WHUFC.com
Craig Bellamy has left West Ham United with Gianfranco Zola already focused
on new targets
19.01.2009
West Ham United can confirm that Craig Bellamy has joined Manchester City
for an undisclosed fee and has signed a four-and-a-half year contract.
Having expressed his desire to secure a move away from the Boleyn Ground
during meetings with manager Gianfranco Zola and CEO Scott Duxbury on Friday
morning, Bellamy did not train on Saturday and was not selected for Sunday's
3-1 home win against Fulham which moved the club up to eighth place in the
Barclays Premier League.
Speaking this evening about Bellamy's departure, Zola said: "I wish him all
the best and I hope he does well and finds what he is looking for. I am very
happy with what he has done for me and now he has decided to go somewhere
else.
"We wanted to keep him but he wanted a new challenge and we respect that.
For our fans, I can say again that we want to achieve a high level so we are
looking for players that can help us make that happen."
Bellamy travelled to Manchester on Monday and the deal to allow him to join
his eighth club in nine years was concluded after he passed a medical. The
striker, who will be 30 in July, cost West Ham United £7.5m in July 2007 and
he went on to play in 24 league games, scoring seven goals.
West Ham United CEO Scott Duxbury said: "We wish Craig well for the future
and thank him for his efforts. We had refused him permission to talk to
Tottenham last week and were determined to keep him despite repeated
interest from them and Manchester City. However, on Friday, he again made it
clear to the manager and myself that he wanted to move on.
"Late on Sunday night, Gianfranco and I met and he said it was in the best
interests to accept the player's request to leave and therefore Manchester
City's bid. I agreed with this so that we could focus our energies on
bringing in exciting players who want to play for the club and who will
improve the squad."
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Bondz back in business
WHUFC.com
Bondz N'Gala is looking to build on the reserves' fine showing last time out
when Fulham visit east London
19.01.2009
Bondz N'Gala may have been away for most of December but he announced his
return to the West Ham United fold in a big way by helping the reserves to a
0-0 Barclays Premier Reserve team south draw at league-leaders Aston Villa
last week.
The 19-year-old was playing his first match for United since returning from
a successful month-long loan spell at League One high-flyers MK Dons.
Despite enjoying his time in Buckinghamshire - where he made three
appearances - the central defender's thoughts are now firmly focussed on
progress in his career at West Ham United, starting with the reserves' next
match with Fulham at the Boleyn Ground on Tuesday.
"Going there [MK Dons] was a great experience and it was good to get some
regular games under my belt," N'Gala said. "I learnt a lot there about
positioning and communication and playing in those games really helped my
confidence. Playing in front of a crowd that big will help my development. I
want to get used to playing in front of crowds of that sort of size and
hopefully one day I can play at the Boleyn Ground."
N'Gala came closer to realising that dream when he was named on the bench
for the Premier League game against Stoke City in December. Although he did
not get on that day, the Forest-Gate born defender enjoyed the experience
and is planning to use it as a motivation for the remainder of the season.
"It was great being on the bench for the Stoke game. Warming up in front of
the crowd was brilliant and I was itching to get on. Hopefully I can get on
the bench again later this year," he said.
N'Gala excelled as part of a three-man back line alongside James Tomkins and
Jonathan Spector against Villa as Alex Dyer's side claimed their first away
point of the season. The team have impressed at home thus far, winning all
four matches, and they return to a home soil for the Fulham game. The
Hammers will be looking to avenge the 4-1 defeat in west London in October.
"Hopefully we can beat Fulham and push on and get up the league and get back
at them as we lost there. I think that against Villa we got a lot of
pressure second half but we dug in, worked hard and did well. We try to keep
clean sheets and we do our best for that every game. I think getting our
first away point will help us build and move on to win at home and away."
