Thursday, June 15

Daily WHUFC News - 15th June 2017

West Ham 17-18 fixtures: Hammers kick-off at Old Trafford
WHUFC.com

West Ham United will kick off their 2017/18 Premier League campaign with a trip to Manchester United. Following the release of the provisional fixture list at 9am this morning, it was confirmed that Slaven Bilic's men will face the Red Devils at Old Trafford on the weekend of 12 August. The encounter is likely to see Hammers wear their brand new 2017/18 black away kit and a debut for new signing Pablo Zabaleta.

The 2017/18 season will conclude with a home fixture against Everton on Sunday 13 May, while other notable dates in the calendar include a home derby with Chelsea on 9 December and a trip to AFC Bournemouth on Boxing Day, while West Bromwich Albion are the Hammers' home opponents on New Year's Day.

Meanwhile, the Hammers will be hoping to make it three home victories in successive seasons against Tottenham Hotspur when Mauricio Pochettino's men visit London Stadium on 23 September. The return fixture against Spurs at their temporary Wembley home is scheduled for 30 December.

As previously confirmed, our opening fixtures in August will be played away from home as London Stadium welcomes the 2017 IAAF World Athletics Championships for a once-in-a-generation occasion.

Supporters are therefore advised that our second fixture of the campaign, against Southampton, will be rescheduled, with further details to follow.

With an international break scheduled after our away game against Newcastle United on 26 August, our first home match at London Stadium next season is set to be the visit of Huddersfield Town on the weekend of 9 September.

However, ALL fixtures are still subject to change, with the Sky TV and BT Sport live televised fixtures for the opening two months of the season yet to be confirmed, and supporters are urged to bear this in mind when making any travel arrangements for fixtures.

Any fixture changes will be announced on whufc.com as soon as they are confirmed.

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West Ham United 2017/18 Premier League fixtures in full
WHUFC.com

West Ham United will kick off their 2017/18 Premier League campaign with a trip to Manchester United. Following the release of the provisional fixture list at 9am this morning, it was confirmed that Slaven Bilic's men will face the Red Devils at Old Trafford on the weekend of 12 August.

See our full fixture list below

August 2017

Saturday 12 August 15:00 Manchester United v West Ham United
Saturday 19 August 15:00 West Ham United v Southampton*
Saturday 26 August 15:00 Newcastle United v West Ham United

September 2017

Saturday 9 September 15:00 West Ham United v Huddersfield Town
Saturday 16 September 15:00 West Bromwich Albion v West Ham United
Saturday 23 September 15:00 West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur
Saturday 30 September 15:00 West Ham United v Swansea City

October 2017

Saturday 14 October 15:00 Burnley v West Ham United
Saturday 21 October 15:00 West Ham United v Brighton & Hove Albion
Saturday 28 October 15:00 Crystal Palace v West Ham United

November 2017

Saturday 4 November 15:00 West Ham United v Liverpool
Saturday 18 November 15:00 Watford v West Ham United
Saturday 25 November 15:00 West Ham United v Leicester City
Wednesday 29 November 19:45 Everton v West Ham United

December 2017

Saturday 2 December 15:00 Manchester City v West Ham United
Saturday 9 December 15:00 West Ham United v Chelsea
Tuesday 12 December 19:45 West Ham United v Arsenal
Saturday 16 December 15:00 Stoke City v West Ham United
Saturday 23 December 15:00 West Ham United v Newcastle United
Tuesday 26 December 15:00 AFC Bournemouth v West Ham United
Saturday 30 December 15:00 Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United

January 2018

Monday 1 January 15:00 West Ham United v West Bromwich Albion
Saturday 13 January 15:00 Huddersfield Town v West Ham United
Saturday 20 January 15:00 West Ham United v AFC Bournemouth
Tuesday 30 January 19:45 West Ham United v Crystal Palace

February 2018

Saturday 3 February 15:00 Brighton & Hove Albion v West Ham United
Saturday 10 February 15:00 West Ham United v Watford
Saturday 24 February 15:00 Liverpool v West Ham United

March 2018

Saturday 3 March 15:00 Swansea City v West Ham United
Saturday 10 March 15:00 West Ham United v Burnley
Saturday 17 March 15:00 West Ham United v Manchester United
Saturday 31 March 15:00 Southampton v West Ham United

