Johnson won't leave Toffees
Andy Johnson has seven England caps to his name, five as an Everton player
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Monday, 04, Jun 2007 12:05
Everton have moved to quash speculation that Andy Johnson could be tempted to leave the club this summer by declaring he is "not for sale".
The England international has been linked with a possible move to West Ham during the transfer window after the national press reported that Alan Curbishley was prepared to offer anything up to £18 million for the player.
But the Toffees, who paid Crystal Palace a club-record £8.6 million for his services last summer, have said they are determined to keep their 12-goal star.
"We have had no contact from any club with regard to Andrew Johnson - nor would we welcome any," chief executive Keith Wyness told the Everton website.
"Whilst I feel certain there will be many Premiership clubs who will covet a player of Andrew's skills and abilities, he is an Everton player and, as he made perfectly clear on several occasions last season, he is very happy to be an Everton player."
Johnson has been a hit with fans on Merseyside since joining the club and helped the team achieve a top-six finish and a place in the Uefa Cup next season.
He would be a good fit at Upton Park if Curbishley could somehow sway the Everton hierarchy and manager David Moyes into selling their main goalscorer.
And he could be used as a direct replacement for Carlos Tevez, who is expected to leave east London this summer despite an excellent first season for the Hammers.