My first Digest for a very long time. Apologies in advance if the formatting is crap.. all my fault. Cheers!
Ayew becomes Club-record signing - WHUFC Official Site
West Ham United are delighted to confirm the transfer of outstanding Ghana forward Andre Ayew for a Club-record £20.5million fee.
The versatile striker, winger or attacking midfielder joins the Hammers on a three-year contract, with an additional two-year option, on the back of an exceptional debut Premier League season with Swansea City.
Boasting an equally impressive spell at Marseille on his CV, where he played alongside Dimitri Payet, along with goals at four major international tournaments for the Black Stars, the 26-year-old is now set to shine on the London Stadium stage.
He said: "I am very proud and happy to be at this magnificent Club. I am happy to be playing for these fans and I hope to make the people very happy here.
"The Club have a lot of ambition and have a great manager. They want to become a bigger Club every year and with the new Stadium and a new training ground, you can feel they are moving onto another level and I want to be part of this project.
"I want to train hard, do my job and show that I deserve to play for West Ham United. I want to give back to the manager and the fans the confidence they are showing me."
Born in Seclin, northern France, in December 1989, Ayew had spells in Germany and Ghana as a youngster before making his professional breakthrough at Marseille – the same club that his father Abedi Pele starred for in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
He debuted for Marseille in 2007, and after spending time on loan with Lorient and Arles-Avignon, established himself as a regular on the scoresheet at Stade Velodrome from 2010 onwards.
In all, he scored 60 goals in 202 games for L'OM, many of them assisted by Payet, winning the Coupe de la Ligue and the Trophee des Champions twice apiece during his time in France.
An impressive 16 goals in 2011/12 included four in just nine European appearances and he has hit double figures in five of his last six campaigns.
Included in that is his impressive Premier League bow, where he scored at a rate of better than one every three games for the Swans, with his goals steering the Welsh club away from danger and to another year of Premier League safety.
Internationally Ayew has enjoyed great success, featuring for Ghana in four major tournaments – and scoring in all four.
He netted twice at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and followed that with three goals at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations to claim that tournament's Golden Boot.
A two-time Africa Cup of Nations runner-up and FIFA U20 World Cup winner, Ayew has scored eleven goals in 67 senior caps for the Black Stars.
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Andre Ayew: West Ham United sign Swansea City striker for £20.5m - BBC Sport
West Ham United have completed the signing of forward Andre Ayew from Swansea City for £20.5m.
Ayew, 26, signed for Swansea on a free transfer from Marseille in June 2015 and scored 12 goals in his first Premier League season.
The Ghana international won the BBC African Player of the Year in 2011 and signs a four-year deal to become West Ham's record signing.
"The club have a lot of ambition and have a great manager," said Ayew.
"They want to become a bigger club every year and with the new stadium and a new training ground, you can feel they are moving on to another level and I want to be part of this project."
He is the club's fifth signing this summer, as they prepare for their first season playing in the London Stadium.
Sofiane Feghouli, Havard Nordtveit and Ashley Fletcher all signed on free transfers from Valencia, Borussia Monchengladbach and Manchester United respectively.
The £20.5m fee eclipses the £15m West Ham paid Liverpool for Andy Carroll in June 2013.
On Monday, the Hammers also completed the transfer of French left-back Arthur Masuaku from Olympiakos in a deal worth a reported £6m.
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Andre Ayew joins the Hammers - The West Ham Way
by Brian Knox on 8 August 2016 at 9:11pm
Jack Sullivan has confirmed via his twitter account this evening, that the Ghanaian attacker has rejoined his former teammate Dimitri Payet at West Ham on a 3 year deal (with a 2yr option) for a fee of £20.5m from Swansea City.
Ayew becomes the 2nd signing for the Irons today as they already filled the problematic leftback position with the acquisition of former French youth International, Arthur Masuaka from Olympiacos for £6m earlier this morning.
Slaven Bilic himself confirmed that both signings were close yesterday when interviewed by BT Sport prior to the friendly against Juventus.
Ayew is the Hammers 7th senior squad signing this Summer following on from Manuel Lanzini, Havard Nordtveit, Sofiane Feghouli, Gokhan Tore, Ashley Fletcher and Arthur Masuaka,
The £20.5m quoted is also a new record fee paid by the Irons eclipsing the fee paid to Liverpool in 2013 for Andy Carroll.
