Ferdinand delivers Hammers parting shot

Sunderland-bound defender Anton Ferdinand has hit back at West Ham after they claimed they had offered him a new and improved deal.

The 23-year-old former England Under-21 international sealed his £8million switch to the Black Cats on Wednesday afternoon after the Hammers accepted a fee over the weekend.

And the club's chief executive Scott Duxbury claimed they only agreed to sell Ferdinand when he snubbed their offer of an improved contract worth between £35,000 to £45,000-a-week.

However, Ferdinand, who agreed a four-year deal worth around £50,000-a-week at the Stadium of Light, hit straight back to deny Duxbury's claims.

He told the Daily Mail: "I'd been offered a new deal by West Ham. But when Sunderland came in with a bid that offer was withdrawn."