Dyer's side could be boosted by the appearance of several senior players who
were not involved in Sunday's 3-1 win over Fulham. The likes of Freddie
Sears, Hayden Mullins and James Tomkins may all feature to give them some
game time on the Boleyn Ground playing surface.
whufc.com will have full text coverage of the game along with all of the
post-match action. Kick-off is at 7pm. Season ticket holders get in for
free, adults are £3 and OAPs and under-16s £1.
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Man City complete Bellamy signing
Striker Craig Bellamy has completed his transfer from West Ham to Manchester
City for an undisclosed fee. The Wales international, 29, underwent a
medical earlier on Monday ahead of joining the eighth club of his career on
a four-year contract. He was left out of West Ham's squad for Sunday's 3-1
win over Fulham, having told club officials on Friday that he wanted to
leave. West Ham agreed a deal with City on Sunday. The fee is thought to be
£14m. Man City boss Mark Hughes, who managed Bellamy at Blackburn and during
his time in charge of Wales, said: "I am delighted to be working with Craig
once more. "He is an outstanding player who provides us with qualities that
we are slightly lacking.
"He has blistering pace, has bags of enthusiasm and has a superb attitude to
training. He will be a great addition to the squad."
John Hartson, a former team-mate, also believes City have made a shrewd
purchase. "I know he's moved around a lot and let himself down on occasions,
he'd be the first to admit that," Hartson told BBC Radio 5 Live. "But he is
very good professional, the first on the training ground and the last off
it."
Bellamy joined West Ham for £7.5m last season and has previously had spells
at Norwich, Coventry, Newcastle, Celtic, Blackburn and Liverpool.
Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola told the club's website: "I wish him all the
best and I hope he does well and finds what he is looking for. "I am very
happy with what he has done for me and now he has decided to go somewhere
else. "We wanted to keep him but he wanted a new challenge and we respect
that. For our fans, I can say again that we want to achieve a high level so
we are looking for players that can help us make that happen."
And chief executive Scott Duxbury confirmed that West Ham had ruled out the
Welshman moving to London rivals Tottenham. "We refused him permission to
talk to Tottenham last week and were determined to keep him despite repeated
interest from them and Manchester City. "However, on Friday he again made it
clear to the manager and myself that he wanted to move on. "Late on Sunday
night, Gianfranco and I met and he said it was in the best interests to
accept the player's request to leave and therefore Manchester City's bid."
Bellamy, who originally wanted to join Spurs, is expected to make his Man
City debut at home to Newcastle on 28 January.
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Bellamy deal confirmed
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 19th January 2009
By: Staff Writer
Manchester City have confirmed the capture of Craig Bellamy for an
undisclosed fee. Bellamy, who travelled to Manchester this morning in order
to finalise personal terms successfully passed a medical later in the day.
City, who are thought to have paid between £12-14million for the 29-year-old
confirmed the signing in an announcement on their website this evening.
"Manchester City can confirm the signing of Craig Bellamy from West Ham
United for an undisclosed fee," read the statement. "The striker put pen to
paper on a four-and-half year deal after passing a medical and agreeing
personal terms once agreement had been reached between the two clubs."
Bellamy made just 26 appearances for the Hammers during his 18 months at the
club, scoring nine goals. He cost United £7.5million when signing from
Liverpool in July 2007. At the time of writing West Ham United were still to
confirm Bellamy's departure. Gianfranco Zola, who is likely to receive
around half of the transfer fee in order to replace the Welsh international
could now move for Fiorentina's 23-year-old striker Pablo Daniel Osvaldo, a
player valued around the £7million mark. That potential deal moved a stage
closer this evening when Osvaldo's agent, Dario Decoud told Radio Blu that
he expects his client to seal a move to West Ham within the next few days
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Bellamy seals City switch
Hammers striker completes Eastlands move
Last updated: 19th January 2009
SSN
Manchester City have confirmed the signing of Craig Bellamy from West Ham
United for an undisclosed fee. The Wales international has signed a
four-and-a-half year deal at Eastlands after successfully coming through a
routine medical. City chief Mark Hughes is well aware of the player's
ability having worked with him as boss of both the Wales national side and
Blackburn Rovers. In what is expected to be a busy month for City, the
capture of Bellamy becomes the club's second signing of the transfer window
following Wayne Bridge's move from Chelsea. Bellamy, who will join his new
team-mates at their training camp in Tenerife, could make his City debut
against former club Newcastle United on 28th January.
