Byram eyes Premier League game-time after impressive pre-season
WHUFC.com
Sam Byram is hoping his pre-season performances will lead to a fair-share of game-time when the Premier League season kicks-off. The right-back has competition for his place from the vastly-experience Pablo Zabaleta, but Byram's own displays in warm-up matches will certainly have caught the eye of manager Slaven Bilic.
The No22 was at it again on Tuesday evening, when his pace and willingness to support the attack were to the fore in West Ham United's 3-3 draw with Altona 93.
"It's part of my game that I enjoy, getting forward and putting crosses in," said Byram. "I'm trying to do my best for the team, building my fitness and trying to improve my performances."
Byram was not the only Hammer to impress during a competitive game in the German city of Hamburg, with new boy Chicharito coming close to scoring on his debut after appearing as a second-half substitute. The 23-year-old was certainly a fan of the ex-Manchester United striker's debut and expects him to cause problems for his old club at Old Trafford on 13 August. "It was good for the fans to see Chicharito in the last 20 minutes," Byram enthused. "You could see his movement and how sharp he is around the box. He brings a real different dimension to the squad. "I think he was a bit unlucky with the penalty decision as he was honest and stayed on his feet. He looked sharp and I look forward to seeing him when he's at full fitness."
Concentrating on Tuesday's draw with German fourth-tier opposition, Byram said Altona 93 had undoubtedly upped their game against their Premier League hosts.
The home side fell behind three times and lost Winston Reid to a red card with the score at 2-1, but battled back, with Byram's raids down the right flank playing a big part. As someone who has faced lower-division sides in pre-season many times before, the full-back was not surprised by Altona's performance. "You could see from the start that they came out sharp," he said. "It was a big game for them with a Premier League team coming here and obviously they wanted to do well.
"We're still working on things and getting our fitness work in. There were good things from the game and there were things to learn from, so it was a good test and a good run out for the lads again. "It's the same every pre-season. You travel to grounds and teams want to turn you over. We were disappointed to let three goals in, but we did score three ourselves and created plenty of chances but, as I say, we still have things to learn from. "It's a different ball-game in the Premier League. These games are mainly about getting fitness in your legs and bringing that sharpness back and you can see, with the signings we've made, the quality in depth in our squad now. I'm really positive going into our season now."
Next up for the Hammers is a trip to the Iceland and a Super Match clash with Manchester City in Reykjavik on Friday afternoon. It is a game Byram is relishing and says will be a yardstick ahead of the Premier League opener nine days later. "Obviously they have got an unbelievable squad and first XI have made some good signings. It's going to be a good test for us, but it's the type of game we want to be playing the week before the Premier League starts so we can test ourselves against the best."
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Hammers fans go on tour with the Academy
WHUFC.com
Hammers fans enjoyed seeing the inner workings of the Academy of Football after travelling with the U23s on their pre-season trip to Slovakia. Club London member Kevin Gilliland successfully bid for the unique 'Go on tour with the Academy' lot at the 2017 Player Awards in May. Boleyn Bar regular Gilliland and his 19-year-old son Liam spent an enlightening few days with Academy Director Terry Westley, U23s assistant manager Liam Manning and the squad, watching them train and ate meals with the coaches and players. The father and son also attended the young Hammers' fixtures with Super Liga clubs Spartak Trnava and FC ViOn Zlaté Moravce and even went for a run with U18s manager Steve Potts and assistant Mark Phillips! "The tour to Slovakia was a great opportunity for the players themselves to further their own development, whilst at the same time test themselves against foreign opposition," said U23s assistant manager Manning. "Having Kevin and Liam with us on the the trip gave them a great insight into the level of detail and hard work the Academy does, which most fans may not necessarily see. It was great having them with us."
For the record, the U23s were beaten 3-1 by Spartak Trnava but bounced back with a more experienced starting XI to thrash FC ViOn Zlaté Moravce 5-1, with striker Jahmal Hector-Ingram netting a hat-trick. Westley's side will return to action on Tuesday 8 August, when they make the short trip to the AGP Arena to take on Isthmian League club Billericay Town in a 7.45pm kick-off. Meanwhile, the U18s kick-off their league season at Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday 12 August.
