CHRIS LAKEY Peter Grant has dodged questions over transfer speculation linking West Ham's Calum Davenport with a move to Carrow Road. The 24-year-old is likely to be on the sidelines at Upton Park this season, where manager Alan Curbishley has half a dozen central defenders to choose from.

CHRIS LAKEY

Peter Grant has dodged questions over transfer speculation linking West Ham's Calum Davenport with a move to Carrow Road.

The 24-year-old is likely to be on the sidelines at Upton Park this season, where manager Alan Curbishley has half a dozen central defenders to choose from.

Davenport spent three months on loan at Carrow Road at the end of 2005 - and Grant has admitted that he is keen to add defensive cover to his squad.

However, he declined to reveal whether or not he would be going back to his former club to inquire about a player who would increase his own central defensive stock - which currently stands at Gary Doherty and skipper Jason Shackell, plus veteran Dion Dublin as possible cover - by half.

“We are always looking at good players,” he said. “The window shuts for everybody else, but for managers and coaches you are always looking at players who can improve you.

“We are always looking at players that can put pressure in everybody else - I want competitive spirit in the team and on the training ground, I want players to be fighting for their positions there.

“And people like Calum are very, very good players. He has been here before and that is probably the reason people are linking him and probably because West Ham have got five other central defenders.”