Hughes has spoken of his excitement at once more linking up with a player he
has always rated highly. "I am delighted to be working with Craig once
more," he told the club's official website. "He is an outstanding player
who provides us with qualities that we are lacking slightly. "He has
blistering pace, has bags of enthusiasm, has a superb attitude to training
and will be a great addition to the squad." It is thought West Ham will
receive in the region of £14million for the well travelled striker
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Bellamy admits Hughes factor
City new boy delighted to be reunited with fellow Welshman
Last updated: 19th January 2009
SSN
Craig Bellamy admits the chance to be reunited with Mark Hughes was always
going to be too exciting to turn down having completed his move to
Manchester City. The striker's switch to Eastlands from West Ham for an
undisclosed fee was sealed on Monday after Bellamy was convinced of the
club's vision under Hughes. Bellamy played arguably the best football of
career when at Blackburn under Hughes and the 29-year-old, who also played
for the City boss on the international stage, believes his fellow Welshman
will once again get the best out of him. "It (Hughes and his coaching team)
was a big factor, because they are people that I have worked with since I
was 18," Bellamy told the club's official website. "They know me better than
anybody-else in the football game, and they are people I completely trust
in. "They have progressed me massively, and I owe them a lot. The added
bonus is that it's Manchester City and the way it is going at the moment
with possibly one or two more players coming in over the top of me. "I'm
fortunate that this opportunity has come along, and I am grateful. I feel I
am at my peak and I hope over the next few years to perform really well
here."
Bellamy's signature is thought to have cost free-spending City in the region
of £14million and the 29-year-old's signing is unlikely to the last in the
January transfer window. With talks ongoing with the likes of Kaka and Nigel
de Jong, Bellamy admits he cannot be anything but excited by the direction
the club is heading in. "I think it is going to be incredible here over the
next couple of years," he added. "It's not just for me, you speak to anyone
in the Premier League and they would want to come to Manchester City. "It's
rare for that to happen outside of the top four, but I think there are a lot
of players who would like to come to this club. I've been given that
opportunity, there are other players who would love it, and so it is up to
me to make the most of it. "This really is a club that in the next couple of
years is going to be incredible. There are so many things happening here
that are out of this world, for me to part of it was an offer that I just
could not walk away from."
Despite the acrimonious end to his time at Upton Park, Hammers boss
Gianfranco Zola sent him off with his blessings. "I wish him all the best
and I hope he does well and finds what he is looking for. I am very happy
with what he has done for me and now he has decided to go somewhere else,"
he told the club's official website. "We wanted to keep him but he wanted a
new challenge and we respect that. "For our fans, I can say again that we
want to achieve a high level so we are looking for players that can help us
make that happen."
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Newcastle United Revive Interest In Lucas Neill - Report
Goal.com
Press reports from England indicate that Newcastle United are ready to table
a £2 million bid for Lucas Neill, the West Ham United captain.
The Australian stopper has been edging toward the exit at Upton Park since
the summer, as he continues to push for a pay-rise despite the club's
well-documented financial problems. However, the Irons have made it clear
that they will not sell Neill during the January transfer window, even
though his contract demands are almost certain to go unmet. Thus, a number
of clubs are queuing up to sign the 30-year-old when his contract expires at
the end of the season, with Galatasaray and AC Milan thought to be among the
interested parties. But the Magpies, who withdrew a bid for Neill last week,
could test West Ham's resolve (and patience) as they continue their search
for an experienced, reliable defender who can help solidify a back-line that
has conceded 37 goals in 22 games this term.
