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Glenn Roeder is having none of it though, as he told the club's site: "It is speculation that we as a club could do without, and I could certainly do without it myself; Michael, like all the young players, is on a long contract, he is very much part of my plans for the next three or four years, and he has never shown any desire to want to leave us.
"It would be a complete waste of time any club even thinking of making an offer for any of our younger players - I say that now to the clubs, and I am saying it to our supporters."
It is certainly good to hear Glenn saying all this, although I seem to remember similar sentiments being mentioned around November 2000 concerning a yound Peckham born defender called Rio...
Michael's teammate, Adam Newton, who only last week declared that he was keeping his options open and was going to wait until the season was over to decide on his future after talking with Glenn Roeder, has had a change of heart and is moving on to Peterborough.
West Ham had already offered the promising starlet a new contract, but with opportunities being few and far between this season, he has decided that it is time to give up on his Upton Park career.
He told the club's site: "I was quite impressed with Barry Fry and I am looking forward to working with him. I spoke to [former Hammer] Tommy Williams beforehand. He spent a season there and said it did him the world of good, so I am looking to emulate what he has done and move on to bigger and better things."
However he doesn't seem to regret all the time that he spent at West Ham: "West Ham is the club I supported. I have enjoyed being a professional here for three years along with two years at YTS level and I just want to make a career out of the game now.
"West Ham is a great place to learn the basics of football - it is well known for encouraging and nurturing youth, and I think I have learnt a lot from the coaches I have had around me."