Loan watch: Cullen and Burke start in Bolton draw
WHUFC.com
Both Josh Cullen and Reece Burke completed 90 minutes on Saturday as Bolton Wanderers were held 1-1 by Millwall at the New Den. The newly-promoted sides were both looking to bounce back after opening day defeats but were made to settle for a point in south London. Republic of Ireland U21 international Cullen was making his second league start in as many games for the Trotters, while Burke played his first entire Championship clash for the visitors having come off the bench in a defeat to Leeds United last weekend. For Cullen, it was an opportunity to get his revenge against the side who denied him promotion from the League One play-offs last season with Bradford City. But Millwall took the lead just four minutes after the break courtesy of George Saville's first goal for the Lions. It didn't take long, however, for Phil Parkinson's men to level. Substitute Filipe Morais, lining up a free-kick from 20 yards, spectacularly beat Jordan Archer in goal just after the hour mark, and the score was still level when Andy Davies blew his full time whistle. The fixtures now come thick and fast for Bolton, who travel to Birmingham City on Tuesday before hosting Derby County next weekend.
The third and final Hammer out on loan – Reece Oxford – remains sidelined with an ankle injury, though his Borussia Monchengladbach team did record a 2-1 DFB Pokal win over Rot-Weiss Essen on Friday.
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Bilic: Returning quartet will give Hammers welcome boost
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic is hoping the return of up to four senior stars will boost West Ham United as his squad seek to overcome Sunday's 4-0 defeat at Manchester United.
The Hammers kicked-off the new Premier League season in the worst possible way result-wise, slipping to the heaviest defeat of the opening weekend. However, the manager believes Michail Antonio (hamstring) will return to face his former club Southampton on Saturday, with Manuel Lanzini, Cheikhou Kouyate (both knee) and Andy Carroll (hip) set to make their comebacks at Newcastle United a week later. "We are expecting a few of them who were injured last season, along with Cheikhou and Manuel from this pre-season," said Bilic, who also welcomed Diafra Sakho back from a back injury at Old Trafford. "Michail Antonio should be back for the game against Southampton and then Cheikhou, Manuel and even Andy Carroll should be there for the game against Newcastle in the third game of the season, or latest after the international break which is after that game. "All of them will be back very soon and we can talk about that, but we had a decent team out on Sunday and I expected more."
Reflecting further his team's opening-day defeat, the Croatian was magnanimous, admitting his team had simply been outplayed by Jose Mourinho's full-strength side. West Ham came close to scoring at 1-0 and 2-0 down, and conceded two goals in the final three minutes to give the final score a one-sided appearance, but Bilic was making no excuses. "To be fair, the game could have finished 2-0 or we could have scored a goal or whatever, but it wasn't to be and it's a very bad result for us," he observed "They were much better than us in every department of the game. They were better with the ball and better without the ball and we knew that they had that quality and that pace and they have strength and everything. "That's why we didn't want to let them be in one-against-one situations. We wanted to create two-against-one because we could cope with that, but unfortunately it wasn't to be and if they are one-against-one or you give them time and space to turn in little pockets in dangerous areas, then they are lethal, as they showed."
While a 4-0 defeat will clearly not give anyone in Claret and Blue a morale boost at the start of the new campaign, Bilic says the Hammers have to examine what went wrong and use what they learn to make improvements in future fixtures – starting at St Mary's this weekend. "It should affect our confidence, although it will of course," he admitted. "We are very low at the moment and the players feel very bad, as do I also. "OK, it's Manchester United but we have no other option but to pick up ourselves and prepare for the second game of the season against Southampton. "We aren't going to forget about this game and say it just happened. We have to analyse this game. On the other hand, it is the first game of the season and we can't lose confidence just because of one game, especially if that game is against Man United."
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Declan Rice: A performance to be proud of
WHUFC.com
Seconds after replacing captain Mark Noble at Old Trafford on Sunday, Declan Rice collected a short free-kick from Arthur Masuaku, turned and completed a square ball to Winston Reid. Over the next half-hour, the 18-year-old would misplace just one of the 23 passes he attempted, ending his second Premier League appearance with a completion rate of 95.7%. Moments later, the Hammers won a corner. When Manchester United cleared the ball up field to the lightning-quick Marcus Rashford, it was Rice who raced back 60 yards to hold up the England forward on the edge of the Hammers penalty area. Despite his relative inexperience, Slaven Bilic handed the U23 captain a central midfield position alongside Pedro Obiang, where his positional sense and willingness to organise those around him were very much in evidence. The Republic of Ireland U19 international touched the ball 28 times in total and, despite being matched against established internationals Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic, was not dispossessed once. Rice's game awareness and versatility also saw him fill in for Pablo Zabaleta or Arthur Masuaku when the full-backs had joined the attack.
The interceptor
The Academy graduate does not mind putting his foot in either, as was illustrated by his interception of France international Pogba's pass and follow-up challenge on the Red Devils' towering centre-back Eric Bailly. He later made another timely interception to dispossess Serbia star Matic wide on the right touchline. As the game wore on, the No41 continued make intelligent angles to receive the ball and move it on quickly and accurately. Rice popped passes around the Old Trafford pitch, seemingly unaffected by playing in front of a 74,928-strong crowd, the vast majority of whom wanted him to misplace every one of them. Instead, the composed youngster showed off his ability to pass with both feet, including one incisive ball into Chicharito and two accurate cross field deliveries to Masuaku and Aaron Cresswell.
A valuable experience
As Rice's heatmap shows, he got around the pitch too, covering 3.89km at an average speed of 7.08km/h – second only to Noble's average of 7.45km/h. Extrapolated over a full 90 minutes, Rice would have expected to cover in excess of 11km, a distance only exceeded by opposite number Matic. While the overall picture was a positive one, there was still one sharp dose of reality for Rice late on as Pogba escaped his attention for a split second to score Manchester United's fourth and final goal. Even then, the teenager's maturity shone through in his post-match interview, when he vowed to learn from the experience of playing – and playing well – on English football's biggest stage. He will surely have plenty of opportunities to do so again in the future.
