Friday, July 18

Daily WHUFC News - 18th July 2014

Hammers agree Valencia transfer
WHUFC.com
Enner Valencia completes Hammers move, subject to a successful work permit
hearing
17.07.2014

West Ham United are delighted to announce that exciting Ecuador
international forward Enner Valencia will become the Club's fifth summer
signing, subject to a successful work permit hearing. The Hammers fought off
competition from a host of Europe's leading clubs to secure the services of
the 25-year-old from Mexican side Pachuca. Valencia, who impressed hugely in
scoring three goals for his country at the FIFA World Cup finals in Brazil,
will join West Ham on a five-year contract for an undisclosed fee. Born in
the port town of San Lorenzo on the north coast of Ecuador, close to the
Colombian border, Valencia began his career with Club Sport Emelec in the
city of Guayaquil. There, the forward helped Emelec to reach the Ecuadorean
Serie A Championship Finals and the group stage of the Copa Libertadores -
South America's premier continental competition - in both 2010 and 2011.
Valencia starred as Emelec reached the Copa Libertadores round of 16 and the
Serie A Championship Finals again in 2012. In February of the same year, the
athletic frontman was handed his senior international debut by Ecuador
manager Reinaldo Rueda in a friendly match against Honduras.

The year 2013 was the best of Valencia's career to date, with his club
winning the Serie A title for the first time in eleven years and also
topping the goalscoring charts in the Copa Sudamerica - South America's
equivalent of the UEFA Europa League - with five goals in just four matches.
Valencia was also able to celebrate his first international goal in a 2-2
draw against Honduras last November. That outstanding form saw the
Ecuadorian move to Pachuca in January 2014. In Mexico, he hit the net with
unerring regularity, banging in 18 goals in just 23 Torneo Clausura
appearances as Pachuca finished as runners-up to Leon.
Prior to his eye-catching World Cup performances, Valencia came to the
attention of English football fans when he headed Ecuador in front in their
pre-tournament draw with Roy Hodgson's side in Miami.

In Brazil, he picked up where he had left off by opening the scoring in
Ecuador's first group-stage fixture against Switzerland. He then netted both
goals as the South Americans defeated Honduras 2-1, taking his tally to
seven in 13 internationals. Valencia becomes West Ham's fifth summer signing
following the captures of Argentine forward Mauro Zarate, Senegalese
midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate, left-back Aaron Cresswell and promising
youngster Diego Poyet. Subject to a successful work permit hearing, he will
become the first Ecuadorian to play for the Hammers and the ninth to appear
in the Barclays Premier League following the late Christian Benitez, Felipe
Caicedo, Segundo Castillo, Ulises de la Cruz, Agustin Delgado, Fernando
Guerrero, Ivan Kaviedes and namesake Antonio Valencia.

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Cresswell's settling in
WHUFC.com
Summer arrival Aaron Cresswell is pleased with the first two weeks of his
Hammers career
17.07.2014

Aaron Cresswell is settling into life well at West Ham United and came so
close to notching his first goal in claret and blue as he returned to his
old club on Wednesday night. Less than two weeks after joining the Hammers
from Ipswich Town, 24-year-old defender Cresswell found himself back at
Portman Road as his new team took on the Tractor Boys in a 0-0 draw.
Cresswell came closest of all to breaking the deadlock when his deft chip
struck the crossbar, and although that chance went astray, he is happy at
how his Hammers career has begun. He said: "All the lads and all the staff
have been great with me. We went to France for eight days and now we head to
New Zealand on Thursday. It'll be a long journey, but an enjoyable one and
I'll get to mingle with the lads and get to know them even more. "Had the
chip gone in, I think the goalkeeper Deano [Gerken] would still be chasing
me now! "I'd have been delighted if I had scored, but he wouldn't have been!
I actually tried to put the ball to the back stick, but it ended up hitting
the bar - it was one of those things."

And while a first West Ham goal was not to be, Cresswell still had plenty to
smile about upon returning to his old stamping ground. The highly-regarded
left-back was afforded the warmest of receptions, having been held in
particularly high esteem by the Ipswich faithful. "It was a bit strange
coming back. I was here for three years, but as I've said before it was nice
to come back and see the lads I spent that time with."

"It meant a lot to get the reception I did - the fans have been first class
with me, and since the day I left I haven't had one bad message.
Everything's been positive and I can't thank them enough for the last three
years."