It's a sizeable investment by the club who have been attempting to sign a striker all Summer, yet failed to land Alexandre Lacazette, Michy Batshuayi and Vincent Janssen among others but are still reportedly in negotiations with AC Milan striker, Carlos Bacca. Although Ayew usually plays on the wing or in behind a main striker, he can also play up top on his own as he proved last season scoring 6 goals in that position in 8 starts including Swansea's comfortable victory at Upton Park in May which basically ended West Ham's Champions League hopes. Ayew finished the season with 12 goals in 34 starts for Swansea City.
There's also the connection with the Hammers star Dimitri Payet. The combination of Ayew, Payet and Gignac produced 80 goals in their last two seasons together at Marseille so I'm pretty sure Slaven Bilic has looked at the way both played together before when making his decision to sign Andre.
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Hammers sign Masuaku - The West Ham Way
by Brian Knox on 8 August 2016 at 11:56am
This morning, West Ham completed the signing of French left-back Arthur Masuaku from Olympiacos on a 4 year deal for a fee believed to be in the region of £6m.
The Lille-born defender, has played 74 games for the back to back Greek Champions, including 12 in the UEFA Champions League.
Masuaku stated "It's a big honour for me to be part of this Club,". "I was speaking with my agent about some opportunities, but when he told me about West Ham and also the coach, I didn't think twice, so in my mind, it was West Ham.
"Now, to be able to play with players like Dimitri Payet, I was thinking on the way here, it's going to be crazy! I can't wait to play with him and the rest of the team.
"For me, the Premier League is the biggest league in the world. When I was 18, my target was to come here, so now I am here, I have to prove myself to the fans and to the team so that I can play for this big Club."
The former France U19 international was immediately installed in the Olympiacos starting XI when he was signed from Valenciennes in 2014.
Masuaku's European debut for the club was a notable one, as he scored in a 3-2 UEFA Champions League group stage win over the previous season's runners-up Atletico Madrid in September 2014. He also featured against Arsenal and Bayern Munich in last season's group stage, where Olympiacos were unlucky to be eliminated with nine points.
The Hammers' new boy was capped by France at both U18 and U19 levels.
Unfortunately Masuaku will not be eligible to play in the UEFA Europa League Play-off round against Astra after featuring for Olympiacos in their Champions League third qualifying round defeat by Hapoel Be'er Sheva. He will however be eligible to feature in the group stage if West Ham beat the Romanian champions.
The new left back will wear shirt No26 for the club.
If you missed it, the story behind this signing can be read here.
http://www.thewesthamway.co.uk/2016/08/06/exwhuemployee-transfer-update-exclusive-leaving-loan/
Let us know your thoughts by commenting or you can head over to our forum.
http://www.thewesthamway.co.uk/forum/topic/finally-a-full-back-2/
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Pask joins Gills on loan - The West Ham Way
by Brian Knox on 8 August 2016 at 6:00pm
West Ham United development squad defender Josh Pask has joined Gillingham on a season-long loan deal with an option for recall.
The highly rated Pask, who also enjoyed a spell in League Two with Dagenham and Redbridge last season, was delighted to put pen to paper with the Gills.
He stated: "I'm very happy. I'd like to get more games at Gillingham than I did at Dagenham last season, and hopefully being in the league above, it will be of a better quality too. West Ham have really helped me this summer."
The centre-back recently signed a 3 year contract with the club until 2019, and he revealed his excitement to join up with his new teammates.
Pask becomes the 5th young Hammer to go out on loan this season, with Stephen Hendrie at Blackburn Rovers, George Dobson at Walsall, Kyle Knoyle at Wigan Athletic and Josh Cullen re-joining Bradford City this morning.
Our very own ExWHUEmployee stated in his latest column that Pask was close to joining the Gills on loan and it seems as though he won't be the last youngster to leave with rumoured loan moves for Lewis Page and Martin Samuelsen in the pipeline.
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Cullen re-joins Bantams on loan - The West Ham Way
by Brian Knox on 8 August 2016 at 12:10pm
West Ham's young central midfield dynamo Josh Cullen has re-joined Bradford City on a five-month loan deal after a successful stint with the club last season.