Mike Maguire, Goal.com
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Bellamy completes £14 million City switch
Craig Bellamy has completed his transfer from West Ham to Manchester City
for a fee believed to be in the region of £14 million.
Viewlondon.co.uk
The 29-year-old has signed a four and a half year deal at Eastlands and is
re-united with manager Mark Hughes who coached the striker at Wales and at
Blackburn. "I am delighted to be working with Craig once more," Hughes said.
"He is an outstanding player who provides us with qualities that we are
lacking slightly. "He has blistering pace, has bags of of enthusiasm, has a
superb attitude to training and will be a great addition to the squad."
Bellamy had been at the centre of a transfer tug-of-war between City and
Tottenham, who had expressed their desire in securing his signature.
It is City's offer that was accepted, however, and they will become the
eighth club of Bellamy's career having previously had spells at Norwich,
Coventry, Newcastle, Celtic, Blackburn, Liverpool and West Ham. I'm
fortunate that this opportunity has come along, and I am grateful," Bellamy
said. "I feel I am at my peak and I hope over the next few years to perform
really well here. I think it is going to be incredible here over the next
couple of years. I've been given that opportunity, there are other players
who would love it, and so it is up to me to make the most of it. This really
is a club that in the next couple of years is going to be incredible. There
are so many things happening here that are out of this world, for me to part
of it was an offer that I just could not walk away from."
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Quashie heads back to West Ham
Jan 20 2009 by Andy Walker, Birmingham Post
Nigel Quashie's dream of securing a permanent move to Birmingham City has
remained unfulfilled after Alex McLeish opted to not renew the midfielder's
deal. The West Ham United midfielder had spent three consecutive emergency
one-month loan spells at St Andrew's in a bid to return to full fitness
whilst boosting Birmingham's options. Blues manager McLeish would have had
to have retained Quashie until at least the end of the season having used up
the player's 93-day emergency loan allocation. However, following the
arrival of Quashie's colleague from Upton Park, Lee Bowyer, on a temporary
arrangement, McLeish no longer required the former Scotland international's
services. That news would have come as a bitter blow to Quashie who
expressed his strong desire to remain at St Andrew's to The Post last month.
The former West Bromwich Albion player's arrangement with Birmingham had not
only helped rebuild his fitness following a serious ankle injury, it had
also helped ease the pain of losing his mother Caroline to cancer last year
and allowed Quashie to be closer to his girlfriend and young son who live in
the city. Last month Quashie, 30, told the Birmingham Post: ""I wouldn't
hesitate to come to Birmingham because I think it will be a new start for
me, especially with everything I've been through. "Birmingham would be
brilliant for me, I've really enjoyed it. "If I could sign here, then I
would sign here, no hesitation. "I owe Birmingham a lot just for giving me
an opportunity to put difficult things aside. "I wouldn't even blink at it,
I would go straight away. "I'm really happy with how things are going and I
wouldn't change anything, if I could come to Birmingham then I'd come
straight away. Playing for Birmingham is what I want to do."
It may have been what he wanted to do but it isn't going to happen as
Quashie now finds himself back at a West Ham team who are desperate to
cash-in on their out-of-favour squad members. Quashie, who failed to make
Birmingham's squad of 16 for Saturday's 1-1 draw with Cardiff City despite
being eligible, made 11 appearances for McLeish's side with his last start
coming during last week's FA Cup third-round defeat to Wolverhampton
Wanderers.
McLeish's decision to send Quashie back to East London comes as no surprise
as the Scotsman has recently boosted his stock of midfielders following the
acquisition of Bowyer, Hameur Bouazza, Scott Sinclair, Keith Fahey and Robin
Shroot during the January transfer window. The Tunisian midfielder Mehdi
Nafti looks set to be the next victim of Birmingham's increased competition
in the centre of the park with the former Racing Santander player already
believed to be in talks with a new club.
