Tottenham target Winston Reid signs new contract with West Ham

Hey, remember that rumor in January that Spurs had agreed to sign West Ham defender Winston Reid on a free transfer this summer for wages of £60,000? Turns out that's not happening after all. Reid, a New Zealand international central defender, has re-signed with West Ham on a new contract that will keep him a Hammer until 2021.

STORY: We are delighted to announce that @WinstonReid2 has penned a new long-term deal with the club. #WHUFC #COYI pic.twitter.com/f5seO74njr

— West Ham United FC (@whufc_official) March 5, 2015

This is a bit of a bummer on a couple of levels. Reid is not, of course, a world-class central defender, nor would he have necessarily been a lock-down starter beside Jan Vertonghen. However, he would've been a very solid rotation option, someone who can come in and do a job when called upon, and is a veteran. Plus, his old contract expired in the summer and he would've been free-as-in-beer, though his reported wages were on the high side. He wouldn't have been a flashy signing, but he would've been a solid, cheapish depth option. It was a perfectly believable Daniel Levy-esque deal. And now it's kaput. Crap.

Spurs do need help in central defense. Eric Dier may be the future Vertonghen partner, but he's still young. Federico Fazio out-talls just about everyone, but he does have speed issues. Younes Kaboul (and his Kabal) is clearly dead. Vlad is... Vlad. So expect Spurs to be linked with a whole host of defenders from now until the day the summer transfer window closes.

Wheeeeeeeeeeee.