The 20-year-old joined his fellow West Ham teammate Reece Burke at Bradford last year, playing 15 games towards the end of the season. Cullen received a lot of praise for his performances during that loan spell and Bradford made it clear that they wanted him back this Summer and have now got their man once again.
Cullen would have found game time hard to come by this season with the central midfield ranks being overloaded with players, such as Mark Noble, Pedro Obiang, Havard Nordtveit and Cheikhou Kouyate.
The day before signing, the Republic of Ireland under-21 international played 83 minutes for West Ham against Juventus in the London Stadium in front of a crowd of 54,000. He was praised by a number of West Ham fans and that experience will equip him well for the upcoming season with the Bantams.
Bradford City claim that they beat a number of teams to the young Irishman's signature including Bolton Wanderers, managed by former Bantams boss, Phil Parkinson who managed Cullen last year during his loan spell.
Bantams Chairman Edin Rahic stated "I think Josh had a feeling that we really are behind him as a club and he wanted to come. He played very well at Bradford before and wants to play here again."
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Fans Call for safe standing at the OS - KUMB
Filed: Monday, 8th August 2016
By: Staff Writer
The lack of designated standing areas in the Olympic Stadium has caused a number of angry disagreements between West Ham supporters. Although KUMB backed the introduction of 'safe standing' zones at the club's new home prior to its redevelopment - plans given the tacit approval of co-owner David Gold, who has previously advocated a similar option - these were eventually ignored.
And the consequence of that particular decision has been a series of ugly scenes between fans clashing as some have insisting on standing whilst watching the recent games with Domzale and Juventus, often to the detriment of other supporters seated nearby.
Last week, during the stadium's first game against Domzale, fans came close to blows in Block 131 during one such disagreement. And this was a scene replicated around the stadium with supporters used to standing at the Boleyn Ground now displaced around the OS, yet still determined to stand in their seats.
Unfortunately the chances of a re-think occurring at Board level anytime soon appear slim, given that vice-chairman Karren Brady unequivocally ruled out safe standing - which was recently (and successfully) introduced in the Scottish Premier League - during an interview with the Mail last month.
"This is our new home and we have done all that we can to make it as comfortable as possible for our supporters," she told Lee Clayton, who reported that a safe standing area was ruled out at an early stage on Brady's insistence. "I spent enough time standing as a kid when I couldn't see to believe comfortable seating is the way forward," she said.
Unfortunately many children at the Olympic Stadium - in addition to elderly fans and those unable to stand for 90 minutes - have had their experiences spoilt by fellow fans standing in front of them.
One possible solution mooted, which has been backed by a number of fans posting on the KUMB Forum, is to allow fans to take part in a season ticket 'swap shop'. Here, those unhappy with their seat/view at the Olympic Stadium could change with fans in a similar situation; a solution welcomed by KUMB member Kludgehammer.
"It's going to be a mess until it settles down and could so easily have been avoided if the club had used a bit of common sense," he commented. "It could still be easily rectified if they apply it now - designate signing areas and allow seat swaps. I'm not holding my breath for it to be sorted this season, though."
West Ham, as a club, is in a difficult position with the Olympic Stadium's regulations requiring all those in seats to be sitting. However human nature - and the sheer desire of some to stand during a match - often makes imposing that particular policy impossible.
At the Boleyn Ground, those wishing to stand eventually migrated towards the Bobby Moore and Trevor Brooking Lower stands to be with like-minded folk. Whilst never officially 'allowed', the club sensibly recognised that some were determined to stand and tolerated this in certain areas (even though the occasional 'sit or leave' notice was bandied about at the behest of local authorities).
And it must be hoped that after some initial teething problems, the same will occur at the Olympic Stadium. Already the two lower stands behind each goal appear to be areas where large-scale standing will occur, as per the Boleyn.
West Ham confirmed recently that they recognised the problems some fans had experienced, and revealed they were liaising with arena staff regarding the best course of action.
"Supporters have remarked about persistent standing in certain areas of the ground, particularly in the East Stand," read an article on the club's website. "As a result, we have since had an extensive debrief with matchday stewards, who will be paying particularly close attention to the issue.
"This is a learning curve for us all at the new stadium and we hope to start as we mean to go on. We ask, therefore, that supporters are considerate of one another, particularly where supporters' enjoyment of the game is being seriously hindered."