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Cheltenham tie picked for TV coverage
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Carabao Cup second round tie against Cheltenham Town has been selected for live broadcast by Sky Sports. The Hammers will travel to the LCI Stadium for a 7.45pm kick-off on Wednesday 23 August. West Ham take on the Robins at the same stage of the competition for the second time in five seasons, after a Boleyn Ground meeting between the clubs in August 2013. Goals from Ricardo Vaz Te and Ravel Morrison were enough to see off the League 2 side on that occasion, who registered through Matt Richards from the penalty spot. Gary Johnson's team defeated Oxford United 4-3 in the first round of this season's Carabao Cup, and have three points from their opening two league games.
Ticket information for Hammers fans will be announced shortly.
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Hammers handed northern tests in U18 Premier League Cup
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Academy scholars will take on Liverpool, Middlesbrough and Sunderland in the opening round of the new U18 Premier League Cup.
The competition, which has been introduced for the 2017/18 season, will add an extra competitive edge of knockout football to compliment the U18 Premier League schedule.
The U18 Premier League Cup is split into six groups of four teams, with clubs playing each other once in the group stage, either home or away.
Steve Potts' Hammers have been drawn in Group D alongside U18 Premier League North trio Liverpool, Middlesbrough and Sunderland, and will need to hit top form if they are to progress to the quarter-finals.
The six group winners and the two best runners-up, decided by total points and then goal difference followed by head-to-head record, will advance to the last eight. Group stage fixture dates, kick-off times and venues will be confirmed shortly.
Should the Hammers get through, knockout ties are all one-off matches, decided by extra-time if level after 90 minutes and then penalties if required.
The U18s, who kicked-off their U18 Premier League South campaign with a 3-1 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, will also compete in the FA Youth Cup. West Ham will enter that competition at the third-round stage in early December.
Meanwhile the U18 Premier League Cup group stage draw will be mirrored by the U16 Premier League Cup, another competition in its debut season, before the knockout rounds are dependent on finishing position within each age category.
U16 Premier League Cup ties will be played on the same dates as the U18 Premier League Cup fixtures.
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Sofiane Feghouli joins Galatasaray
WHUFC.com
West Ham United can confirm that Sofiane Feghouli has joined Galatasaray on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee. The Algeria winger moves to the Turkish Super Lig club after a single season in Claret and Blue, having joined the Hammers from Spanish side Valencia in summer 2016. Feghouli totalled 27 appearances and four goals for West Ham, including one against Slovenian UEFA Europa League opponents NK Domzale in the first-ever fixture at London Stadium in July last year. He added further strikes in Premier League fixtures against Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion in Stratford before netting at Burnley in what turned out to be his final appearance for the Club in May. West Ham United would like to thank Sofiane for his efforts and wish him well in his future career.
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Makasi ready to lead at Swindon Town
WHUFC.com
Moses Makasi is hoping to take his first team pre-season experiences into Tuesday night's Checkatrade Trophy clash and be the Hammers' leader against Swindon Town. The midfielder was handed the captain's armband on Friday night when Terry Westley's men kicked-off their Premier League 2 campaign with a goalless draw against last season's champions Everton. And the 21-year-old believes, as one of the senior heads in the Club's U23s, he can lead by example this season, starting with a trip to the County Ground on Tuesday. He said: "There is a responsibility to be the experienced player in this team for me, as we have a young team. The likes of Conor [Coventry] alongside me is young, and then Aji [Alese] came into the team too on Friday. "I'm a senior player, I've got to show them how U23s football is played and be a leader out there. "Pre-season with the first team was good for me because I got a lot of minutes in the side. I got experience with the team so I've come back down now and I've got to show that I'm one of the older lads and try and lead the younger players. "I've got to show them what I've learnt with the first team and also for myself, try and kick on and get back into that squad. "I think that experience this summer will definitely help with these matches against senior teams in the Checkatrade Trophy. There are different scenarios that happen in senior games so hopefully that gives the ones that have had that experience an edge in these games."
West Ham came third in Group D of last season's competition, having lost their opening ties against Coventry City and Wycombe Wanderers – who will again be an opponent this season. They bounced back with a 1-1 draw and subsequent penalty shootout victory at Northampton Town and this season have Swindon and Bristol Rovers – as well as the Chairboys – to contend with. And having faced League Two outfits Barnet and Colchester United in pre-season friendlies, Makasi thinks the team are well prepared. "The lads faced those two League Two teams, and this will be a similar test, so that will help the boys going into the game and hopefully that will get us a good head start in the Group," he continued. "I thought we played well on Friday [against Everton] and we have got to go again and get off to a good start. "Our former player Kyle Knoyle plays for them, too, so we're looking forward to that. It will be good to see Kyle – he's a great lad and I always played alongside him throughout the youth ranks at West Ham, so it will be good to see him again."
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Reid: We will put in a much better performance at Southampton
WHUFC.com
Winston Reid has vowed that West Ham United will put in a 'much better performance' at Southampton on Saturday. The Hammers were humbled 4-0 at Manchester United in their opening Premier League fixture – their heaviest opening-day defeat since being thrashed by the same scoreline at Newcastle United in August 2002. With work to return London Stadium to football mode following the 2017 IAAF World Championships ongoing, Reid and company travel to the Saints and the Magpies over the next two weekends before hosting Huddersfield Town in their opening home fixture on 11 September. While some players would see that as an excuse for an indifferent start to the campaign, the No2 is having none of it. "To be fair, I don't look at it that way, because you have to play the same amount of home games and same amount of away games as everyone else over the course of the season," he said. "Obviously, we would have liked to have played one of those games at home, but that's not the main issue as arguably we were better away from home than we were at home last year! "We are starting a new season and we obviously didn't do well on Sunday, so we have to move forward, learn from our mistakes and watch the video and make sure that, come next week, we put in a much better performance."
Another reason for Reid's optimism is the presence in the West Ham squad of the Club's four experienced summer signings – Pablo Zabaleta, Joe Hart, Marko Arnautovic and Chicharito. "It does help that the players we have signed have played in the Premier League before," he said. "I'm sure that, once we get things gelling and have had another week working hard on the training pitch, we'll be a lot better. "The new players have fitted in perfectly and they'll help us move forward."
Reflecting on Sunday's defeat in Salford, Reid admitted the Hammers had simply been second best to one of the best sides in the Premier League, if not Europe.