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Joe Hart makes fellow goalkeeper's dream come true
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's visit to Altona 93 gave Joshua Du Preez a once-in-a-lifetime chance to talk goalkeeping with Joe Hart. And the 24-year-old was not about to let the opportunity pass him by, sending England's No1 a message via photo networking application Instagram. The South African stopper explained how Hart had been his goalkeeping hero since the age of 12 and asked to swap shirts in a post replying to a post showing the Hammers stopper training with Mark Noble. Hart spotted the comment and met with his fellow member of the goalkeeper's union after Tuesday's 3-3 draw at the Adolf-Jager-Kampfbahn in Hamburg, swapping shirts and passing on some tips to the former Charlton Athletic trialist. "I've been following Joe Hart since I was 12-years-old," confirmed Du Preez, who combines his football career by running his family's online florist business in his native Cape Town. "I started following him when he was just a young talent and everyone was talking about how he was going to be the next No1, and now he obviously is. "I've been following him through the years and when I saw we were playing West Ham and he had signed, I thought 'I have to write to this guy before somebody else does' so I thought I would comment on one of his pictures and I can't believe someone saw it and it came true! "It was very exciting chatting to him for a few minutes, too, and if he's got a girlfriend in Cape Town and he wants some flowers delivered, I'm his man! "It's part-time and semi-professional here, so I also run a flower shop. I started in South Africa and now I run the online part of it here, organising the online orders and it's a family business, so my father takes control of the actual deliveries!"
While Hart's career path from teenage prodigy to Premier League title winner and England regular is well known, Du Preez's own has been far less typical.
Born in Cape Town, he was spotted at a trial and brought to England for trials. When they did not work out, he joined German club Osnabruck, before moving on to SV Todesfelde and, in 2015, Altona 93. While he continues to pursue a full-time professional contract, Du Preez relished the opportunity to share a pitch with Premier League opposition. "For me this was a dream come true," he enthused. "Since I was a little kid, I've always wanted to play against a Premier League team and I never thought it would really happen, but here we are!" he smiled. "I was born in South Africa but it was always my dream to play in Europe. An agent spotted me playing through a programme and I went over to London and trained with Charlton for a little bit, but it didn't work out as I was just out of high school and the tempo was quicker than I could ever have imagined. "My agent had a team in Germany who were interested and they took me on and gave me a chance and I'm still trying to make the dream happen."
Unfortunately for Du Preez, he scored an own-goal in Tuesday's game as West Ham came from behind three times to draw 3-3 with Altona in their penultimate pre-season match.
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Chicharito: The Big Interview
WHUFC.com
Chicharito shared the excitement of West Ham United fans as he made his Hammers bow in Germany on Tuesday evening. The Mexico star produced an eye-catching cameo in the 3-3 pre-season draw with Altona 93, coming within inches of scoring a debut goal and pulling the home defence all over the place with his non-stop movement. The new No17 sat down with whufc.com to talk about his eventful first appearance, gelling with his new teammates and looking ahead to Friday's meeting with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City…
Chicha, you pulled on a West Ham United shirt for the first time on Tuesday night, which was an exciting sight for all of us! How was it for you?
"It was the same for me! I was very happy to be back into a football pitch. I am now with my new team and we had a good game against a good team. We drew 3-3 and I played for 20 minutes, I feel very good and hopefully I can get better with each game."
Our players know how you like to play, but it is different watching you than playing alongside you, so what did you make of your early combinations with your new teammates?
"Obviously when you have quality in the team like we have, it's easier to go in the pitch and try to think like them. We have a lot of quality and a lot of different types of players and ways of playing, so it's easy and we're going to have a very good season, I hope. "When the games go on, we are going to feel better with each other after each game. We will build our chemistry like a team and hopefully we can get the proper results in the Premier League."
You came so close to a debut goal at Altona 93, having one shot cleared off the line and another flash just wide of the post…
"Of course it was very close! It was a good tackle. When I took out the 'keeper, I tried to be safe because I felt I was too far from the goal, but I thought it was a great effort from the defender to take out the ball."