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West Ham move for Fiorentina striker Osvaldo
20.01.09 | tribalfootball.com
Italian Under 21 international Pablo Osvaldo is set for a move to Gianfranco
Zola's West Ham. Osvaldo's manager Dario Decoud revealed the move whilst
speaking with Radio Blu on Monday afternoon. "Pablo will be going to West
Ham," Decoud said of the disgruntled striker, who has failed to secure
regular first team football with the Viola.
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Craig Bellamy seals Manchester City switch
There are compelling reasons why Manchester City, despite the vast financial
resources of Abu Dhabi behind them, saw fit on Monday to invest £14 million
in such damaged goods as Craig Bellamy.
Telegraph
By Oliver Brown
Last Updated: 11:31PM GMT 19 Jan 2009
His vulnerability to injury has been remarkable throughout his career, as
has his capacity for alienating managers and team-mates, but City have shown
themselves willing to give the striker - who, at his best, can display one
of the most exhilarating turns of pace in the game - the benefit of the
doubt.
On his arrival at Liverpool three years ago, Bellamy confidently declared:
"I believe I have a wiser head on me now. But I'm not naive to think that
people will suddenly start saying what a nice bloke I am."
Although the Welshman's candour captured his ability to polarise opinion,
his claim to be a changed man was built on the most shaky of foundations.
With a history of playing bans and criminal skirmishes, Bellamy embarked
with grim inevitability on a season tainted by the controversies that have
come to define him, and he left Anfield the next summer remembered less for
his contributions on the pitch than for his threat to attack John Arne Riise
with a golf club.
There are few grounds left in the country where Bellamy does not fear to
tread. At Newcastle 10 days ago, his 80-minute performance was assailed by
savage vitriol from the club's supporters, who cannot forgive his feud in
2004 with then manager Graeme Souness, when he allegedly said he would feign
injury if he was played out of position.
Then there was the altercation with assistant Newcastle coach John Carver,
at whom he threw "quite a heavy chair" at the city's airport. But Bellamy
appeared to revel in his notoriety at St James' Park that afternoon. It was
ever thus in his response to misdemeanours; his goal celebration at
Barcelona in 2007, when he swung a golf club in mocking reference to his
treatment of Riise, being the infamous case in point.
But surprisingly, he did not leave West Ham on Monday under the darkest of
clouds. There have been more acrimonious Bellamy departures, notably from
Newcastle and Liverpool, and the reactions from Upton Park illustrated a
surprising level of popularity.
Mark Noble, a dedicated midfield workhorse, went so far as to describe
Bellamy as "one of the best professionals I've ever worked with". Noble
said: "He's so fired up and wants to win every game, and I can't see
anything wrong with that. For all that's written and said about him, he one
of the best professionals I have worked with.
"He's great for the young lads. He's good for them and good for the team,"
added Noble. "He says what he thinks and I don't think that's a bad thing. I
know a load of players like that. But he gets the best out of people around
him.
"Everyone knows he likes West Ham - you could see that from his
performances. He never chucked it in, he scored goals for us and gave 100
per cent every game."
Bellamy rang both Noble and Carlton Cole, his apparent successor as West
Ham's 'go-to' goalscorer, on Saturday night to convey his best wishes and
was conspicuous by his omission from the side that defeated Fulham 3-1 on
Saturday.
Cole was sanguine about the negative headlines that Bellamy tended to
attract for the club, dismissing them as "normal". It also has to be asked
why such a peaceable character as Gianfranco Zola, the West Ham manager, was
so desperate to keep Bellamy and at no stage wished his mercurial forward
any ill will.
Still, there are vestiges of the personality that made Newcastle assistant
manager Terry McDermott call Bellamy a "little upstart", which Manchester
City would do well to heed. Bellamy has been guilty of some of the worst
excesses of player power, extending from his embarrassment of Souness to his
rumoured goading of Newcastle legend Alan Shearer.
