Web Item - Man Utd call in Fifa over Tevez - BBC

Man Utd call in Fifa over Tevez - BBC

Manchester United chief executive David Gill says the club has asked Fifa to
intervene in the Carlos Tevez dispute. Tevez, 23, was in Manchester on
Tuesday but West Ham refused permission for him to have a medical at Old
Trafford. Gill said the case would be rushed through by Fifa so that it
could be dealt with as soon as possible. West Ham have also asked for the
matter to be referred to Fifa, with a spokesman adding: "All parties agree
this is the best way forward."
Gill has expressed his confidence the 23-year-old Argentina international
striker would eventually become a United player. The Hammers insist they are
still waiting to receive an offer for Tevez. And the Premier League says a
deal must be done between United and West Ham, but not Kia Joorabchian, of
Media Sports Investments (MSI), who owns Tevez's economic rights.
BBC Radio Five Live's Gordon Farquhar said: "Tevez's registration will not
be transferred until the Premier League are happy and West Ham agree. "So
United are going to have to be patient as the Hammers exert their rights
over the man they still consider to be their player."
West Ham released a statement on Tuesday saying: "No agreement has been
reached in relation to Carlos Tevez." Under Premier League rules, one club
is not allowed to give a player a medical unless his current club agree.
Tevez flew into Manchester on Tuesday after finishing on the losing side in
Sunday's Copa America final with Argentina, while Manchester United are on a
pre-season tour in Japan.
United's legal expert Maurice Watkins has remained in England as efforts to
resolve the dispute intensify. "Despite a day of talks led by chairman
Eggert Magnusson for the Hammers and Maurice Watkins for United, there is no
deal and West Ham clearly aren't going to be railroaded into this," added
Farquar.
"They have refused a written transfer request, are asserting their rights
over the player and are going to insist on this being a transfer between two
clubs and not with a third party, the MSI group, whatever their claims over
economic rights to the player may be."
It is the latest twist in a transfer saga Gill described as
"over-complicated" on Monday. The Premier League has insisted West Ham,
which holds Tevez's registration, must receive the majority of the reported
£30m fee rather than Joorabchian. Last week, a Premier League spokesman
said: "Any deal for Carlos Tevez has to be done directly with West Ham
United. "They hold the registration and we will not transfer the
registration unless a deal is done directly with the club."
West Ham were only allowed to keep playing Tevez last season after assuring
the Premier League all third-party clauses in the player's contract had been
severed. But Joorabchian was confident last week that he had a sound legal
footing to push through the transfer. "We don't see any problems. I spoke to
United on Thursday and they are confident they will have him registered
within days," he said. "Carlos will come on Tuesday, have a medical on
Wednesday at United and hopefully we will have administrative issues sorted
next week. "Personal terms between Carlos and United have been agreed in
full. He feels confident now he is a Manchester United player."
A player cannot have a medical unless his club agrees and West Ham will not
give formal permission for a medical until they have been made an offer and
accepted it.

Web Digest [ West Ham United ] - 18th July 2007

Hammers 0 v Sigma 1 - WHUFC
Pre-Season 17th July 2007 Kick-off: 18:30
Venue: Bad Raskersberg

West Ham United stepped up their pre-season preparations with a rigorous
work-out against Sigma Olomouc in Austria on Tuesday evening. Hammers
suffered a 1-0 defeat against the Czech outfit, but of more concern to Alan
Curbishley was an injury to new French signing Julien Faubert, who was taken
off with an Achilles injury 10 minutes before the break. The 23-year-old
winger will undergo a scan tomorrow to determine the extent of the damage.
On a more positive note, Dean Ashton continued on the comeback trail with a
decent 60-minute run-out, while Craig Bellamy made his Hammers debut and
came close to grabbing a late equaliser with a 20-yard strike that crashed
back off the crossbar. Sigma had grabbed the only goal of the game just
before half-time, with a neat finish from close range following a
well-worked move.

Meanwhile, back at home, the reserve team secured a 3-1 friendly win over
non-league side Hornchurch. Goals from Junior Stanislas, Jack Jeffery and
Zavon Hines sealed victory for Kevin Keen's young side, before the hosts
grabbed a late consolation.