You speak fantastic English, but with so many Spanish speakers, you have settled into the group so quickly!
"Yeah, it's been quick because they are very good lads! Marko and Angelo speak Italian as well, so they understand the Spanish, as does Jose. I also have Pablo, Manu, Toni, Adrian and Pedro, so we have a very good group of Latin and Latin American guys."
Ludo is the latest craze among the Spanish speakers, so have you had a game yet?
"I didn't play yet! I know how to play, but I leave the guys to play and enjoy it. They love to play and hopefully in the future I'm going to play and I'm going to beat them!"
We go to Iceland on Friday to face Manchester City in the Super Match. What are your thoughts ahead of that fixture?
"It's a very good match for us to see where we are and what we need to work on in the next week before we face Manchester United [in the opening Premier League fixture]. It's going to be a very good match and we're very happy to have the opportunity to be involved in a match against one of the best teams in the world. We're very glad and very motivated to head up there to make a good performance and to try to get a result."
Finally, you've played against Pep Guardiola's Barcelona and Bayern Munich, so how do you assess his coaching style and the way his teams play?
"I played against his Barcelona team for Man United in the Champions League final in 2011 in London as well and we lost, so I know he is one of the best managers in the world over the past ten or 15 years. He has been unbelievable in each team he has managed, putting his style of play into Bayern Munich and now into Manchester City. It's going to be a tough match for us, but hopefully we can get the win."
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Season Ticket card update
WHUFC.com
As the countdown to the 2017/18 Premier League season continues, Season Ticket Holders are reminded that they will be issued with a new Season Ticket card for the new campaign.
Slaven Bilic's men face Huddersfield Town in their first home fixture at London Stadium on Monday 11 September, and your new card will be needed to gain access to the Stadium as your 2016/17 card will no longer be valid.
Season Ticket Holders can expect to receive their card from next week, but if for any reason you haven't received your card by Monday 21 August, please contact the Ticket Office on 0333 030 1966 (option 3). Phone lines are open 9am-5pm Monday to Saturday.
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City clash live on TV
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 2nd August 2017
By: Staff Writer
West Ham's clash with Manchester City in Reykjavík this Friday is being broadcast live on TV, it has been confirmed. The pre-season friendly takes place at the Laugardalsvollur Stadium in the Icelandic capital and kicks off at 3pm BST. Broadcaster Eurosport confirmed this morning that they will be showing the entire match live on Eurosport 1 and the Eurosport Player. West Ham have managed just one win in pre-season so far - against Championship side Fulham - whilst Manchester City have beaten Real Madrid (4-1) and Tottenham (3-0), whilst losing 2-0 to bitter rivals Manchester Utd.
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The West Ham youngster who could be Slaven Bilic's wildcard in 2017/18
West Ham's pre-season tour of Germany taught Slaven Bilic plenty about the options he has available
Football London
COMMENTS
BYTOM MARSHALL-BAILEY
20:00, 2 AUG 2017
On the whole, West Ham's pre-season excursion to Germany will be considered a successful one, even if there were some results thrown in which show there is still work to be done before the season gets underway. There have been debuts for Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta and Marko Arnautovic, who has also already opened his account for the club, while Chicharito's arrival boosted spirits and while the Mexican remains behind schedule compared to his new teammates, there were enough promising signs in his brief cameo against Altona 93 to suggest he can hit the ground running. He will get another opportunity to prove his fitness when the Hammers face Manchester City in Reykjavik on Friday as the standard of pre-season opposition ratchets up a notch. And so too will Declan Rice, the youngster whose form so far in pre-season has belied his status as a reserve player. Having captained the U21s to promotion to the top flight of the second-string Premier League competition, Rice was named among a clutch of young players for the trips to first Bremen and then Hamburg as he looked to impress Slaven Bilic ahead of what could be his breakout season.
