Having put the disappointment of a World Cup Qualifier defeat to Libya last Friday behind him, Stephen Appiah flew to London right after the game saying that a decision on his future will be made this week.

“By the end of the week I will see where I am going to play my club football” he said to the Ghanaian press.

His first competitive game after ten months out of action went as well as could be expected. He came on for the injured Essien and had a good game under the circumstances creating a couple of chances which the forwards failed to convert.

“It was not bad and I was satisfied. After being out for ten months I enjoyed every bit of it. I realise I have a lot of work to do because I struggled at times” he said.

Contrary to what has been written before in the British press Appiah is still waiting for his clearance from FIFA which would make him a free agent and able to play for another club without the need for a transfer fee.

In the meantime it is believed that favourites for his signature are West Ham despite the recent resignation of Alan Curbishley.

This is because his link with the club was not Curbishley but the Italian Director of football Gianluca Nani and the likelihood that the next coach will be Italian.

Appiah has close links with Italy as he used to, prior to Fenerbahce, play for Juventus and Brescia there.

And the link with Brescia is Gianluca Nani himself who was their sporting Director prior to joining West Ham this year! Brescia were also the club who kindly let Appiah train with them recently in order to regain fitness!

Negotiations with West Ham which reached the point of agreeing a £40.000 a week salary were far advanced.

But in the meantime more clubs are preparing to enter the race for Appiah. These are, in addition to Portsmouth and Arsenal from the Premier League, his old club Juventus and the two German clubs Bayern and Schalke.

By 1970’s Gooner