April 2018

Saturday 7 April 15:00 Chelsea v West Ham United
Saturday 14 April 15:00 West Ham United v Stoke City
Saturday 21 April 15:00 Arsenal v West Ham United
Saturday 28 April 15:00 West Ham United v Manchester City
May 2018

Saturday 5 May 15:00 Leicester City v West Ham United
Sunday 13 May 15:00 West Ham United v Everton

*This game is to be rescheduled

Please note that all fixture dates are subject to change and TV selections for the first two months of the campaign are yet to be confirmed

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International round-up: Cresswell earns second England cap in France
WHUFC.com

Aaron Cresswell earned his second England cap but could not prevent them from falling from a 3-2 friendly defeat to France on Tuesday.
Cresswell replaced Phil Jones with eight minutes to play of the Stade de France clash with the Three Lions a goal down, and although the Hammers full back fired over from range at the death that was the way it stayed. His eight-minute run-out was the second of his England career, following an appearance against Spain last November. England took an early lead in Paris though Harry Kane, but goals from Samuel Umtiti and Djibril Sidibe turned it around before the break. Raphael Varane was sent off and Kane levelled from the spot immediately after half-time, but a late goal from Ousmane Dembele won it for the hosts. Meanwhile, Havard Nordtveit played the first half of Norway's friendly draw with Sweden. The all-Scandinavia clash in Oslo ended 1-1 after Sweden's Samuel Armenteros cancelled out Mohamed Elyounoussi opener. Nordtveit now has 32 caps for his country.

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West Ham United to face Manchester City in Iceland
WHUFC.com

West Ham United's pre-season preparations for the 2017/18 Premier League campaign will see their tour of Europe conclude with a prestigious and historic encounter against Manchester City in Iceland. Slaven Bilic's side will face Pep Guardiola's men in Reykjavik on Friday 4 August, in what will be the first-ever match between two English Premier League teams in Iceland, eight days before our big Premier League kick-off against Manchester United at Old Trafford. The clash against City will also see our new signing Pablo Zabaleta face his former club, and Bilic believes it will provide the perfect occasion to round-off the pre-season build-up. The Hammers boss said: "It is fantastic that we will make history by becoming the first Premier League clubs to face each other in Iceland, and we are really looking forward to visiting Scandinavia, where there is a very big West Ham following. "Iceland captured the imagination of everyone with their fantastic performance at the European Championships last year and, although the country is small in population, they have a huge love for football. "It is also the perfect fixture for City and ourselves, because we have great respect for each other and will both be looking for the same positives from the game, in terms of fitness and preparation for the start of the Premier League season a week later."

Prior to the trip to Scandinavia, the Hammers will begin their pre-season plans with two training camps – the first an 11-day stay in Austria, followed by a trip to Germany that will see back-to-back games played against Bundesliga side Werder Bremen in a two-legged Betway Cup encounter, sponsored by our principal partner. From Germany, the squad will fly straight to Reykjavik on August 3, with the clash against City taking place the following day at Iceland's national stadium Laugardalsvöllur.

Ticket and travel information for the match in Iceland will be announced on whufc.com soon.

First Team pre-season schedule

July 10-21: Training camp in Austria

July 24-August 3: Training camp in Germany

July 28: v Werder Bremen (Schneverdingen, Germany)

July 29: v Werder Bremen (Lohne, Germany)

August 4: v Manchester City (Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavik)

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Presenter quits following 'hideous abuse' from Spurs fans
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 14th June 2017
By: Staff Writer

TV presenter Rachel Riley has quit her job at Sky Sports after receiving a torrent of abuse from Tottenham supporters. The Countdown presenter has announced her decision to step down from the role at Sky after being trolled by Spurs fans on social media, after she described their club as a "proper bottle job" following the 1-0 defeat by West Ham at the beginning of last month. Explaining the context of her comment at the time, she said: "For the record I didn't say Spurs are bottle jobs but tonight's game was a test of nerve. I didn't mean any offence to Spurs or their fans tonight, just a surprise to slip v WHam (sic) with their form on paper.
"Personal abuse is hideous. I love football, always have, always will, banter is fun, abuse is not whoever/whatever/wherever."