Hammers will now continue pre-season training work at their Austrian camp
before facing Lazio in Lebring on Saturday.

Hammers: Wright (Walker 45), Spector (Ferdinand 60), Collins (Davenport 45),
Upson (Gabbidon 45), McCartney (Dailly 45); Faubert (Collison 35), Parker
(Noble 45), Bowyer (Mullins 45), Reid (Boa Morte 45); Ashton (Bellamy 60),
Cole (Zamora 60).

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Harewood joins Villa - WHUFC
17/07/2007 16:19

West Ham United can confirm that striker Marlon Harewood has joined Aston
Villa for an undisclosed fee. The 27-year-old signed a three-year deal at
Villa Park on Tuesday afternoon, and will join up with his former Hammers
team-mate Nigel Reo-Coker, who made the same switch earlier this month.
Harewood joined the Hammers from Nottingham Forest in November 2003 for a
fee of £500,000 and went on to make 180 league and cup appearances for the
Club, scoring 56 goals. West Ham United would like to thank Marlon for his
service and wish him every success in his future career with Aston Villa.

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Tevez medical at Man Utd in doubt - BBC

Manchester United's plan to give Carlos Tevez a medical on Wednesday has
been derailed after West Ham refused to give permission for it to go ahead.
Tevez flew in to Manchester on Tuesday but West Ham released a statement
saying: "No agreement has been reached in relation to Carlos Tevez." Under
Premier League rules, one club is not allowed to give a player a medical
unless his current club agree. West Ham insist they are still waiting to
receive an offer for Tevez. The reported £30m deal initially stalled as the
Premier League said it must be done between Manchester United and West Ham,
but not Kia Joorabchian of MSI who owns the 23-year-old's economic rights.
Tevez flew into Manchester on Tuesday after finishing on the losing side in
Sunday's Copa America final with Argentina, while Manchester United are on a
pre-season tour in Japan. United's legal expert Watkins has remained in
England as efforts to resolve the dispute intensify. Five Live's Gordon
Farquhar said: "Despite a day of talks led by chairman Eggert Magnusson for
the Hammers and Maurice Watkins for United, there is no deal and West Ham
clearly aren't going to be railroaded into this. "They have refused a
written transfer request, are asserting their rights over the player and are
going to insist on this being a transfer between two clubs and not with a
third party, the MSI group, whatever their claims over economic rights to
the player may be."
It is the latest twist in a transfer saga that United chief executive David
Gill described as "over-complicated" on Monday. The Premier League has
insisted West Ham, who hold Tevez's registration, must receive the majority
of the fee rather than Joorabchian. Last week, a Premier League spokesman
said: "Any deal for Carlos Tevez has to be done directly with West Ham
United. "They hold the registration and we will not transfer the
registration unless a deal is done directly with the club."
West Ham were only allowed to keep playing Tevez last season after assuring
the Premier League all third-party clauses in the player's contract had been
severed. But Joorabchian was confident last week that he had a sound legal
footing to push through the transfer. "We don't see any problems. I spoke to
United on Thursday and they are confident they will have him registered
within days," said Joorabchian. "Carlos will come on Tuesday, have a medical
on Wednesday at United and hopefully we will have administrative issues
sorted next week. "Personal terms between Carlos and United have been agreed
in full. He feels confident now he is a Manchester United player."

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Sigma Olomouc 1 West Ham United 0 - KUMB
Filed: Tuesday, 17th July 2007
By: Matthew O'Greel

West Ham United's first game of their Austrian tour ended in defeat this
evening. A 36th minute goal by Ladislav Onofrej was enough to earn a win
for Czech side Sigma in Bad Radkersburg.Next up for the Hammers are Italian
Serie A outfit Lazio.

West Ham United: Wright; Spector, McCartney, Collins, Upson; Bowyer, Parker,
Reid, Faubert; Ashton, Cole.