"They made us pay for every mistake," he said. "We have to be tough on ourselves, because some of those mistakes we caused ourselves. "Coming to Old Trafford, you need to minimise your mistakes and work your way out from there, but they were the far superior team and they outclassed us in every aspect of the game."
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Spurs tickets on sale to Members from 11am Tuesday
WHUFC.com
Become a Claret Member now to give yourself the best chance of securing tickets for the unmissable visit of Tottenham Hotspur.
Tickets for our London Stadium Premier League meeting with Spurs go on sale to Members from 11am on Tuesday 15 August, so join now to get to the front of the queue - and if you are on the Season Ticket Waiting List, you can take advantage of a £10 discount on Membership if you sign up before 8 September
Slaven Bilic's men secured a memorable 1-0 victory over the north Londoners on a thrilling Friday night at London Stadium last term, and will be going for a third successive home win against Mauricio Pochettino's team when they meet on Saturday 23 September, kick-off 12.30pm.
Sign up for Membership now here
Last season all but two Premier League fixtures sold out to Members, go make sure you're first in line for tickets by joining up today.
Claret Membership benefits include:
Ticket priority on Premier League and Cup fixtures
Access to the Ticket Exchange – once a fixture is sold out, you can purchase seats which have been relisted by Season Ticket Holders
£5 discount on official away coach travel
Exclusive Claret Member access card
Additional merchandise discounts and offers
NEW: Exclusive monthly competitions – prize draws for signed shirts, memorabilia and money-can't-buy experiences
NEW: Invite to Junior Hammers party for Claret Kids
NEW: Attend PL2 matches at London Stadium for free
NEW: Attend West Ham Ladies home matches for free
Claret Members will also receive an FREE West Ham branded portable phone charger with Claret Kids receiving a FREE gift pack including face paint sticks, a bedroom wall poster and an exclusive Claret Kids scarf which you can't get anywhere else!
Claret Membership costs £40 for Adults and £25 for Kids, with International Membership subject to an additional £5 to cover shipping.
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Manchester United 4-0 West Ham (And Other Ramblings)
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 14th August 2017
By: HeadHammerShark
Yesterday I drove for the best part of twelve hours from Essex to Southern France, which is roughly enough time to get me halfway to Manchester based on some reports I read today, and I'm completely knackered.
In fact my back hurts more than Joe Hart's currently does after he spent the afternoon examining the back of the Old Trafford goals.
So this is an abbreviated holiday H List, available only because while I was channelling my inner F. Scott Fitzgerald today, I stumbled across a Dutch satellite feed of this game and decided to waste an hour and a half of my family holiday watching it.
Which was a mistake.
This is what happens when you look directly at a downward spiral
You see, to my mind there is a tacit, unspoken agreement between football fans and players that the opening game of any season is different. It just is. Over the course of the next ten months there are going to be days when the team won't play well, fans will lose faith and players will lose form but the one thing we can agree on is that opening day is non negotiable. No matter who you play, the sunshine will be glorious, the tans haven't yet faded and the team will champing at the bit after pre-season training and will give everything in pursuit of victory.
The positive line of thinking is that new signings will be desperate to impress, existing players will be playing for their places and new contracts and in that golden, sunlit moment the entire world is pregnant with possibility. And yet watching us play this game I was instead reduced to wondering whether Pedro Obiang was actually pregnant, so immobile and off the pace was he.
The team didn't uphold their end of the bargain today.
***
I don't really object to us losing to Manchester United. The question with them is never "Why did we lose to them?", but rather "How can it be that we've ever beaten them?". At £24m Marko Arnautovic is our largest ever signing, and yet he would be 23rd in the equivalent list of transfers for the Red Devils. They spent more on Anderson than we've ever spent on a player, and they bought him a decade ago.
Their financial superiority is such that we always travel to these games more in hope than expectation. It's how the Premier League is drawn up. Teams like West Ham are supposed to turn up, put up a bit of a fight and then have the good grace to concede a late winner right in front of the advertising hoarding hawking such wares as the official Manchester United tractor, as happened today.
What was so crushing about this performance was therefore not the content but the style. It was as if the team had been set a ninety minute test by the Oxford English Dictionary to redefine the word "insipid".
This is literally the best combination produced by two West Ham players today
Looking around the Premier League this weekend was to see hungry teams battling for points everywhere. By all reports ours was the worst, most spineless performance of the lot. No ambition, no organisation, no fight and most alarmingly of all - no change from last year. Here are our results against the current best six teams in the division since the start of last season:
Man Utd 4 - 0 West Ham
West Ham 0 - 4 Liverpool
West Ham 1 - 0 Spurs
Arsenal 3 - 0 West Ham
West Ham 1 - 2 Chelsea
West Ham 0 - 4 Man City
West Ham 0 - 2 Man Utd
Liverpool 2 - 2 West Ham
West Ham 1 - 5 Arsenal
Man Utd 1 - 1 West Ham
Spurs 3 - 2 West Ham
Man City 3 - 1 West Ham
Chelsea 2 - 1 West Ham
This also ignores a 5-0 home defeat to Man City in the FA Cup and a 4-1 loss at Old Trafford in the EFL Cup.
It's easy to brush off games such as this, and consign them to memory. They are kind of like the sequels to The Matrix in that respect: I accept they happened and that I paid money to see them but I refuse to acknowledge their existence in my decision making.
So, Joe, can you describe how it felt making your West Ham debut?
So we continue to make excuses and continue to look forward. These are the default responses for football fans because it's just how we are wired - there is always something on the horizon that is cause for optimism. There is always another game and always someone coming back from injury to make things right, especially at West Ham. Indeed, we are fans so desperate for something to wish on that we all decided Gary Lewin was our signing of the summer back in July. And then everyone was still injured for the first game.
But these are not the results of a good team. They are not the results of a resolute, well drilled, organised team. They are the results of a group of players who face a gaping gulf in class every time they face this opposition, and have no idea how to traverse it. Sure, an away defeat at Manchester United isn't anything to get too concerned about, given they'll beat most teams at home this year, but I think we're allowed to raise an eyebrow at the manner of it all. If Bilic is able to introduce anything before next Saturday, I would hope it would be some semblance of a backbone. I find it exasperating how rarely these days we can even compete in these fixtures, let alone win them.
