked by debt and has allegedly put together a contract to make your eyes water.

Let's not forget this is the same David Sullivan that said the spending of the club's previous Icelandic owners was 'madness', slamming the huge wages they paid the players. Gold even described them as 'potties'.

The pair have also been left counting the cost of the Icelanders' decision to offer striker Dean Ashton a five-year deal just 18 months before he retired, following a serious ankle injury.

But it does not seem they have really learned much at all. So much for once bitten, twice shy. While Parker has suffered no such injury, the parallels between his and Ashton's situation are obvious.

For starters, Parker is 29. In five years he will be 34 and well past his best. But, if the rumours are true, he will still be picking up £75,000 a week for potentially warming the bench.

There are other factors to this huge gamble. Should Parker suffer a similar unfortunate injury to Ashton, the owners are back to where they started when they joined the club – lumbered with a crock and forced to cough up millions of pounds a year for no return.

Even if you're being positive about the whole thing and you decide that Parker has now turned the corner and will stay at the top of his game, it will only be for two, maybe three years more – at a push. Then you're still facing a huge payout for a relatively minor squad role for the remaining two or three seasons.

One thing in football is certain; the older you get, the more your form slides. Just ask Thierry Henry. Sure there are exceptions, like Ryan Giggs, but seldom are players still at the peak of their powers at 34 and 35.

Sullivan made another promise to the West Ham faithful when he and Gold took over; the finances would be put in order and the astronomical sums paid to the players would be scaled down. On this evidence, it appears he is already breaking one of his pledges.