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Hands off, say Hammers - KUMB
Filed: Tuesday, 17th July 2007
By: Matthew O'Greel

West Ham United have refused Carlos Tevez permission to undertake a medical
with Manchester United, according to reports. The Hammers are understood to
have rejected a plea from the current league Champions to give Tevez a
medical examination tomorrow - despite him flying back to the UK late this
afternoon in order to do so. The two clubs met in London earlier today in
order to thrash out a deal - but no agreement was reached. Tevez - whose
registration remains with West Ham United - has written to the Hammers
asking them to allow him to leave. So far, that permission has been denied,
leaving the 23-year-old striker in limbo. And with the Hammers unlikely to
play ball until the Reds make an acceptable bid for the player the saga is
set to drag on throughout the summer - or at least until Manchester United
decide to play ball.
Reds chief executive David Gill, speaking about the situation this morning,
said: "Effectively, we are trying to work with four parties - the player,
West Ham, the company who own Carlos' economic rights and the Premier League
- in order to sort it out. "The process is ongoing. We still have to sort
out the paperwork but we are confident that can be achieved in the course of
the next week or so."

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Harewood deal confimed - KUMB
Filed: Tuesday, 17th July 2007
By: Matthew O'Greel

Aston Villa have confirmed the arrival of former Hammer Marlon Harewood in a
deal worth around £4.5m. Martin O'Neill confirmed that a deal had been
struck this lunchtime when he told avfc.co.uk: "I'm delighted to have him.
He's a strong lad, very athletic and if he can recapture the form he showed
in the two seasons before last, he will definitely be a big asset. "There
were other teams wanting to take him, but he's prepared to come here and
challenge to try and work his way into the first team. He's a confident lad
who's willing to fight for his place."
Harewood joined the Hammers in 2004 in a £500,000 switch from Nottingham
Forest. He will rejoin another former Hammer - Nigel Reo-Coker - at Villa
Park following the England under-21 captain's £8.5m move earlier this month.

West Ham United: business so far

INS: Scott Parker (Newcastle United £7m); Julien Faubert (Bordeaux £6.1m);
Richard Wright (Everton, free); Craig Bellamy (Liverpool £7.5m) - Total
£20.6m.

OUTS: Teddy Sheringham (released); Roy Carroll (released); Shaun Newton
(Leicester City, free); Tyrone Mears (Derby County, £1m); Nigel Reo-Coker
(Aston Villa, £8.5m); Paul Konchesky (Fulham, £2m); Marlon Harewood (Aston
Villa, £4.5m) - Total £16m.

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Hammers hold up Tevez medical - Sky
By Lewis Rutledge - Created on 17 Jul 2007

Manchester United have failed to secure permission from West Ham for Carlos
Tevez to undergo a medical on Wednesday. The Argentine has flown in to
Manchester following the end of the Copa America and had been hoping to meet
club officials. Manchester United were preparing to put Tevez through a
series of fitness and medical checks on Wednesday but may now have to wait.
A medical is only allowed to go ahead with both clubs' agreement and West
Ham will not give their consent until they have been made - and accepted -
an offer. "Meetings have taken place between the two clubs but no agreement
has been reached in relation to Carlos Tevez," said a West Ham spokesman.
Tevez has expressed his desire to move to Old Trafford and has also called
for a quick resolution, but United have admitted the deal is complicated.
David Gill said earlier this week that United were having to work with the
player, West Ham, MSI - the company who own Tevez's economic rights and the
Premier League. West Ham would appear to be planning for life without Tevez
by bringing in Craig Bellamy, but they remain adamant that he is contracted
to them for another three years. Tevez submitted a written request to West
Ham last week asking to be released from his contract but they refused.