So, yes, I understand those who will say that this is just one game. But isn't it the same one game we've seen this team play over and over again for a year?
***
At the end of the calamitous 16/17 season Slaven Bilic identified pace as the single biggest feature lacking from his team. Our summer transfer policy not only ignored this, but somehow appears to have made things worse. I've seen tides come back quicker than our midfield today when we were hit on the counter. This is just one of the many problems when the Chairman buys the players for a manager in the last year of his contract, and with little apparent ability to convince the former of his suitability for an extension. The distance between Bilic's desired type of player and his real ones seems quite hefty.
As such, we today fielded quite possibly the slowest West Ham team I can remember seeing in my lifetime, and I was there when we had Andy Melville at centre back. We were without Lanzini and Antonio, which always made it unlikely we would play well, but the pedestrian nature of it all was a shock. Chicharito looked so isolated he may soon have his nickname changed to "Siberia" and Arnautovic did enough to suggest that he will mix moments of magic and moaning with all the adroitness of the departed Payet.
But we cannot play at this walking pace in the Premier League and survive. With Feghouli and Snodgrass AWOL, Fernandes was pressed into a number ten role and did a passable impression of a square peg. What brief moments of attacking intent we did have seemed to spring from Noble and yet he was surprisingly replaced instead of the possibly expectant Obiang. The centre of the team is a huge hole that the summer signings don't address, and if the rumours linking us to William Carvalho are true then he can't arrive soon enough.
But where is the joie de vivre of that 15/16 season? Certainly the league was weaker then, but we never played so shapelessly or with such little belief even once that season. Now it is de rigeur for us to get a hiding, blame it on injuries or new stadiums or disruptive Frenchmen or bad horoscopes or the Boogie and just muddle on with no apparent improvement. My upper lip doesn't seem to be stiff enough for this line of thinking.
***
If one wants to look for positives, I thought Zabaleta battled well, especially as he was up against the quicksilver Rashford and being 54 years old means he usually spends Sundays at his allotment. I also thought Joe Hart did alright considering the relentless barrage he faced. He should perhaps have stopped Pogba's effort - down low to that troublesome left side again - but that wasn't the reason we lost today. If he wants an opportunity to show Gareth Southgate he is still England's best shot stopper then the logic of his move becomes clear very quickly. He's going to get plenty of chance to do it with us.
Declan Rice made a surprising cameo from the bench and looked pretty decent. Perhaps the logic of that perplexing decision to loan out Reece Oxford is simply that they think Rice is better? I have no idea - divining a strategy in any of our moves these days is like watching toddlers play chess.
Elsewhere, I don't really have very much to cling on to. It perhaps speaks volumes that having watched the game in its entirety I still have no idea what our gameplan was today. We seem tactically bereft, like one of those early 20th century British army units marching with great gusto toward certain defeat, led by a general with no military ideas beyond a belief that everything will be alright in the end.
We're away next week again, of course, courtesy of the gift that keeps on taking - the athletics stadium with a football pitch on it. This makes it difficult to regroup and difficult to roar back. Maybe we'll win 3-1 again at Southampton, and all of this will just be yet more of that negative whinging so many of you criticise me for, but for now the pessimists are winning, I'm afraid.
It's early of course, and nothing is won or lost on opening day, but I'm waiting on a sign. I want to see something to tell me that this year will be different to last. Something to encourage me that we are going to be more competitive, more organised, more steely when the going gets tough. Even for those who believe these articles to be too negative must concede that performances like today are a disgrace, just as I will concede that there were some mitigating factors.
Tomorrowland - are we nearly there yet?
My main overarching issue with the current leadership of the club is the failure to develop and adhere to a cogent overarching strategy to develop the team over time. Instead everything is done reactively, expensively and on such a short term basis that it all has to be ripped down and rebuilt again every couple of years.
I would happily accept performances like today if I felt it was the necessary cost of progression. But it's not. It's just the result of having an old, slow team, a terrible injury record and the opposition being as rich as Croesus. And Lukaku. Always fucking Lukaku.
If we have to think in such a short term way, then it doesn't seem unreasonable to want some returns on a fairly short term basis. Our next three games are Southampton, Newcastle and Huddersfield - each tricky in their own way but there are points to be taken there. And they'd better be taken. This is Sullivan's borrowed time and therefore it's Bilic's too. We can't keep waiting for tomorrow because at some point we have to win today.
So I've had enough with the injuries and the good young players a couple of years away and the settling into the new stadium and all the other stuff that stops the team playing well. When your Director of Football admits he is implementing a strategy that is "not good for the long term" then you lose the right to bring those things up. It's tough shit.
We're all about the here and now, so I want some fucking results here and now. I want my back four to look like they've met before. I want my left back to actually leave the ground when he jumps. I want my defence well enough organised that we don't have the smallest member marking Lukaku at free kicks and corners.
I want my captain to be so influential he can last ninety minutes. I want an attacking strategy that can actually cause trouble to defenders as average as Phil Jones. I want a net spend bigger than Watford. I want a manager who can find ways to make us competitive against better teams and not one who has us conceding four every time we play anyone half decent.
And most of all I want it today. Not tomorrow.
Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be attributed to, KUMB.com.
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Sofiane Feghouli signs five-year deal at Galatasaray after completing £3.9m switch from West Ham
VAISHALI BHARDWAJ
Evening Standard
Sofiane Feghouli has left West Ham for Galatasaray in a £3.9m deal after signing a five-year deal with the Turkish giants. Both clubs confirmed the transfer on Monday evening after the Algeria international travelled to Turkey at the weekend and then put pen to paper on a long-term contract at Galatasaray. The move brings to an end Feghouli's time at West Ham, which lasted just one season, after he initially joined the Hammers from Valencia in the summer of 2016. The 27-year-old, who was voted the 2012 Algerian Footballer of the Year, had scored 42 goals in 243 appearances for Los Che but an injury-ravaged campaign at the London Stadium saw him score four goals in 27 appearances in all competitions for Slaven Bilic's side. Despite his difficult season in London, Feghouli took to Twitter following confirmation of his departure from West Ham to thank the fans for their support last term.
