Ricketts demands transfer from Bolton

Michael Ricketts has asked for a transfer from Bolton Wanderers after his relationship with the club manager, Sam Allardyce, hit a new low following a row over his weight.

The once-capped England striker is looking to leave during the transfer window next month after informing the club that he is looking to move.

Ricketts has been left out by Allardyce for the past few games and was again missing on Monday night when Bolton crashed to a 3-0 home defeat by Leeds. He has now slipped behind Henrik Pedersen and Youri Djorkaeff for a starting position.

Allardyce and Ricketts have argued over his fitness with Bolton imposing a couple of fines on the forward under their penalty system, with the striker being docked around £50,000 – four weeks' pay – this season.

Wanderers have rules about the amount of body fat that their players can carry and Ricketts has gone over those levels at times during this campaign.

Ricketts feels he is being picked on and has protested to the Players' Football Association about the amount of money the club want to take from him and the case may have to be settled by a tribunal.

He was valued at around £10m a year ago but could now go for a fraction of that cost. Tottenham discussed a swap deal for him before the season began and may now be interested again if Les Ferdinand leaves, but Bolton will lose a few pounds on the transfer themselves.

Bolton are now facing a critical period on the pitch as well as off it. Defeat by Leeds on Monday kept Bolton second from bottom of the Premiership and Allardyce has no doubts about the importance of his side's match against the only side now below them in the division, West Ham, at Upton Park on Saturday.

Should the Hammers win, Bolton would be bottom of the table going into the festive period and Allardyce admits the game "has now become the biggest game we've ever played in the Premiership".

At least Terry Venables finally had something to cheer at the Reebok Stadium on Monday night. It was just the result the Leeds manager needed after 12 defeats in the previous 24 games in all competitions.

But the England defender Danny Mills and the Australian striker Harry Kewell were keen to stress their backing for Venables, and for their fellow players.

On speculation that Venables had "lost" the dressing room, Mills said: "Not at all. The lads are fully aware it is down to the players as much as anyone. This group has done well in the past. It is up to us to turn things around. A manager can only do so much on the training pitch. We have got to look at ourselves.

"If we can keep turning in performances like this, keep working hard, I am sure we can turn it around. We believe we deserve to be higher in the table, but obviously we have to prove it."

Kewell, who returned to the side after a virus, said: "I know people have been saying things about a lack of unity. There has been nothing like that, whatsoever. Training has been perfect, everyone gets on well and there is a great team spirit."