Tottenham saw their title hopes go up in smoke following the defeat by West Ham, with the only goal of the game being scored by KUMB Player of the Year Manuel Lanzini.

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WEST HAM INCREASE BID FOR ONYEKURU
ROB SILLS @sillsy9
readWestHam

West Ham have made an improved offer of £9m for Nigerian starlet Henry Onyekuru, according to a report from Own Goal Nigeria today. Premier League and London rivals Arsenal were said to have had a bid accepted for the KAS Eupen forward, but that appears to have gone quiet. Now, The Hammers are getting involved. It was reported that Slaven Bilic's side had a £7m offer rejected, but they have now come back with an improved offer of £9m. Strangely, Onyekuru does have a £6.5m release-clause in his contract, but that only is valid for Belgian sides. Belgian champions Andelrecht are sniffing around, and they have said they are willing to meet the demands of KAS Eupen and pay £6.5m to trigger the clause, however Eupen want more money, with West Ham offering just that. If the bid is accepted, The Irons will no doubt find themselves in the driving seat for the youngster's signature, even if Eupen would rather see their talisman leave for Anderlcht, feeling that West Ham aren't as prestigious.

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Aaron Cresswell faces crucial season at West Ham - so what happens next after his England snub
The left back won his second international cap against France
Football London
BYROB GUEST
19:30, 14 JUN 2017

Despite making his second appearance for England last night, Aaron Cresswell will have left the Stade de France with a tinge of disappointment. The left-back looked guaranteed to replace Ryan Bertrand at half-time but Gareth Southgate plumped for Kyle Walker to play as a makeshift wing-back. Instead, Cresswell was handed a brief eight-minute cameo. West Ham fans have long called for the full-back to receive international recognition but his two caps came in a season which has been highly forgettable. It wasn't just Cresswell that disappointed. It was the club. The 27-year-old will now go on holiday and come back to the club for pre-season facing the biggest season of his West Ham career to date. That may be a shock, especially given his form a year earlier, but now he has a fight on his hands for the left-back spot in Slaven Bilic's team. Cresswell will now go head-to-head with Arthur Masuaku as both aim to seal a place in the team's starting XI for the away trip to Manchester United on the opening day. Masuaku joined the club last August and, despite a slow start to life in east London, many fans have called for him to be started over Cresswell. He flourished towards the end of the season and even kept the former Ipswich Town player out of the team before injury curtailed his season. His performances against Swansea and Everton at home left fans questioning Cresswell's role in the team. The player himself probably even questioned his role as he watched on from the sidelines. Rewind a year and Cresswell was untouchable. His performances, both attacking and defensively, had led to calls that Roy Hodgson should select him in England's Euro 2016 squad. He probably should have gone and it seems strange that his two England caps have come in a year when he has struggled for his club. Cresswell started the season on the sidelines after a shocking challenge in a pre-season game with Karlsruher left him with knee ligament damage. He made an immediate impact on his return with an assist for Manuel Lanzini at Crystal Palace in October, although he finished the match in the dressing room after receiving a red card. Top performances last season were rather few and far between and that was unforeseen given his previous form for the Hammers. He made 26 league appearances but he failed to score and only made two assists. In his previous two seasons his assists were double last year's tally and he had also netted two goals in each season. Cresswell's best season had seen him link up with Dimitri Payet down the left and he thrived playing with the Frenchman. Perhaps Payet's departure, coupled with the club's poor form, was the reason for the left-back's struggles Now the Liverpudlian is facing his biggest season to date with the club. A repeat of last year's form and Masuaku will become the club's first-choice left-back. That would have been unthinkable one year ago, but now is the time for Cresswell to step up and show the form that made him one of the best left-backs in the league.
Do that and more minutes on the pitch for England will undoubtedly follow.

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Lanzini reacts to first Argentina start and Bilic on Man City friendly - West Ham quotes of the day
West Ham quotes of the day include Slaven Bilic's reaction to confirmatio of a friendly vs Man City
Football London
BYFOOTBALL LONDON
18:20, 14 JUN 2017UPDATED18:21, 14 JUN 2017

Slaven Bilic gave his thoughts on the news that his side will play Man City in a pre-season friendly in Iceland "It is fantastic that we will make history by becoming the first Premier League clubs to face each other in Iceland, and we are really looking forward to visiting Scandinavia, where there is a very big West Ham following. "Iceland captured the imagination of everyone with their fantastic performance at the European Championships last year and, although the country is small in population, they have a huge love for football. "It is also the perfect fixture for City and ourselves, because we have great respect for each other and will both be looking for the same positives from the game, in terms of fitness and preparation for the start of the Premier League season a week later." "Of course, if one day I come back to play against City it would be tough but you have to accept it."