For all his relatively untarnished record at West Ham, it should not be
forgotten that he fell out with former manager Alan Curbishley immediately
after his very first game for the club - against, you guessed it, Manchester
City.
From To Date Fee
West Ham Man City Jan 09 £14m
Liverpool West Ham Jul 07 £7.5m
Blackburn Liverpool Jul 06 £6.5m
Newcastle Blackburn Jul 05 £5m
Newcastle Celtic Jan 05 Loan
Coventry Newcastle Jun 01 £6.5m
Norwich Coventry Aug 00 £6.5m
Total £46m
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Window watch: Pablo Daniel Osvaldo, Savio Nsereko
The Times
Gary Jacob, George Caulkin
West Ham United are in talks to sign Pablo Daniel Osvaldo and Savio Nsereko
as replacements for Craig Bellamy, who has moved to Manchester City. Osvaldo
has been given permission to leave Fiorentina and the striker would prefer
to move to England rather than Bologna, the Serie A club who have tabled a
£5.5 million bid. The 23-year-old played under Gianfranco Zola, the West Ham
manager, for the Italy Under-21 team.
Nsereko, 19, who scored twice for Brescia against Pisa in Serie B on
Saturday, is wanted by several Italian clubs, including Napoli and Roma.
Brescia value the forward, who was born in Uganda but has German
citizenship, at £7 million, but they would prefer that he helps them to win
promotion. His agent was at Upton Park to watch West Ham's 3-1 victory over
Fulham on Sunday.
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Zola bids £10m for German starlet
Club move fast to bolster squad after Bellamy ties up Manchester City switch
By Jason Burt
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Independent.co.uk Web
West Ham United are closing in on a record £10m fee to sign Brescia's German
striker Savio Nsereko as they move quickly to bolster their squad following
the departure yesterday of Craig Bellamy to Manchester City for £14m, with
the club vowing never to sell one of their leading players to Tottenham
Hotspur ever again.
The scale of the deal for Savio will cause some surprise, given that he is
only 19 and is currently playing in Serie B, but he is highly rated by the
West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola and technical director Gianluca Nani, who
was previously at Brescia. The fee beats the previous club record, of £7.5m,
paid for Bellamy in July 2007.
West Ham have also been in talks to take another young striker, 23-year-old
Daniel Pablo Osvaldo, on loan from Fiorentina until the end of the season,
with an option to acquire the former Italian Under-21 international, who was
born in Argentina, for around £7m in the summer. He has worked with Zola
previously.
West Ham face competition to sign both players, mainly from Italy, but hope
to conclude deals in the next 48 hours. They decided to move for Savio and
Osvaldo after also considering Mario Balotelli, who is unsettled at
Internazionale, and Giampaolo Pazzini before he moved from Fiorentina to
Sampdoria earlier this month.
West Ham have acted after striking a deal to sell Bellamy to Manchester City
for a fee that could rise to just under £14m. The 29-year-old travelled to
Manchester on Sunday evening and underwent a medical yesterday after
agreeing personal terms.
City will be Bellamy's eighth club and his departure from West Ham has been
acrimonious after he demanded a move to Tottenham Hotspur and was left out
of the squad for Sunday's victory over Fulham.
West Ham, who rejected six bids from Spurs and City for Bellamy, then
received a final offer from Tottenham of £13m on Sunday evening but also
knocked that back because the club had decided it would not allow the player
to move to White Hart Lane. Scott Duxbury, West Ham's chief executive, told
The Independent yesterday: "I'll go on record and say I want to avoid
selling any of our best players to Tottenham ever again. I don't want to.
Why should I? They are our local rivals. It would be a slap in the face for
our fans. I want to finish above Tottenham. We did it last year and want to
do it this year and every single year. It's nothing against Tottenham."
