West Ham United’s Matthew Etherington is losing the battle to curtail his gambling habit according to a Sunday tabloid newspaper report.

Brought on as a second half substitute in Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at home to Arsenal the midfielder was pictured coming out of a bookmakers days ago with the newspaper claiming he was still gambling.

In September it was reported that the 27 year old received death threats after running up gambling debts of £800,000.

Etherington has had spells in the renowned Sporting Chance clinic receiving treatment for a gambling habit which he first drifted into in 2006. It’s thought he relapsed 18 months later.

The hammer blew tens of thousands of pounds on horses, greyhounds and in card schools - and even owned up that he could not remember the last day when he did not have a bet.

He was left in total despair as his gambling addiction spiraled out of control at the end of 2006. Boss Alan Curbishley was forced to impose a gambling ban on his first-team squad as keeper Roy Carroll also went into rehab, while high stakes late-night card schools ripped team spirit apart. Curbishley was desperate to break up the dressing room culture that he inherited.

If the Sunday paper’s report is to be believed it appears as though Etherington is still gambling.

The Daily Mail claimed last month that the club gave the player advanced wages of £300,000 to help him get out of immediate danger with those who wanted to collect their gambling debts.

They quoted a club source as saying “'Matthew has been a very worried young man. The club decided they had no choice but to help. They know how much courage it took him to come to them. It is not a conversation you want to have with your club. Matthew just wants to pay back the money and have this nightmare over.

A West Ham spokesman said at the time “We are working to support him through it. Matthew knows he needs professional help and accepts it is a priority in his life”.

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