He wrote: "Thank you West Ham fans for the support this season and good luck everyone for the future. Always @WestHamUtd."
West Ham added in a statement on their website: "Feghouli totalled 27 appearances and four goals for West Ham, including one against Slovenian UEFA Europa League opponents NK Domzale in the first-ever fixture at London Stadium in July last year. "He added further strikes in Premier League fixtures against Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion in Stratford before netting at Burnley in what turned out to be his final appearance for the Club in May. "West Ham United would like to thank Sofiane for his efforts and wish him well in his future career."
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Sofiane Feghouli sends West Ham fans message after completing Galatasaray transfer
West Ham transfer news is dominated by Sofiane Feghouli's departure to Galatasaray and the player has said farewell to supporters
Football London
BYTOM MARSHALL-BAILEY
21:30, 14 AUG 2017UPDATED21:34, 14 AUG 2017
Sofiane Feghouli has completed his move to Galatasaray following a one-year stay at West Ham United. The Algerian winger sealed his switch to Turkey this evening as Slaven Bilic successfully offloaded a fringe player, with Robert Snodgrass potentially joining Feghouli in leaving the Hammers before the end of the transfer window. Feghouli has signed a five-year deal with the Istanbul club and West Ham will pocket £4m from the transfer having picked him up on a free 12 months previously. The 27-year-old played 20 times for West Ham in 2016/17 and scored three goals with a further three assists in his sole season with the club.
And after his transfer was confirmed, Feghouli took to Twitter to issue a message to the fans. "Thank you West Ham fans for the support this season and good luck everyone for the future," he wrote before adding "Always" accompanied with the hammers emoji to signify his love for the club.
Sofiane Feghouli ✔ @sffeghouli
Thank you West Ham fans for the support this season and good luck everyone for the future. Always ⚒@WestHamUtd
8:21 PM - Aug 14, 2017
240 240 Replies 465 465 Retweets 3,487 3,487 likes
In a statement on the club website, West Ham said: West Ham United can confirm that Sofiane Feghouli has joined Galatasaray on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee. The Algeria winger moves to the Turkish Super Lig club after a single season in Claret and Blue, having joined the Hammers from Spanish side Valencia in summer 2016. Feghouli totalled 27 appearances and four goals for West Ham, including one against Slovenian UEFA Europa League opponents NK Domzale in the first-ever fixture at London Stadium in July last year. He added further strikes in Premier League fixtures against Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion in Stratford before netting at Burnley in what turned out to be his final appearance for the Club in May. West Ham United would like to thank Sofiane for his efforts and wish him well in his future career.
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William Carvalho agrees terms to become West Ham's club-record signing, medical imminent
HITC
Olly Dawes
West Ham United are reportedly closing in on Sporting CP's William Carvalho. According to the Daily Express, Sporting CP midfielder William Carvalho has agreed terms with West Ham United ahead of a big-money move, with a medical now believed to be imminent. The Hammers have already brought in four major signings this summer, as Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez have all arrived at the London Stadium - but they couldn't prevent a 4-0 defeat at Manchester United on Sunday.
After opening the season with such a heavy defeat, manager Slaven Bilic may now dip back into the transfer market for another new signing, with a midfielder wanted following injury concerns over Pedro Obiang and Cheikhou Kouyate this year. Now, The Express report that a deal for Sporting CP's William Carvalho - worth in the region of £30million rising to £35million in add-ons, representing a club-record fee - is close after the midfielder agreed terms over a move to East London.
It's now claimed that Carvalho will undergo a medical with West Ham this week, and they may hope to have him in the squad to face Southampton the Premier League this weekend. Carvalho, 25, has come up through the ranks with Sporting, making more than 150 appearances whilst impressing with his poise on the ball, his passing range and his strength in the tackle. Sporting CP midfielder William Carvalho from Portugal during the Friendly match between Sporting CP and AS Monaco at Estadio Jose Alvalade on July 22, 2017 in Lisbon, Portugal. Whilst born in Angola, Carvalho has 37 caps for Portugal and played in the Euro 2016-winning side, and should bring quality to the West Ham midfield once his club-record deal is completed. The midfield powerhouse has been linked with moves to the Premier League for many years now, but it seems that West Ham are on the verge of landing a major coup as Carvalho's move to the London Stadium draws ever closer.
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Sporting Lisbon and Portugal star William Carvalho 'ready to have medical with West Ham'
By talkSPORT - @talkSPORT
Monday, August 14, 2017
Sporting Lisbon star William Carvalho is ready to travel to London to undergo his medical with West Ham United, according to reports in Portugal. The 25-year-old has reportedly already agreed personal terms with the Hammers ahead of a move to the club. Talks over a fee for the Portugal international are ongoing but, according reports, Carvalho has contacted West Ham to tell them he is ready to fly in for his medical. After years of being linked with a move to the Premier League, the midfielder is reportedly eager to get this deal wrapped up quickly. In the past, Carvalho has been linked with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United – but negotiations have always collapsed. Now, though, the Portugal star could finally be about to get his wish if West Ham are able to agree a fee with Sporting.
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Newcastle odds slashed to Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, West Ham still favourites
NEWCASTLE have seen their odds slashed by the bookies to sign Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere.
By DAVID WRIGHT
PUBLISHED: 13:16, Mon, Aug 14, 2017 | UPDATED: 13:29, Mon, Aug 14, 2017
Express.co.uk
Wilshere looks on his way out of Arsenal this summer after Arsene Wenger left the midfielder out of the squad that beat Leicester 4-3 on Friday. The England international has been linked with a move to newly-promoted Newcastle, whose manager Rafa Benitez is desperate for new recruits. And followings reports Newcastle are set to step up their interest, bookmakers Betfair have slashed their odds of signing Wilshere from 7/1 to 3/1. Premier League rivals West Ham are also said to be interested in landing the 25-year-old, with Betfair pricing the Hammers as evens favourites for his signature. Wilshere was sent out on loan to Bournemouth last season to secure regular game time but failed to make the desired impact under Eddie Howe. Wenger admitted last week that he is yet to make a decision on Wilshere's future. "The decision has not been completely made, but I want him to play somewhere," he said. "We have to decide that later. "First I wanted him to come back from his fracture. It's the first week back from full training. We need to sit down and see where we go." The Gunners manager added: "He has the talent to be a regular, but he has to come back to competition in a consistent way."