On the pitch, the Scouser showed promising signs of a link-up with Matt
Jarvis during the first half and he will be using the pre-season games to
further that understanding with teammates all over the pitch. He added:
"Jarvo's obviously a great player and he's played in the Premier League for
a number of years now. "I'm just going to take each game as it comes, and
whoever's in front of me I'll try to link up with them as best as I can.
"It's all about fitness, getting your heart rate up and getting your match
fitness. I enjoyed it out there on Wednesday. "We've got five games in
pre-season and the more I play with the back four the more I'll get to know
them."

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West Ham: Hammers fans vote in favour of new club crest
BBC.co.uk

West Ham fans have voted in favour of plans for a new club badge before the
move to the Olympic Stadium. The Hammers intend to introduce the crest on
shirts when they move from the Boleyn Ground for the 2016-17 season. In an
online vote, conducted over 48 hours by SMG Yougov, 56% of fans said they
liked the new design. The redesign will see a castle, linked to the current
Boleyn Ground home, removed, and the word 'London' added underneath two
hammers.

History: Founded as Thames Ironworks in 1895 - nicknamed Hammers
Stadium: Moved to Boleyn Ground in Upton Park nine years later
Move: Will play home games at Olympic Stadium in Stratford from 2016-17

Some fans were unhappy at the removal of the castle, and said using the word
London was unnecessary. After feedback from supporters, the word 'United'
will be slightly larger in size below 'West Ham'. The club says its badge
has been altered on average once every 10 years, although the current design
has existed since 1999. The new design is not expected to feature on shirts
or other club merchandise until the move four miles across east London.

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West Ham sign Ecuador striker Enner Valencia in £12m deal
BBC.o.uk

West Ham have signed Ecuador striker Enner Valencia on a five-year contract
from Mexican club Pachuca subject to a work permit being approved. The deal,
reportedly worth £12m, is West Ham's fifth summer signing. Valencia, 24,
scored three goals at the Fifa World Cup - two against Honduras and one
against Switzerland - before Ecuador's group-stage elimination. A back view
of Valencia during Ecuador's World Cup match against France at the Maracana
stadium
In a statement, West Ham said they "fought off competition from a host of
Europe's leading clubs" for Valencia. He played over 100 times for
Ecuadorian club side Emelec before joining Pachuca in January. Valencia, who
was a right winger until he joined the Mexican side, scored 18 goals in 23
league games last season. He joins West Ham following the signings of
midfielder Diego Poyet from Charlton, striker Mauro Zarate from Velez
Sarsfield, Anderlecht's Senegal international midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate
and Ipswich full-back Aaron Cresswell.

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Fans back new crest design
KUMb.com
Filed: Thursday, 17th July 2014
By: Staff Writer

56 per cent of supporters who responded to West Ham United's recent YouGov
poll have voted in favour of updating the club's crest. West Ham United
confirmed this morning that the new crest, designed by WTF Creative has been
given the green light to replace the current logo, as used since 1999.
The club have also taken into account some of the more popular views that
arose following the initial unveiling of the new design. As a result,
slight changes have been implemented to the original design that was first
demonstrated, with the word 'United' now given prominence over the word
'London' - whereas both words were previously the same sized font.
Meanwhile the blue used has also become slightly less vibrant, whilst some
of the shadowing that appeared on the first draft has been tempered
slightly.
YouGov Managing Director Frank Saez told whufc.com: "This represents a
credible and robust sample of the total supporter base. The results provided
to West Ham clearly state that the new crest is supported by the majority of
fans. "This concludes one of the most thorough supporter consultation
processes ever conducted by a Premier League club with regards to a new
crest. "Our findings show that respondents who engaged in the Club's
extensive research and thought processes from initial consultation were
overwhelmingly more positive than those who had begun the process afresh in
this, the latter stage."

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Valencia deal completed - and that's official!
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 17th July 2014
By: Staff Writer

Enner Valencia has finally completed his move to West Ham. The news was
confirmed this morning by co-owner David Sullivan's son Jack, who revealed
via Twitter that the deal - thought to be worth in excess of £12million -
had finally been sealed. Valencia, who underwent a medical on Tuesday
returned to Ecuador yesterday to complete formalities. According to Master
Sullivan, he is currently on his way back to the UK via an interconnecting
flight from Spain.
Valencia revealed last night that he has signed a five-year deal with West
Ham. Speaking to Ecuador-based radio station Deportiva. ""I'm happy to join
a very good team with very friendly people," he said.

