YOU WON'T HEAR THE GLAZERS SAY THIS

Eli Papouchado, the Israeli billionaire who has confirmed that he is one of the partners behind Kia Joorabchian's bid to take over West Ham United, has now revealed he is interested in the east London club for real estate reasons only. The 69-year-old businessman said in an interview with the Israeli paper Maariv:

"I'm interested in that team because of real estate. There is real estate in every deal."

Papouchado explained that the Israeli agent Pini Zahavi had involved him in the prospective takeover.

"Pini Zahavi asked me to join as a partner to the group of bidders. I have known him for 30 years, back from the days when he was a journalist. I admire him. He is a one-man show, a great guy.

"I asked him how many players are in a football team, I don't know a thing about football, but I know about creativity and building. I'm not a scavenger, I don't like scavengers, and I saw creativity in West Ham."

However, Papouchado, in contrast to West Ham's Israeli player Yossi Benayoun, said that the deal is not yet near closure. "No reason for a celebration, yet," he said. Benayoun declared recently that it was a done deal. He also referred to possible criticism of another English team falling into the hands of foreigners and said:

"I'm a foreigner. Most people in London are foreign. Without foreigners, London would have looked like a village. The foreign brings in the money, the high real estate value. There's always envy of them, but why? What are we going to do to them? Rob them? Kill them? Suddenly they become prudish."

Papouchado is main shareholder of Red Sea Group, which owns hotels and property all over the world. In announcing last week that he would invest in a takeover bid for West Ham, he said he would not get involved in the club's management.