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West Ham raise Bacca offer - KUMB
Filed: Monday, 8th August 2016
By: Staff Writer
West Ham have offered Milan strike Carlos Bacca new terms in a bid to persuade him to leave Milan, according to an Italian journalist.
Nicolo Schira, who writes for gazzetta.it claimed this morning that the Hammers had raised their offer to Bacca to around €5million per-year - approximately £80,000 per week.
Milan, who are unable to spend until they sell due to their perilous financial position have already accepted West Ham's bid of circa €25million, but the Colombian international is unsure whether a move to England would suit him and his young family.
West Ham however are hoping that by making him an offer he cannot refuse, the 29-year-old will still agree to come to the Premier League ahead of this month's transfer deadline.
Despite having signed Arthur Masuaku from Olympiacos and being on the verge of announcing the arrival of Andre Ayew from Swansea, Slaven Bilic is still hoping to expand his squad - despite insisting yesterday that he is sufficiently happy with his two new signings.
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Cullen returns to Bradford
Filed: Monday, 8th August 2016
By: Staff Writer
Josh Cullen he returned to Bradford City on loan until the new year.
The Southend-born, 20-year-old spent the latter half of last season on loan with the Bantams and looked set to fight for a first team spot at West Ham this season, having featured in a number of first team outings.
However Slaven Bilic has decided that his development will be better served by a second loan spell - something that Cullen is delighted to repeat.
"I really enjoyed my time at Bradford last season and it was a no-brainer really for me to return once I knew the club were interested in bringing me back," he told Bradford's website. "I am excited by the prospect of trying to push this club on again.
"Playing in the play-offs with Bradford and losing in the semi-finals almost felt like unfinished business here for me. I didn't know exactly what my situation was going to be for this year but as soon as I knew West Ham were allowing me to come, I was straight in the car to get up here.
"The fans, players and the staff were all brilliant with me first time around and I feel really comfortable at the club. West Ham were really happy with the way Bradford treated me and Reece [Burke] last season. This is a great club and I am really happy to be back."
Cullen's final outing for West Ham prior to re-joining the League One side was a cameo against Juventus in West Ham's 3-2 defeat at the Olympic Stadium yesterday.
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Gills land Pask on season-long deal - KUMB
Filed: Monday, 8th August 2016
By: Staff Writer
Academy defender Josh Pask is to continue his development at Gillingham, where he is to spend the next season on loan.
The highly-rated 18-year-old signed a new three-year contract with West Ham last week - but is set to spend the first of those on loan with the League 2 outfit.
I'm looking forward to the season ahead," he told Gillingham's website. "I experienced league football last season on-loan at Dagenham. it was a good step-up from the Under-21s and I feel ready to play at a higher level this season."\
And Gills boss Justin Edinburgh was equally pleased to land a player with such a bright future ahead of him.
"Josh is a bright, young player who has impressed the staff and I on the occasions we've seen him play," said the former Tottenham and Southend defender.
"We've been looking at strengthening the backline this summer, and with his talent and the league experience he gained at Dagenham last season, he'll be a valuable signing."
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Ayew is a Hammer: Andre completes move
Filed: Monday, 8th August 2016
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United have smashed their transfer record to land Swansea forward Andre Ayew on a three-year contract.
The 26-year-old winger is the latest arrival in a busy summer for the Hammers, who have agreed to pay 20.5million in order to complete the deal which contains an additional two-year extension option.
And that sum easily beats the club's previous record outlay of £15million, paid to Liverpool for Andy Carroll three years ago following a successful season on loan.
News of Ayew's impending arrival was announced via twitter by Jack Sullivan, son of co-owner David Sullivan:
West Ham's interest in the Ghanaian international was confirmed yesterday by Slaven Bilic prior to the friendly against Juventus, which the visitors won 3-2.
"We are very close to signing Andre Ayew from Swansea," he said, adding: "It's almost done, but until it's done it's never done!