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Hammers block Tevez Man Utd medical - Soccernet

Manchester United's hopes of Carlos Tevez undergoing a medical on Wednesday
are in limbo after they failed to secure permission for the tests from West
Ham. The Argentina striker was due to fly in to Manchester tonight and
United had been preparing to put the 23-year-old to go through a series of
fitness and medical checks. However, one club is not allowed to give a
player a medical unless his current club agree and although United have made
West Ham aware of their wishes, the London side will not give formal
permission for a medical until they have been made - and accepted - an
offer. West Ham remain adamant they hold Tevez's registration, that he is
contracted to them for another three years and that they have unilaterally
terminated all third-party agreements with Tevez's representative Kia
Joorabchian. Joorabchian maintains his company Media Sports Investments
(MSI) own the economic rights to the player, who has already agreed personal
terms with Manchester United. United chief executive David Gill, who is in
the Far East on the club's tour, insisted yesterday a medical would take
place this week but said the deal had become 'over-complicated'. Gill said:
'Effectively, we are trying to work with four parties - the player, West
Ham, the company who own Carlos' economic rights and the Premier League - in
order to sort it out. 'The process is ongoing. The player will have a
medical at some point this week, then we will take it from there. 'We still
have to sort out the paperwork but we are confident that can be achieved in
the course of the next week or so.'
United are understood to have agreed an initial loan deal for Tevez with a
view to a permanent transfer, a similar deal to that which took Javier
Mascherano from West Ham to Liverpool in January. That hit a stumbling block
however because in January, West Ham cancelled Mascherano's registration.
The Premier League are not allowing the club to do the same procedure with
Tevez on the basis that such a move would indicate the original agreements
with Joorabchian were still binding despite assurances to the contrary. The
Argentina striker last week submitted a written request to West Ham asking
to be released from his contract but the Hammers stuck to the Premier
League's advice and refused to do so. The League have made it clear they
expect a significant chunk of any transfer fee to remain with West Ham
rather than be passed on to Joorabchian as compensation for breaching the
contracts he had with the club. Manchester United and West Ham had held
talks at the Premier League's offices in London on Tuesday in an effort to
resolve the situation but no agreement was reached. A West Ham spokesman
confirmed talks had taken place. The club spokesman told PA Sport: 'Meetings
have taken place between the two clubs but no agreement has been reached in
relation to Carlos Tevez.'

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West Ham block Carlos Tevez medical - Telegraph
By John Ley and Mark Ogden in Saitama
Last Updated: 12:53am BST 18/07/2007

Carlos Tevez was left in limbo at Manchester airport last night after West
Ham prevented him from having a medical examination at Old Trafford. The
Argentine striker was expected to be seen by Manchester United's doctors
today ahead of a move to the Premiership champions but West Ham withheld
permission after protracted talks between the two clubs over his troublesome
transfer ended in stalemate at the Premier League's headquarters in London.
One club are not allowed to give a player a medical unless his current club
agree and, though Manchester United have made West Ham aware of their
wishes, the London club will not give formal permission until they have been
made what they consider is an acceptable offer. A West Ham spokesman said:
"Meetings have taken place between the two clubs but no agreement has been
reached in relation to Carlos Tevez." West Ham are adamant that they hold
Tevez's registration, that he is contracted to them for another three years
and that they have unilaterally terminated all third-party agreements with
his representative, Kia Joorabchian, who maintains his company, Media Sports
Investments (MSI), own the economic rights to the player. The deal is still
expected to go ahead, and for one United player it cannot be completed
quickly enough. Wayne Rooney expressed his excitement at the prospect of
forming a potentially devastating attacking partnership with the gifted
Tevez. "Carlos Tevez was unbelievable for West Ham in the second half of
last season. He did brilliantly for them, keeping them up in the
Premiership," Rooney said. ''If we can buy him, he'll be a great signing for
us and I'd really look forward to playing alongside him, up front.'' Without
Tevez, United opened their four-game tour of the Far East with a 2-2 draw
against the Japanese champions, Urawa Red Diamonds, in Saitama yesterday, a
game in which the attacking talents of Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo came to
the fore for Sir Alex Ferguson's team.
Tevez has already agreed personal terms of £90,000 a week at Old Trafford,
with United paying £6 million over the next two years for the player's
services before having the option of signing him permanently for £24 million
at the end of that agreement. His arrival would take United's spending
towards £60 million following the arrivals of Owen Hargreaves, Nani and
Anderson. Rooney said the champions were determined to exploit their
strength in depth. ''To win the league last season was fantastic, but the
Champions League is obviously a goal as well," he said.