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West Ham transfer for William Carvalho imminent as Sporting begin looking at replacements
HITC
Dan Coombs
West Ham are keen on William Carvalho. West Ham are closing in on the signing of midfield ace William Carvalho. Portuguese newspaper O Jogo report his club Sporting Lisbon have already accepted he is leaving. They have already begun looking at replacements for the Portugal international and are assessing their options. Sporting CP midfielder William Carvalho from Portugal during the Friendly match between Sporting CP and AS Monaco at Estadio Jose Alvalade on July 22, 2017 in Lisbon, Portugal. The report states the cost of the transfer could reach 45 million Euros, which currently converts to £41 million. It will be an initial 37 million Euros [£33.6m], which will rise dependent on objectives, and Sporting will have a clause for a sell on percentage of any future transfer. West Ham though are reluctant to pay it all at once, and intend to split the cost in installments. They are presently negotiating with Sporting Club de Portugal about this, but it is not considered as a reason which will scupper a transfer which is moving along fast. Carvalho has been touted for a move away from Sporting for the past four years but the Hammers are the only club to meet Sporting's demands. West Ham lost their opening game of the season 4-0 yesterday away to Manchester United.
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West Ham's forwards really put in the miles against Manchester United but for little reward
The stats show that the Hammers frontline certainly put the effort in during the match but they didn't get the luck
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
12:24, 14 AUG 2017UPDATED12:27, 14 AUG 2017
While West Ham were soundly beaten 4-0 by Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday, it may have looked to those watching that the Hammers players were not putting as much effort in. But, if you dig deeper into the statistics of the game, the Hammers front men especially put in a shift, while one of the midfielders also covered a lot of ground throughout the 90 minutes. The front three of Javier Hernandez, Marko Arnautovic and Andre Ayew barely got a sniff of goal all afternoon but it can't be said they didn't run their socks off top try and create chances. Ayew ran the second furthest distance on the pitch in the black and blue away shirt, covering 10.3km (6.4 miles) and had 74 sprints throughout the 90 minutes. That was only bettered by Pedro Obiang, who ran 10.7km.
Record-signing Arnautovic clocked up 9.8km over 46 sprints and Chicharito ran 9.5km in 42 sprints as he had a frustrating afternoon. Arnautovic was also recorded as the fastest Hammer on the day as he reached a top speed of 20.7mph. While Obiang racked up the most number of miles on the pitch, one interesting comparison is that of his centre midfield partner Edimilson Fernandes ran 4km less than his Spanish partner in the engine room of the midfield. Also, Hammers keeper Joe Hart did a lot of rushing off his line and running in his box as he somehow managed to cover 2.8 miles of running throughout the game. So while it may have looked from the outside the Hammers players didn't put in much of a shift, they actually did despite the horrendous result at the end of the game.
Only Nemanja Matic (11.4km) covered more ground for Manchester United.
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West Ham tried to sign Sandro Ramirez before he chose Everton, reveals Slaven Bilic
JAMES BENGE
ES Sport
Slaven Bilic has revealed that West Ham failed in a bid to beat Everton to the signing of Sandro Ramirez. The former Malaga striker joined the Toffees in a bargain £5.2million deal in July when Everton activated his release clause. Ramirez had been linked with the likes of Tottenham and Newcastle in recent months and Bilic admitted that West Ham had tried to muscle into the chase. "Ramirez from Malaga came in, he was in Barcelona and we wanted him but he chose Everton," Bilic said in an interview with Croatian newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija. The 22-year-old has been tasked with leading the line for Everton since the departure of Romelu Lukaku, who joined Manchester United in a £75m deal this summer. However Bilic, who spent two years playing at Everton after departing West Ham in 1997, sees few similarities between the two. "He is a quick player and has no traits like Lukaku," he added. "They lost [Lukaku's] strength, but gained [Ramirez's] speed."
West Ham would ultimately move for Bayer Leverkusen forward Javier Hernandez, who made his debut against Manchester United on Sunday.
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Londoner's Diary: Another critic crosses the great West Ham divide
Evening Standard
Londoner's Diary
West Ham's season might have got off to a disastrous start at Manchester United yesterday but they're still ahead of the PR game. The Hammers have been in the firing line over the deal that saw them relocate to Stratford's Olympic (now London) Stadium. Most of the £752 million tab for the stadium and its conversion is being picked up by taxpayers, as approved by ex-Mayor Boris Johnson.
The Taxpayers Alliance (TPA) referred to it sarcastically as "the deal of the century" and West Ham, whose chief executive Karren Brady defended the deal, have fought back. The club is now employing the traditional football tactic of buying up the other side's best players — two members of the TPA have been seduced over. Unfortunately it looks like at least one of their star signings has already scored an own goal. "Thank you for your email," former TPA comms officer Harry Davis's out-of-office message pinged when we went looking for comment on Friday. "I have now left the TPA to fight against the interests of taxpayers at West Ham United FC."
Oh dear — whatever can he mean? This can't be the same Harry Davis who only in December authored a TPA statement on the Olympic stadium offering. "Maybe out of respect for those that paid for it, the Hammers and the LLDC could rename it the Taxpayers' Stadium."
Davis follows former TPA campaign manager Tom Banks to West Ham — he now works for the club's foundation. He previously called for a "wide inquiry into the whole contract" into the London Stadium. Is there anyone left at the TPA to cry foul?
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WEST HAM CONFIDENT ON COMPLETING DEAL FOR WILLIAM CARVALHO
REBECCA HAWKSWORTH @BeccaJourno
ReadWestHam
Slaven Bilic is confident that West Ham can get a deal done for Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho within a week, the Mirror reports. Sporting Lisbon rejected a £27.1m bid from West Ham for Carvalho last week but it is believed that a deal worth around £36million is now nearing completion. After a week of intensive talks with the Portuguese side, the Hammers are confident of completing a deal for the Euro 2016 winner by the end of the week. Carvalho was left out of the Sporting Lisbon squad that beat fellow Portuguese side Setubal 1 – 0 at the weekend. The 25-year-old is said to be keen on linking up with the Hammers after being linked with an array of Premier League teams that past few years, including Chelsea and Arsenal. Slaven Bilic's side took a 4 – 0 hammering at Old Trafford on Sunday, highlighting their need for new recruits this summer.