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West Ham have added to their options up front by signing Enner Valencia
Last Updated: 17/07/14 4:30pm
SSN

West Ham have announced that they have completed the signing of forward
Enner Valencia, subject to a successful work permit hearing. The 25-year-old
striker, who performed well for Ecuador at the World Cup in Brazil, has been
signed for an undisclosed fee from Mexican side Pachuca and has agreed a
five-year contract. The West Ham website reported: "The Hammers fought off
competition from a host of Europe's leading clubs to secure the services of
Valencia, who impressed hugely in scoring three goals for his country at the
FIFA World Cup finals. "Subject to a successful work permit hearing, he will
become the first Ecuadorian to play for the Hammers and the ninth to appear
in the Barclays Premier League. "Valencia becomes West Ham's fifth summer
signing following the captures of Argentine forward Mauro Zarate, Senegalese
midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate, left-back Aaron Cresswell and promising
youngster Diego Poyet."

Although the fee for Valencia will not be disclosed it is believed that it
will be close to the club-record £15m which the Hammers paid for Andy
Carroll last summer. And manager Sam Allardyce will be hoping that the
arrival of Valencia will ensure the team are less reliant on Carroll for an
attacking threat.
The England forward struggled with injuries last season and West Ham found
goal scoring difficult in his absence, although they emerged from a poor run
of form to finish the season in 13th place.

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West Ham target Emanuel Insua with bid for Boca Juniors defender
Last Updated: 17/07/14 4:43pm
SSN

Sky sources report that West Ham have made a £4million bid for Boca Juniors
defender Emanuel Insua. The 23-year-old left-back is the younger brother of
former Liverpool defender Emiliano Insua and Boca are reportedly open to
offers for his services. West Ham have made a number of moves in the
transfer market this summer and Insua would be their sixth new arrival if a
deal can be agreed. The Hammers have already landed one Argentinian, having
signed Velez Sarsfield forward Mauro Zarate in May. And they have just
completed a deal for Enner Valencia, the Ecuador forward who made a big
impact at the World Cup in Brazil.

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West Ham close in on Croatian defender Ivan Strinic
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo | Last Updated: 17/07/14
1:18pm
SSN

Sky Sports understands West Ham are closing in on the signing of Croatian
defender Ivan Strinic. Strinic is entering the final year of his contract at
Dnipro and the Russian club are open to offers for the full-back rather than
risk losing him for nothing next season. West Ham boss Sam Allardyce is keen
to bolster his left-back options despite recently signing Aaron Cresswell
from Ipswich to fill that role. Allardyce wants to bring in Strinic to add
depth to his squad so that the 26-year-old can battle Cresswell for the
left-back spot in his starting XI next season. Strinic, who has been linked
with a move to England in the past, is thought to be keen on a move to the
Premier League. Strinic was named in Croatia preliminary World Cup squad for
Croatia this summer, but failed to make the final 23 for the finals in
Brazil.

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HAVE WEST HAM BID £4M FOR EMANUEL INSUA?
By S J Chandos 17 Jul 2014 at 16:45
West Ham Till I Die

Following on from the confirmation of the signing of Enner Valencia (subject
to a work permit), Sky Sports News (SSN) are also reporting that West Ham
have submitted a £4m bid for Boca Junior's defender, Emanuel Insua. Insua is
a promising, 23 year old, Argentine left back, who has been targeted to
provide cover and compete with summer signing, Arron Cresswell. If the deal
is completed, with Cresswell, Insua, Potts and O'Brien in the squad, the
vulnerable left-back position should be well covered for the coming season.
However, there is also reported interest in Isua by Southampton and possibly
Liverpool. So, the club need to move quickly to tie up a deal.

Will Isua be our 6th summer signing? Perhaps that transfer pot is not
exhausted just yet after all? Elsewhere, we are also being linked with
Inter-Milan's Algerian international midfielder, Saphir Taider and, it has
been reported by kumb, that we are currently giving a trial to 20 year old,
Polish centre forward, Adrian Wojcik Kosela.

In terms of outgoing deals, there is mounting speculation that Brighton &
Hove Albion, Charlton Athletic and Ipswich Town have all expressed an
interest in Hammers reserve keeper, Stephen Henderson. There are rumours
circulating that the club may be willing to loan Henderson next season, with
a 50/50 salary sharing deal oiling the wheels of a move. However, still no
concrete news on a Maiga or Vaz Te exit.

SJ. Chandos.

