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Cape Town - West Ham manager Slaven Bilic admits his side is in desperate need of attacking reinforcements, but insists he will not beg uninterested players to join them.
The club's record signing Andre Ayew was cruelly ruled out for at least a month after picking up a thigh injury 35 minutes into his debut for the club.
There has been some good news on that front with the revelation the Ghana international would not need surgery, but the Hammers still remain short on options up front in the short term with Andy Carroll also out for at least another four weeks.
West Ham have been linked with moves for Wilfried Bony and Simone Zaza in recent weeks, while Sky Sports claim they are currently in negotiations with Chelsea over a potential move for Loic Remy.
They were also heavily linked with AC Milan striker Carlos Bacca before the Colombian bagged a hat-trick and extended his contract with the Italian club over the weekend, although Bilic admitted the 29-year-old was never very likely to move to the Hammers.
"I think Bacca is impossible," he said. "He scored a hat-trick. Also I was the one who called it off three weeks ago in Austria. I wanted him, of course, but I don't want to have to drag players to West Ham.
"We are not Real Madrid or Manchester United but we are a good club and a proud club with players who are proud to play for us.
"Lots of players want to come to West Ham, believe me. They are calling me every day. So I was the one who said there was no point continuing with Bacca. We are not going to beg anyone to play for us.
"I wasn't angry at him. He is at a great club on great money and he wants to stay on that level. And of course we are not at that level. We want to be in a few years but we are not there yet. I keep saying that just having a stadium, ambition and money that match those clubs, does not make you one of them."