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Rice showing anger and Masuaku's laughter - 5 moments missed as West Ham are thumped by Manchester United
Here are five moments you might have missed from West Ham's 4-0 humbling at Manchester United
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
11:30, 14 AUG 2017
Declan Rice showing his exasperation as United scored their fourth goal
The 18-year-old came on for the final half an hour of the game at Old Trafford and certainly acquitted himself well (a 96% pass completion rate, no less) and despite his relatively lack of seniority within the squad, he wasn't afraid to show his anger. As Anthony Martial beat the offside trap to slide home United's fourth and final goal of the afternoon, Rice leapt up into the air in clear and showed a clear sign of exasperation at what he was watching. While it's not like Rice unleashed a torrent of abuse at any of his team mates, it was certainly good to see him showing signs of passion and frustration. There would be some Hammers fans that would have Rice starting down at Southampton next weekend and displays like Saturday's will only endear him more.
Arthur Masuaku sharing a joke with Romelu Lukaku?
Well, we don't know if they two were sharing a joke or not but what certainly was a bit of a joke was the DR Congo man marking Lukaku in the first place, who has probably got about a foot in height on him. Whatever the laughter was about, there was no laughing matter for the Hammers as Lukaku stole a march on Masuaku and then headed home Henrikh Mhkitaryan's precise free kick to put the hosts 2-0 up and effectively end the game as a contest. The West Ham left back got a bit of a pasting on social media for those who did see his laughter but what it was about, we'll never know.
Slaven Bilic's hug with Declan Rice
As the 18-year-old prepared to enter the fray for Mark Noble, Rice stood next to his manager Slaven Bilic, with Diafra Sakho to the left of the teenager warming up. Bilic gave Rice his instructions and prepared him to go on the pitch but before he did, put an arm around his young protege and gave him a pat on the head to wish him good luck. It was a nice moment from the boss. Rice certainly listened to his manager as he performed well for the final half an hour despite the away side shipping two more goals in that time to a rampant United.
A superb song by the Hammers fans mocking United supporters
Towards the end of the game and it meandering towards a conclusion, the tannoy system at Old Trafford announced for the Hammers fans to stay in their seats at full time to allow the United fans out first. Cue the visiting army of supporters chanting to the United fans "We'll race you back to London, we'll race you back to London." If you were on any train up from Euston to Manchester on Saturday morning, it was swamped with United fans who outnumbered West Ham supporters easily, with Reds fans across the land notoriously mocked for a vast amount of them not being from Manchester.
Bilic apologising to a ball boy
During the first half, Winston Reid made a decent clearance after pinching the ball off Romelu Lukaku into the stand to clear his lines. The ball was heading for the Hammers boss and, quite rightly, Bilic stuck his hands out on the touchline and caught the ball. What he didn't realise was there was a young ball boy behind him ready to get the ball and throw it back to one of his heroes on the pitch. Realising what he had done, Bilic held his hands out in apology to the ball boy, who promptly gave Bilic a high five and accepted the apology.
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Declan Rice reacts on Twitter to West Ham United defeat
HITC
Shane Callaghan
Declan Rice impressed for West Ham United on Sunday. Declan Rice managed to earn a half-an-hour cameo in West Ham United's 4-0 defeat by Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday. The 18-year-old defender has enjoyed a fantastic pre-season for the Irons, and did his chances of staying with the senior side no harm at all with a mature performance. The young Irishman said on Twitter afterwards that he was "gutted" with the result, but West Ham fans were quick to reassure him that he could be proud of his own display.
Follow
DR ✔ @_DeclanRice
gutted with that result, but it's important we bounce back and go again at Southampton. Delighted to have got more minutes today❤⚒ #COYI
7:03 PM - Aug 13, 2017
108 108 Replies 142 142 Retweets 1,254 1,254 likes
D.C. Irons @DC_Irons
Replying to @_DeclanRice
Looked the part when you came on mate ⚒
7:44 PM - Aug 13, 2017
Follow
Tom Allen @tomwhu13
Replying to @_DeclanRice @WestHamUtd
You were class lad. Should've started imo. Better than Obiang and fernandes. 100% should be in starting 11 next week
7:09 PM - Aug 13, 2017
Replies Retweets 9 9 likes
Mark Daws @Dawstours
Replying to @_DeclanRice @1southernnash
Proud of you today Declan as I am sure many #Hammers are today. Keep going mate, never give up and remember we are all behind you. #COYI
9:45 PM - Aug 13, 2017
Replies Retweets 4 4 likes
MKirby @NKchez
Replying to @_DeclanRice
Well done Declan. You should be proud. Good performance from you today ⚒️
7:05 PM - Aug 13, 2017
Replies Retweets 3 3 likes
West Ham @WHULondon_
Replying to @_DeclanRice @WestHamUtd
You deserve to start mate..keeping working hard and you will be in the starting 11 in no time 💪🏻⚒
9:13 PM - Aug 13, 2017
Replies Retweets 2 2 likes
Sam Thomas Nicola @st90nicola
Replying to @_DeclanRice
Only one who looked like they know how to play football! Well done 👏🏼
7:13 PM - Aug 13, 2017
Replies Retweets 2 2 likes
At just 18, Rice, who can also play in midfield, is certainly a fine talent but it will be interesting to see whether Slaven Bilic keeps him this season or sends him out on loan. As the saying goes, if you're good enough then you're old enough and if Rice handled himself well at Old Trafford of all places then it might indicate that he could handle the pressure at other venues. Then again, this time two years ago it was Reece Oxford who West Ham fans were raving about, having posted a fine performance in an opening-day victory at Arsenal, and the 18-year-old was loaned to Borussia Monchengladbach this summer. And that is why fans of the East London club won't be getting overly carried away by Rice's potential.
