Former Southampton frontman Matt Le Tissier has admitted that he would be "surprised" if Rickie Lambert were to leave the club this month.
A recent report had suggested that West Ham United were prepared to pay around £8m to take the 31-year-old to Upton Park.
However, despite having accepted that a fee of that size is hard to ignore, Le Tissier has revealed that he would expect the England international to stay put.
"I'd be surprised. [It's] a lot of money for someone of Rickie's age and the number of seasons he's got left in the Premier League, not for his ability though," he told talkSPORT. "West Ham are in a position where they need to find somebody who can score some goals so they may well try again to sign him, having failed in the summer.
"From what I know though and what I hear, Rickie is pretty happy at Southampton so I'd be surprised if he left."
Lambert has scored eight goals for club and country this season.
Liam Apicella