West Ham had valued Bellamy at £15m but agreed a deal slightly below that to
ensure they could get replacements in as quickly as possible and after it
became apparent that it would be impossible for the Welsh international to
play for them again. Contrary to claims, Bellamy did not refuse to play on
Sunday, but was excused from duty, and training, because he said his "head
was not right" to be included.
West Ham will hope that by agreeing deals for the two young attacking
players they are fulfilling their promise to Zola that funds raised by
selling one of their star players, beyond a list of fringe candidates such
as Matthew Etherington and others for sale including Calum Davenport and
Luis Boa Morte, will be reinvested in the team.
The scale of the Savio deal also demonstrates, West Ham hope, that they are
not in a financial crisis and, following the arrival of Valon Behrami and
Herita Ilunga last summer, are building for the future with a more
imaginative, widespread scouting network.
Savio, in particular, is an interesting target. Born in Uganda, he started
his career in Germany with 1860 Munich and came to prominence playing for
the German Under-19 team, where he was player of the tournament in last
summer's European Championship. He has previously caught the eye of
Liverpool and Napoli while West Ham have been concerned that recent interest
shown in Savio by Milan could scupper their proposed deal.
West Ham also hope to open contract talks this week with Scott Parker, who
was also the subject of a bid at the start of the transfer window from
manchester City when they offered £15m for the midfielder and Bellamy. In
the end, City have been forced to pay close to that fee for Bellamy alone.
West Ham have, meanwhile, dismissed suggestions that they are interested in
signing Cardiff City's Joe Ledley, who is, nevertheless, attracting interest
from a host of Premier League clubs and may be sold this month.
Fab Sav: Vital Stats
*Born 27 July 1989, Kampala, Uganda.
*Club career
2004-05 1860 Munich (youth).
2005+ Brescia.
*Early form: interested Liverpool.
*Has played for German Under-19s.
*Voted best player at European Under-19 Championship.
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Quashie returns to West Ham
The Scotsman
Published Date: 20 January 2009
BIRMINGHAM have decided not to extend West Ham midfielder Nigel Quashie's
stay at St Andrew's. The former Scotland player arrived at the Coca-Cola
Championship club on a one-month loan back in October, before his stay was
prolonged by Alex McLeish to the maximum 93-day period allowed for emergency
deals. He will now return to Upton Park.
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Newcastle set to upset West Ham with renewed £2m bid for Neill
By Sportsmail Reporter Last updated at 12:45 AM on 20th January 2009
Daily Mail
Newcastle may risk the wrath of West Ham with a renewed £2m bid for Lucas
Neill, the 30-year-old Australia defender who is a free agent this summer.
Newcastle insisted last week they had ended their interest after West Ham's
terse hands-off warning. But sources close to Newcastle, who have been hit
by injuries, say there could now be a rethink. West Ham are on the trail of
£7m-rated Fiorentina striker Pablo Daniel Osvaldo to replace Craig Bellamy.
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YOU CAN'T PUT YOUR SHIRT ON BELLAMY
Daily Express
Tuesday January 20,2009
By Gideon Brooks
Much energy will be expended in both Manchester and east London over whether
the £14million deal that took Craig Bellamy from West Ham to City yesterday
was a good deal for both clubs, just one, or possibly neither. But from
whichever way you look, the Welshman's ability to leave divided opinions in
his wake shows no signs of abating as he prepares to enter the latest
dressing room of his career. West Ham fans, who had implored the striker not
to leave in a sustained sing-song at Fratton Park on Boxing Day, had changed
their tune on Sunday after the striker had effectively gone on a protest
strike.
His former colleagues also seemed similarly split when quizzed in the tunnel
after the 3-1 win over Fulham about whether his transfer would be a good or
bad thing for their club. All agreed his work ethic would be missed but,
while Mark Noble insisted that Upton Park had just lost "a great asset",
Carlton Cole countered that West Ham will do just fine without him.