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It's Tevastating - The Sun
From NEIL CUSTIS in Tokyo
July 18, 2007

WAYNE ROONEY says he cannot wait to team up with Carlos Tevez at Manchester
United. West Ham hitman Tevez arrived in Manchester last night but may have
to wait for his medical after the clubs failed to agree a transfer fee.
United and the Hammers held talks at the Premier League's offices in London.
A West Ham spokesman confirmed: "No agreement has been reached in relation
to Carlos Tevez." United are still hopeful of pushing the deal through
though. And Rooney insisted: "Tevez will be a great signing and I'd really
look forward to playing alongside him up front if we can get him. "Tevez was
unbelievable for West Ham in the second half of last season. He did
brilliantly for them keeping them up."
The prospect of Argentine star Tevez in a three-man frontline with Rooney
and Cristiano Ronaldo is mouthwatering for all Reds fans. Roo said: "I don't
know how we would turn out as a partnership because I'd have to play with
him first but I'm sure we could. "Top players anywhere can work off each
other and that's what we could do."
United were hoping to put Tevez, 23, through a series of fitness and medical
checks today. Yet one club is not allowed to give a player a medical unless
the selling club agrees. No figures have been released but West Ham have
told United they will not let Tevez go until the Premier League champs come
back with the fee they want.
West Ham remain adamant they hold Tevez's registration, that he is
contracted to them for another three years and that they have terminated all
third-party agreements with Tevez's representative Kia Joorabchian. But
Joorabchian maintains his company Media Sports Investments own the economic
rights to the player, who has already agreed personal terms with United. On
the pitch, United started their Asia tour with a 2-2 draw against Urawa Red
Diamonds in Tokyo. Owen Hargreaves and Nani missed the chance to make
their United debuts through injury. Manager Alex Ferguson said: "Owen has a
bit of tendinitis in his knee. "Nani is still suffering from the ankle
injury that he picked up playing for Portugal in a European Championship
game." The pair should feature in United's game against Shenzen in Macau on
Monday.

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Hare's fight to be a top Villan - the Sun
By CHRIS MOORE
July 18, 2007

MARLON HAREWOOD joined Aston Villa despite being told he may not get in
their first team. Harewood knows he would have been almost guaranteed a
starting spot with Wigan had he left West Ham for the JJB Stadium after
talks with new Latics boss Chris Hutchings on Friday night. But after asking
for the weekend to discuss the move with his wife, Harewood was bowled over
by a late approach from Villa boss Martin O'Neill on Sunday afternoon which
resulted in yesterday's £4million switch. Harewood explained: "No disrespect
to Wigan, but if I'd signed for them on Friday, as I might well have done, I
would have missed the opportunity of something really special working under
Martin O'Neill. "As soon as he told me his plans I knew I just had to be
part of it. "Even though he explained I would be fighting for my place in
the team I'm not afraid of the competition. "If everyone is fighting for his
place in the team there's less chance of things going wrong." O'Neill was
out of the country when he heard Harewood was poised to join Wigan on
Friday. The Villa boss said: "It was almost a case of events overtaking us.
"But I rang West Ham straight away, agreed a fee, and was given permission
to speak to Marlon. "The fact he's aware of the competition, knows we are
still trying to strengthen the squad, and is prepared to say 'I'll go for
it' speaks volumes for him." Harewood bagged 16 goals for the Hammers two
seasons ago, including the one that put them in the FA Cup final. But he
managed only four last year. The striker joins former Hammer Nigel Reo-Coker
as a Villan. O'Neill added: "Marlon is still only 28, so I'm certain he is
going to prove a terrific asset. "Considering some of the fees being paid, I
think £4m could prove exceptional value."

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Stalemate as West Ham block Tevez medical
United and Hammers meet without agreement
Argentinian's camp expect solution in 48 hours
Jeremy Wilson
Wednesday July 18, 2007
The Guardian

Carlos Tevez's move to Manchester United suffered a fresh setback last night
when West Ham blocked the Argentinian's proposed medical on the day that he
arrived in Manchester from Venezuela.
Although Tevez has already agreed personal terms of £90,000 a week, the
Premier League has demanded that any deal must be done between the two clubs
and not with the player's representative, Kia Joorabchian.