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THAMES IRONWORKS HERITAGE TRUST
By Sean Whetstone 17 Jul 2014 at 07:53
West Ham Till I Die

Guest Post by Gavin Redknap

I'd like to introduce the trust and the charity row that willl be taking
place on the 2nd of August. In case you hadn't heard about us, the Thames
Ironworks Heritage Trust's main goals are to save the remaining boats made
by the Thames Ironworks, restore them back in east London, and then put them
to work providing educational tours of the waterways of the Olympic park and
around. Its a lot to do with educating young people (who in restoring boats
and piloting them will learn real life skills), getting people interested in
using the waterways of east London, which have been neglected for years, and
of course to help tie the club back into its original heritage just a mile
or so down from the new stadium. You can read more about us here:
www.tiht.org.uk

We have already brought two boats back home and are in the process with
Newham Council to find a permanent site for the boatyard. once that's done
we will be tapping up the grant making bodies (principally the heritage
lottery fund) for money to get the work started. We aim eventually to have a
home on the stadium island next to the new ground, giving a real and
tangible presence to the heritage the club is trying to revive with its
recent attempts at changing the club's badge.

The club are fully behind the project and have done a few articles on the
official site promoting us. No readies as yet though So we still rely on
donations from fans. We are hoping that the Endurance Row that's being done
by the fans at the Southend Coastal Rowing Club (with help from the Lower
Thames Rowing Club) on the 2nd August will help generate donations. They
will be rowing from Southend pier to the Olympic park (actually the finish
is Bar 90 in hackney Wick as the Olympic waterways are still shut), which is
a massive feat.

I wonder if fans could help spread the word ahead of the row? It should also
be a good drink up at the bar after the row, so a good opportunity for
hammers fans who aren't going over to Germany to meet up over a few beers.
We'll be running an online auction simultaneously with a few items donated.
Kosmo Vinyl is sending over one of his works and we have a few other pieces.
I've got loads of vintage shirts, a couple of old hammers signatures on them
should help the sale price.

Anyway I have gone on too long already so please feel free to come back to
us with any further ideas or offers of support.

Here is the facebook page for the Endurance Row:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/224566094370208/

and the Trusts page https://www.facebook.com/TIHTUK?ref_type=bookmark

If you would like to donate please do so at the following:
https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/tihtuk

Otherwise get yourself down there on the day. Bar 90 is in Hackney Wick just
to the north of the Olympic Stadium. Its worth going down there to scope out
as a matc hday boozer.I can also confirm today that a Thames Ironworks made
boat, the James Stevens 14, which was restored a few years back and
currently resides in Walton, will be coming up the river with the rowers. It
should look great all decked out and give us some idea of what can look
forward to in 2016 when we hope to get our boats on the water.

Many thanks Gavin

Note from Sean:
I spoke to the club yesterday about the trust's work and a club's spokesman
said 'It is a fantastic project and West Ham are proud to support the trust'
The club told me they will be delighted to donate some merchandise and
signed items for the online auction.

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The cost of Hammer Valencia
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 17, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham could end up paying just £1 million less for Enner Valencia than
they shelled out for record signing Andy Carroll. Although the fee will
remain undisclosed, ClaretandHugh understands that the final figure could
rise as high as £14 million for the Ecuador international. The club
announced today that Valencia becomes the club's fifth summer signing,
subject to a successful work permit hearing – as we told readers on Monday!.
We also revealed a work permit would be required which will be sorted when
Sam Allardyce returns from New Zealand to represent the cl;ub at the
hearing. A source laughed when commenting to us earlier this afternoon: "We
don't see a problem with the work permit – Enner scored more goals at the
World Cup than England." We understand the Hammers will pay £9.5 million up
front but that various add ons and extras could see the fee rise to £14m.

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Charlton want Henderson
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 17, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Charlton are challenging Brighton and Hove Albion for the services of out of
favour Hammers keeper Stephen Henderson. Despite claims in the Brighton
media that the Seagulls are keen on the stopper, ClaretandHugh has learned
that the Irishman could be bound for the Addicks. We understand preliminary
talks have been held over a loan move for the player and that a wage sharing
deal will be agreed should the Hammers decide to do a deal. Henderson has
seen possible moves to Blackburn and Ipswich break down which are believed
to have been down to his £20k a week wages. An Irons source told
ClaretandHugh: "There's a possibility of a move to a Charlton which will
involve us in a wages subsidy."

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com



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