Manuel Lanzini tweeted his delight at making his first start for Argentina
"Beautiful to be able to live this with the most beautiful t-shirt of all on. Keep growing. #ML10 #argentina."

Manuel Lanzini ✔ @maanuulanzini10
Hermoso poder vivir esto con la camiseta más linda de todas, a seguir así creciendo 🇦🇷 #ML10 #argentina
7:55 PM - 13 Jun 2017
859 859 Retweets 5,526 5,526 likes

The club issued a statement after the Hammers asked Southampton to switch their home game between the sides

"Our opening fixtures in August will be played away from home as London Stadium welcomes the 2017 IAAF World Athletics Championships for a once-in-a-generation occasion. "Supporters are therefore advised that our second fixture of the campaign, against Southampton, will be rescheduled, with further details to follow."

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Chelsea star Victor Moses encouraging Arsenal transfer target Henry Onyekuru to snub Arsene Wenger
Metro Sport Reporter for Metro.co.uk
Wednesday 14 Jun 2017 12:34 pm

Chelsea star Victor Moses has advised Henry Onyekuru to ignore Arsenal's interest and secure a move to London rivals West Ham, according to reports. The 19-year-old KAS Eupen striker has been linked with the Gunners for a number of weeks and recent reports suggest the north London outfit have agreed a deal ahead of the 2017/18 campaign. Onyekuru scored 24 goals in 41 appearances this season and finished as the joint top scorer in the Belgian top flight and is also a reported target of West Ham's. Moses, who emerged as a key component of Antonio Conte's title-winning Chelsea side last season, spent the season on loan at West Ham in 2015/16 and the Daily Mail claim he is encouraging his compatriot to to move to east rather than north London. Onyekuru, who recently made his senior international debut, has also revealed he has sought advice from Arsenal's Alex Iwobi before he makes a decision on his future. 'He [Iwobi] is a nice fellow, who is open to all despite his star status in the team,' Onyekuru told Own Goal. 'We talked a bit about Arsenal and their manager Arsene Wenger and he has nothing but praise for his manager and teammates. 'Iwobi said they are like a family in the dressing room, and even the senior players treat the upcoming players like their equals.'

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Arsenal transfer news: £20m Olivier Giroud keen on West Ham, four-year offer readied
OLIVIER GIROUD is reportedly keen on a switch across London from Arsenal to West Ham.
By JACK STAPLEHURST
PUBLISHED: 11:49, Wed, Jun 14, 2017 | UPDATED: 12:43, Wed, Jun 14, 2017
Express.co.uk

The Gunners striker could be on the move this summer with Arsene Wenger looking to strengthen up front. Lyon hitman Alexandre Lacazette and Monaco sensation Kylian Mbappe are top targets at the Emirates. And with Giroud's game time likely to decrease next season, the 30-year-old is open to leaving. West Ham are desperate to strengthen their options in attack, as injuries and poor recruitment exposed them last season. Manchester City's Kelechi Iheanacho and Chelsea's Michy Batshuayi are being pursued. But according to Goal, Olivier Giroud is a real target too with talks already underway. The Hammers have spoken with the France international's representatives and he is claimed to be keen on joining. Giroud wants a permanent deal as opposed to any loan exit and staying in London is his preference, having been at Arsenal since 2012. With West Ham seemingly in pole position as Wenger seeks the striker's potential successor, a move is being readied. Goal add Slaven Bilic is prepared to offer the experienced frontman a four-year deal worth £100,000 a week. That would make him the Hammers' joint-highest paid player alongside Andy Carroll. At the London Stadium, Giroud would certainly earn more regular minutes, even with West Ham planning to sign more than one striker. And the east London club believe Arsenal will demand £20million for his services. However, reports have suggested Lyon are looking into the prospect of an exchange deal involving Giroud and Lacazette.

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