A delegation led by the West Ham chairman, Eggert Magnusson, met a team led
by the United lawyer Maurice Watkins at the Premier League's offices in
London yesterday but no agreement was reached.

It was the first time that the two clubs had formally met to talk about the
deal. West Ham will not sanction a medical until they are happy for the
transfer to proceed and there are currently no plans for the two clubs to
resume negotiations.
The Joorabchian camp, however, remain optimistic that a solution can be
found in the "next 24 or 48 hours". "Everyone is still talking and trying to
work it through," said a source.

Tevez landed at Manchester airport yesterday evening after playing in the
Argentina team that lost 3-0 to Brazil in the final of the Copa América on
Sunday night. The 23-year-old plans to stay in the Manchester area looking
for permanent accommodation until agreement on his transfer is reached.

It is thought that the most likely solution would involve United and West
Ham agreeing a deal and then Joorabchian being paid a substantial agent's
fee as compensation. The situation is different from the loan arrangement
that took Javier Mascherano to Liverpool because in that instance West Ham
gave up any claim of ownership of the player.

With Tevez the club tore up their third-party agreement with Just Sports Inc
and Media Sports Investments - the company that Joorabchian founded - after
being fined £5.5m for illegally registering the player. West Ham are adamant
that Tevez is contracted to them for another three years while the
Joorabchian camp maintain that the agreement cannot be cancelled
unilaterally.

Despite currently being over 10,000 miles away from Old Trafford in Tokyo on
the first leg of their four-game Far East tour, the United chief executive,
David Gill, and the manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, are determined for the
proposed transfer to be driven through.

United remain confident that the deal will reach a conclusion before they
return from the Far East on July 28 and Wayne Rooney, who played his first
game for two months in the 2-2 draw against Urawa Red Diamonds in Saitama
yesterday, admitted that he is relishing the prospect of teaming up with
Tevez.

"Carlos Tevez was unbelievable for West Ham in the second half of last
season. He did brilliantly for them," said Rooney. "If we can buy him, he
will be a great signing for us and I'd really look forward to playing
alongside him up front. I don't know how we would turn out as a partnership
because I'd have to play with him first but I'm sure we could [play
together].

"Top players anywhere can work off each other and that's what we would do.
At United we don't really play with two up front because we try and rotate
around and move, so it won't just be the two of us. I'm sure there will be
other players attacking as well."

Tevez's arrival at United would take the club's summer spending towards £60m
following the arrivals of Owen Hargreaves, Nani and Anderson. The
reinforcements would suggest that Ferguson's side will once again be the
team to beat between now and May and Rooney admits that the champions are
determined to use their strength in depth to bring more success to Old
Trafford.

He said: "We have a big squad now and it's probably the best squad of
players I've ever played with.

"I'm really looking forward to the season because this is the longest summer
I've ever had off. It was six weeks in all and after the first couple of
weeks I got bored and wanted to get back playing.

"To win the league last season was fantastic. It gives you a taste and makes
you want to do it again. But the Champions League is obviously a goal as
well. To get so close last year and lose in the semi-final was
disappointing, so hopefully we can improve on that this season."

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Villa signing Harewood admits West Ham regrets
tribalfooball.com - July 17, 2007

New Aston Villa signing Marlon Harewood admits regrets over the way his West
Ham career ended. Was I disappointed with the way it ended for me at West
Ham? Yes and no," he said. "But my time at West Ham is behind me now and I
have to look forward to life with Aston Villa. "I have come here ready to
fight for a place in the team, I am under no illusions there is a shirt
waiting for me. "It is up to me to impress the manager and earn a place in
the team. "But I think I am capable of having a very good season and that
Aston Villa are capable of having a very good year as well."

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HAMMER BLOW FOR FAUBERT - The Mirror
LAST NIGHT'S ACTION
18/07/2007

THE INJURY curse that ripped West Ham apart last season returned yesterday
as new signing Julien Faubert was stretchered off in a pre-season friendly.
The £6million capture from Bordeaux will have scans today after going over
on his right ankle just 35 minutes into the Hammers' 1-0 defeat against
Czech outfit Sigma Olomouc in Graz, Austria. Worried club doctors put their
pacy wideman into a leg cast as a precautionary measure.

