West Ham United are determined to keep hold of defender Matthew Upson.

The Mail on Sunday says the club are determined to hang on to Upson.

He is set to return for today's crucial derby against Fulham after a fortnight out. Having sold James Collins to Aston Villa and lost Lucas Neill to Everton, the Hammers are keen to throw as much money as they can at Upson to keep the England defender at Upton Park.

"You need all your experienced players but especially defenders," said assistant manager Steve Clarke.

"Matthew's form got him in the England team and it would be good if we could tie him down to a long contract.

"We are creating more chances than last season but maybe we've lost more goals and are not as compact as we used to be."