West Ham United: top ten record transfer fees
1. Andre Ayew (Swansea, 2016) - £20.5m
2. Andy Carroll (Liverpool, 2013) - £15.5m
3. Enner Valencia (CF Pachua, 2014) - £12m
4. Matt Jarvis (Wolves, 2012) - £10.75m
5. Dimitri Payet (Marseille, 2015) - £10.7m
6. Manuel Lanzini (Al Jazira, 2016) - £9m
7. Angelo Ogbonna (Juventus, 2015) - £8.5m
8. Craig Bellamy (Liverpool, 2007) - £7.5m
9. Dean Ashton (Norwich City, 2006); Scott Parker (Newcastle Utd, 2007); Cheikhou Kouyate (Anderlecht, 2014); Michail Antonio (Nott'm Forest, 2015) - 7m
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Andre Ayew joins West Ham on three-year deal for record fee - SkySports
Last Updated: 08/08/16 10:30pm
West Ham have completed the signing of Andre Ayew from Swansea for a club record fee.
The Ghana forward has signed a three-year deal with a two-year option and becomes the club's ninth summer signing.
The fee is £20.5m, according to West Ham's co-chairman David Gold, eclipsing the £15m the club paid Liverpool for Andy Carroll.
Ayew spent just one season at Swansea following a move from Marseille, where Hammers star Dimitri Payet was among his team-mates.
He told the West Ham website: "I am very proud and happy to be at this magnificent club. I am happy to be playing for these fans and I hope to make the people very happy here.
"The club have a lot of ambition and have a great manager. They want to become a bigger club every year and with the new stadium and a new training ground you can feel they are moving onto another level and I want to be part of this project.
"I want to train hard, do my job and show that I deserve to play for West Ham United. I want to give back to the manager and the fans the confidence they are showing me."
Swansea have already strengthened their attacking options by bringing in Fernando Llorente, while Atletico Madrid's Borja Baston is also on their radar.
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West Ham sign Arthur Masuaku from Olympiakos - SkySports
By Nick Lustig
Last Updated: 08/08/16 2:06pm
West Ham have completed the signing of left-back Arthur Masuaku from Olympiakos for a fee Sky sources understand to be £6m.
The 22-year-old Frenchman has signed a four-year contract and could make his debut in the Monday Night Football clash against Chelsea, live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7pm.
Slaven Bilic has been looking to strengthen his options at left-back after first-choice Aaron Cresswell was ruled out for up to four months in July with a knee ligament injury.
"It's a big honour for me to be part of this club," Masuaku told the club's website. "I was speaking with my agent about some opportunities, but when he told me about West Ham and also the coach, I didn't think twice, so in my mind, it was West Ham.
"Now, to be able to play with players like Dimitri Payet, I was thinking on the way here, it's going to be crazy. I can't wait to play with him and also all the rest of the team.
"For me, the Premier League is the biggest league in the world. When I was 18, my target was to come here, so now I am here, I have to prove myself to the fans and to the team so that I can play for this big club."
Masuaku, capped by France at U18 and U19 level, started his career with French Ligue 1 side Valenciennes before joining Olympiakos in 2014.
He has since made 74 appearances for Olympiakos, helping them win the Greek Superleague twice and the Greek Cup.
Masuaku becomes West Ham's eighth signing of the summer following the additions of Sofiane Feghouli, Toni Martinez, Harvard Nordveit, Domingos Quina, Ashley Fletcher, Gokhan Tore and the permanent arrival of Manuel Lanzini.
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West Ham insider hints at Bacca signing: Hammers look to finalise deal after Ayew arrival - Daily Express
WEST HAM are reportedly aiming to complete a proposed transfer for Carlos Bacca.
By Jack Staplehurst
PUBLISHED: 03:08, Tue, Aug 9, 2016 | UPDATED: 03:49, Tue, Aug 9, 2016
The AC Milan striker has been chased for much of the summer by the Hammers as they look to bolster their frontline.
Slaven Bilic has been on the hunt for a prolific striker and added to his firepower yesterday with the signing of Andre Ayew.
The 26-year-old arrived from Swansea for a club-record fee of £20.5million, but another forward is wanted in east London.
As the signing of Ayew was announced, the son of West Ham's co-chairman David Sullivan, Dave Sullivan Jnr, tweeted: "Now Bacca to the drawing board to decide who we sign next".
And with Sullivan hinting at an agreement for 29-year-old Bacca being next on the club's agenda, the Daily Mail claim West Ham are looking to get the deal done.
The report suggests a fee of £20m will secure the Colombia international, with Milan and West Ham having agreed a price for Bacca.
The Hammers have been trying to convince the striker to join having failed to land top targets Alexandre Lacazette and Michy Batshuayi this summer.
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