Hammers reject £9m Cole bid

WEST HAM have snubbed Stoke's £9million bid for striker Carlton Cole.

But Hammers boss Avram Grant is braced for Potters chief Tony Pulis to up his offer for the England hitman.

Stoke's move comes just 48 hours after West Ham also turned down Tottenham's £8m move for midfield star Scott Parker.

Pulis is a long-time admirer of Cole, 26, who hit 10 Premier League goals despite missing a large chunk of last season with a knee injury.

And Stoke winger Matthew Etherington is urging the Britannia boss to pull out all the stops to get his former Upton Park team-mate.

Etherington said: "It would be a good move for him to come here.

"Given the ideas the manager has and the way the club want to push forward, I'd definitely recommend it.

"Coley is a London boy but it wouldn't be a problem for him living up here - just as it hasn't been for me. I'd tell him it was the best move I could have made."

West Ham hope to tie up a deal for Tal Ben Haim in the next 48 hours.

The Portsmouth defender, 28., will be on loan until January after a groin problem caused him to fail a medical, scuppering a four-year contract.