Kieron Dyer simply walked past both team-mates singing the crowd's later and
more repeatable refrain: "Who needs Craig Bellamy?" But then, in Dyer's
case, football's gain was never the diplomatic service's loss. Bellamy's
work ethic has never been in question throughout a career that has taken him
from Norwich to Coventry, Newcastle, on loan at Celtic, Blackburn,
Liverpool, West Ham and now Manchester City. But neither has his ability to
rub people up the wrong way. That list has grown steadily.
Of all West Ham's players, Cole might breathe a sigh of relief given that he
was frequently on the end of public tongue lashings from the striker when
they shared the front line, something which did little for his confidence.
He said: "We have done well without him before and I don't see why we can't
do it again. We are professional and we will carry on. We have good players
who can come in and do a job."
Noble believes the Hammers' loss is City's gain though. "Wherever he goes he
will be a great asset and for all that is written and said about him he is
one of the best professionals I've ever worked with," he said. "He is so
fired up and wants to win every game. I can't see anything wrong with that.
He's great for the young lads and is good for the team. We will miss him. I
spoke to him on Saturday night and he asked me to wish the boys good luck
from him."
How Bellamy's arrival will affect the team dynamic at City is anybody's
guess, but it is hard to imagine him turning the air blue with Robinho,
Stephen Ireland or Richard Dunne. Zola is just delighted to get his hands on
some of the £14m transfer fee and is keen on £6m-rated Brescia striker Savio
Nsereko and Fiorentina striker Pablo Osvaldo. Either way, club sources
yesterday stressed that Zola is hoping to add two names – probably both
strikers – to his ranks to cover the loss of Bellamy. That would seem
appropriate given how he divided opinion.
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Birmingham go for West Ham defender Davenport
20.01.09 | tribalfootball.com
Birmingham City are chasing West Ham defender Calum Davenport. Davenport was
on his way to Bolton Wanderers, before the Trotters pulled out of the deal
after signing Zenit St Petersburg defender Sebastien Puygrenier.
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West Ham kid N'Gala pleased with MK Dons spell
20.01.09 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham defender Bondz N'Gala was delighted with his loan spell at MK Dons.
He told whufc.com: "Going there [MK Dons] was a great experience and it was
good to get some regular games under my belt. "I learnt a lot there about
positioning and communication and playing in those games really helped my
confidence. Playing in front of a crowd that big will help my development. I
want to get used to playing in front of crowds of that sort of size and
hopefully one day I can play at the Boleyn Ground."
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Portsmouth, West Ham chasing Bayer Leverkusen's Barnetta
20.01.09 | tribalfootball.com
Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta is a target for Portsmouth
boss Tony Adams. Leverkusen star Barnetta, 23, who has also attracted
interest from West Ham, was part of Switzerland's 2006 World Cup squad and
scored in their group win over Togo.
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West Ham target Savio Nsereko
Transfer gossip 20/01/2009
IMScouting.com
A report in The Independent this morning claims that West Ham will use the
money they received from Manchester City for Craig Bellamy to splash out on
Brescia's Savio Nsereko. Gianfranco Zola is expected to spend 10 million
pounds on the 5.8ft German striker and this decision is backed by technical
director Gianluca Nani who joined the Hammers from Brescia. The signing of
Nsereko and a loan move for Fiorentina's Daniel Pablo Osvaldo could be
wrapped up in the next 48 hours. Savio Nsereko is one of the most
highly-rated youngsters in world football and has been watched by AC Milan
and Liverpool. The Ugandan-born striker came to prominence in the European
Under-19 championships last summer.
According to IMScouting's network of scouts in Italy, the 19-year-old is a
"very very talented offensive all-rounder, one of the best in Serie B.
Brilliant pace, excellent right foot, good crosser and great physique." He
bagged two goals in Brescia's 4-0 win over Pisa on Saturday, the two goals
can be seen from 1.40 on the video below.
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