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NO CURB CRAWLING - The Mirror
By David Maddock 18/07/2007

YOSSI BENAYOUN is convinced the big mistakes which almost cost West Ham
their place in the Premiership will not be repeated this season. The Israeli
left London last week to join Liverpool in a £5million transfer, despite
being begged to stay by Alan Curbishley's Hammers. Benayoun said: "We didn't
have a squad for relegation last season. But sometimes teams change and
managers change, the owners change. "Everything in one season was too much
for the club, and a mistake. Suddenly we started falling and we couldn't
stop. "We were lucky to prove our ability at the end of the season. To win
seven from nine showed how strong the squad was. "I believe strongly West
Ham will be different this time and they have bought a few good players.
"For me now, Liverpool is a different pressure - playing for trophies."

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Man Utd legend Charlton keen to see Tevez signed up
tribalfooball.com - July 17, 2007

Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton is excited by the imminent
signing of West Ham striker Carlos Tevez. "Hopefully, we can complete the
signing of Carlos sooner rather than later. He is a tremendous prospect,"
insisted Sir Bobby at a press conference in Japan to promote the Manchester
United Opus.
"Maybe there is a legal process to be gone through before it can all happen
but we all hope it is done sooner rather than later." United already have an
exciting array of attacking talent, but Sir Bobby says the acquisition of
Tevez would only add to the Reds' potency going forward. "I have talked
before about the exciting players we try to bring to this club, and Carlos
Tevez is one of them. He is a marvellous talent and we are always interested
in bringing talented players to our club."

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Liverpool's Benayoun: Difficult to leave West Ham
tribalfooball.com - July 17, 2007

Liverpool signing Yossi Benayoun insists it was a difficult decision to
leave West Ham United. He told liverpoolfc.tv: "To tell you the truth it was
very difficult because I had a very good relationship with the people there
and they treated me very well. It was hard to leave but when I heard of
Liverpool's interest I couldn't say no. I explained to West Ham that this
was my dream and I'm very grateful to them for letting me go. "I told West
Ham I would only leave them to sign for Liverpool. I had another three clubs
after me but I wasn't interested. When Liverpool came in I had to go."

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West Ham's Green slams Tevez, Mascherano probe
tribalfooball.com - July 17, 2007

West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green has slammed the probe into signings of
Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. The England goalkeeper added: "Everybody
knew the club's Premiership status would never be in any doubt."

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Wigan, West Ham move for Portsmouth's Lualua
tribalfooball.com - July 17, 2007

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp is ready to listen to offers for Lomana
LuaLua. The forward is valued at £3 million and Wigan Athletic and West Ham
United are interested.

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Man City, West Ham target Santa Cruz wants Premiership move
tribalfooball.com - July 17, 2007

Bayern Munich striker Roque Santa Cruz wants a move to England. Manchester
City and West Ham are keen on the Paraguay international, who is ready to
leave Bayern this summer. "There has been interest from some clubs in Roque,
but nothing concrete," Santa Cruz's agent, Jan van Baal told skysports.com.
"At this stage it looks like he will leave Bayern Munich, but nothing is
settled. "His first choice if he moves would be England. "The Premier
League is one of the best leagues in the world and is a big dream of Roque's
to play there."

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Man Utd to push through Tevez medical today
tribalfooball.com - July 17, 2007

Manchester United will push through a medical for Carlos Tevez today -
despite West Ham protests. The Daily Mail says while West Ham are publicly
refusing to endorse the check-up, United will go ahead with their plan to
force through the deal worth £35million for the brilliant striker. A United
insider said: "We expect Carlos Tevez to become a United player. We've flown
him in for a medical as a show of force. The player is very excited at the
prospect of signing for us. It is only a matter of time." A source close to
the deal said: "It's up to West Ham now. Carlos will have his medical and
then they must decide their course of action. Either they can take action
against United or they can allow a medical to take place while all the
parties continue to seek a resolution."

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