Connolly heading for exit door

David Connolly is poised to leave West Ham for Sunderland in a £500,000 deal.

The striker, 27, has spent just 12 months at Upton Park after joining from Wimbledon for £285,000 last July.

His departure to the Black Cats is likely to be the first significant move in summer reshuffle as Alan Pardew attempts to shape a squad good enough for promotion. Connolly scored 14 goals for West Ham but was not always guaranteed his place in the team following the arrivals of Marlon Harewood and Bobby Zamora.

With only two slots available for three senior strikers, there had been talk that Harewood would be sacrificed.

He had been linked with Nottingham Forest or Norwich. But Pardew today gave the £500,000 forward a vote of confidence.

The West Ham manager said: "Marlon has already said that he is very happy at West Ham United and has no wish to leave.

"I delighted about that because I can assure our supporters that Marlon is very much part of my plans for the new season."

More changes are anticipated at Upton Park before the Championship season starts with high earners Michael Carrick, Don Hutchison and Tomas Repka all vulnerable. Pardew has been told he will have to generate any money he needs to strengthen his squad but there are no plans to significantly reduce the club's annual wage bill of around £13million.

West Ham will collect around £5.5m as the second and final Premiership parachute payment, while the club earned almost £1m from their involvement in the play-offs.