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West Ham optimistic William Carvalho transfer will be done within a week after days of intensive talks
Sporting Lisbon recently rejected a £27.1m Hammers bid but it's believed a deal potentially worth £36m is now close
The Mirror
BYDARREN LEWIS
22:30, 13 AUG 2017UPDATED08:47, 14 AUG 2017
West Ham feel their £36million swoop for Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho could be complete within the next week. Officials from the Hammers have been locked in talks since having a £27.1m bid rejected by the Portuguese outfit last week. They are now believed to have made up the difference in performance-related bonuses. Carvalho, 25, is keen to join the east Londoners after years of being linked with a string of Premier League sides and was left out of his club's 1-0 win over Setubal on Saturday. Asked about the Euro 2016 winner's absence, boss Jorge Jesus said "it was to protect William, Sporting... everything."
West Ham are excited about the prospect of Carvalho forming a partnership with Cheikou Kouyate when the Senegalese star returns from injury next month.
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DIRE AND RICE, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
By HamburgHammer 14 Aug 2017 at 08:00
WTID
In an ever changing world like ours it is reassuring to see that at least some things are unlikely to change anytime soon:
* Manchester United can still buy their way out of trouble by picking up the Premier League's top striker.
* Said top striker loves playing against us as he scores more goals against West Ham than any other team, this game was no exception to that rule.
* Our starting XI is still cheaper overall than Man United's most expensive signing Pogba.
* Old Trafford is a ground where we rarely perform well, nevermind bring home any points.
* They really do like their half and half scarves in the home end at Man United, don't they ?
It was a very bad weekend football wise for me and if it hadn't been for Concordia's development squad I wouldn't have seen a single decent performance from one of my teams yesterday, Cordi's U23 team won 7:3 at home and that freak result alone illustrates perfectly what kind of league that is, with goalkeepers that have the physique of hookers in rugby and some shambolic defending on show in general (however, we've seen some pretty abysmal defensive skills even at Premier League level in the past few days, haven't we ?).
That game was followed by a truly shocking home performance by the Concordia first team in their league game. A lackluster, inept first half with mindblowing errors galore which allowed the guests from Osdorf to race into a comfortable 3:0 halftime lead. Cordi had probably 75% possession, but that's no good if you mainly pass the ball around neatly sideways and backwards. Attitude, effort and body language eventually improved in the second half, but one consolation goal was all the Cordi lads had to show for it – at this rate it's going to be a long and hard season for the boys this time around. Potential midtable mediocrity instead of another promotion push I reckon.
I only missed the first five minutes of the West Ham game actually and was relieved we weren't already a goal down when I switched on the telly. It was obvious we'd be under the kosh all game and bearing that in mind I was reasonably pleased with the first half performance, apart from their goal of course, but when you play against top class players the like of which Man United have the luxury of fielding alll over the pitch, then every single error you make tends to get mercilessly punished by ball into your net more often than not.
The clinical way in which Man United put away their opportunities in the second half was brutal to watch, but it also illustrated that there is a shedload of work ahead for Bilic and his staff to sort out our defending in training. We seem to be slow in reading opposition plays, slow in reacting and therefore easy to tear apart at the back. If you defend like this not even the best goalkeeper in the world will be able to keep the scoreline respectable for you.
I really hope we manage to sort our defense out, hopefully new signing Carvalho will take some pressure away from our defenders to begin with and it's comforting to know we won't have to play Manchester United every week of course. It was the first game of the season, a pretty dire performance, maybe even a crap one, but I won't bother getting riled up too much, reading comments at this point from Hammers fans frantically pushing the panic button already. Let's look at some of the positives instead.
It was a massive relief to finally see Diafra Sakho back on the pitch again, even showing something resembling a smile when coming on and he looked pretty sharp and up for it, at least until we fell apart later on.
More gametime in the coming weeks should hopefully give him some confidence and some goals should then increase said confidence even further, if he can stay fit of course. We all know Sakho can be a very decent striker for us if his body and mind are in good health and spirits.
Second positive for me was the short glimpse we got of Declan Rice in a competitive (yeah, right!) game. He didn't look out of place at all when he came on.
He didn't put much of a foot (or pass) wrong yesterday and even if he has to shoulder some of the blame for one of those late goals, I won't allow this to cloud my overall positive impression of Declan's performance.
He obviously couldn't turn around a game like this on his own, but to me he looks absolutely ready to be in our first team matchday squads now on a regular basis.
It was also pleasant to hear that both Burke and Cullen (The Pooltable Boys from Rotenburg) apparently gave a good account of themselves for Bolton in their game at Millwall. Playing for them regularly should do them the world of good, potentially setting them up for a swift return to West Ham in January. Apparently both are very much in Slaven's first team plans so hopefully once our guys have settled down in the league somewhat we can start seeing more of the youngsters.
And then there is the new guy from Montenegrian descent (born and bred in Sweden though) we signed last week, Sead Haksabanovic (great name that!) who seems to be yet another jamboree bag full of tricks, flicks and surprises. I am quite aware of course that not every wonderkid who joins our club today will turn out to be the real deal tomorrow or even the day after. But at the very least he arrives at our club bringing with him a good measure of praise and promise, he also is a versatile chap, being able to play in midfield, either in a central attacking position, on the left wing or even further upfront.
He looks to me like a Swedish version of Tony Cottee, nippy, small, light on his feet, can turn his opponent on an area the size of a beer mat, you get the picture.
They don't mention any weaknesses on whoscored.com, but emphasise his ability to shoot from distance and the fact he gets fouled a lot.
Looks like he could even be another decent (and regular) bench option this season for the first team rather than the development squad.
I am now hoping for and expecting a much better performance in our next game against Southampton, with better effort and some more guts. However, with the signings we have made already in this window I am cautiously optimistic there are better times ahead for our club on the pitch.
From what I've read there could still be a few new faces coming in, with one or two leaving (hopefully the right ones!).
I have booked flights last week for my first live game this season, our local derby against Spurs in anticipation of another feisty affair. And hopefully another 1:0 home win which has been the customary result during my first season of visits to the London Stadium. That's a tradition by the way that doesn't need to change anytime soon as far as I am concerned! Unlike certain other traditions connected to our away games at Old Trafford.
Let's hope I can be a good luck charm for the lads two seasons running! COYI!!!
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Tuesday, August 15
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