Rice featured on the final day at Burnley and his performances over the past few weeks among serial winners - in the shape of new recruits Hart and Zabaleta - have spoken volumes about his potential. Rather than allowing this opportunity to faze him, Rice has seized his moment and looks ready to challenge for more regular first-team involvement. West Ham are adamant Winston Reid will not be leaving the club amid rumoured interest from Everton but the interest may yet prove unsettling as the season starts, while Angelo Ogbonna is returning from an injury which robbed Bilic of the Italian for the final stages of the season.
Jose Fonte will be expected to push on after a slow start since his January transfer from Southampton but Rice is well placed to benefit from any loss of form, injury or suspension suffered this season.
Nathan Holland has also caught the eye in Germany but he appears further off the first-team setup when you consider Arnautovic's purchase, Michail Antonio's impending return and the Hammers feeling confident enough in their wide options to entertain offers for Sofiane Feghouli and Robert Snodgrass. Rice may find his path to the first-team setup less crowded in central defence and, intriguingly, his ability to play in a deep midfield role could be particularly appealing to Bilic, with another midfield option offering him some more variety to that area of the team. The talent and versatility are there and so too is the temperament.
While Josh Cullen and Reece Burke were considered too inexperienced to make a first-team impact, Rice may avoid being sent out on loan to further his education because it is becoming increasingly clear it would be best served staying put and continuing to learn from the players he spent time with during the German leg of pre-season. Holland and Moses Makasi, who underwhelmed during the tour, may yet head out for loan spells but it certainly feels as if Rice can make a decisive impact next season if Bilic places his faith in youth. David Gold's previous comments would cast huge doubt over the likelihood of Rice's emergence but even the chairman appeared to backtrack last week on how he sees the development of the players of tomorrow and Rice could be first in line to profit.
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EXPLAINING WEST HAM'S £100 MILLION OF DEBT
By Sean Whetstone 2 Aug 2017 at 21:00
WTID
West Ham co-owner David Sullivan's comments that the club is still £100m in debt have caused some confusion among some Hammers supporters.
He told Jim White on Talksport last week:
"It's a difficult one because we're not a bottomless pit. We still have to balance the books and we still have £100million of debt."
Many still believed the board promised that the club would be debt free when they sold the Boleyn Ground
In fact those original comments were talking about external bank debt although I accept that was not precisely highlighted at the time. Gold later clarified on social media last year by saying
"We never said we would be free of debt, we said we would be free of BANK debt which we now are. dg"
In simple terms, you can't clear a £100m debt unless you make £100m of profit so they have merely moved much of the external bank debt to shareholder loans which will now mature in January 2020.
Many disgruntled fans will always believe it is all smoke and mirrors but below I will try to explain five straight forward key numbers from West Ham financial accounts for the six years following the Gold and Sullivan take over to explain why we haven't paid off the £100m of debt.
The key numbers are turnover (the amount West Ham earned in the year), Operating profit or loss for the year before player trading and interest and the general profit/loss after player trading and interest payments are taken into account.
The figures below show the club earned £665m in six years after the takeover and made a net operating profit of £97m but it spent a further £124m net on transfers and another £31m in interest payments creating an overall loss of a further £59.5m over those six years.
In 2010 West Ham had £110m of debts made up of £50m owed to banks £40m owed to other clubs and £20m owed to Sheffield United. In 2016 the '£100m of debts' is made of £61.4m owed to two Davids from shareholder loans and £35.5m to other clubs for transfers so just under £97m.
As for the sale of the Boleyn Ground for £38m last year. £15m went to the LLDC for the conversion of the London Stadium £15m went to banks to pay off loans mortgaged against the Boleyn Ground and the remaining £8m went to fit out the new shop and offices at the London Stadium plus the WestHamification of the stadium includinf the cleart and blue seats.
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West Ham had £12million bid for Neymar rejected back in 2010... and now he's preparing to move to PSG for £199m
Because landing both Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez back in 2006 clearly wasn't enough...
The Mirror
BYJAKE POLDEN
16:24, 2 AUG 2017UPDATED16:26, 2 AUG 2017
Back in 2010 there weren't many people who had heard of 18-year-old Santos starlet Neymar, apart from Football Manager users and... well, apparently, West Ham. The Hammers had been tracking the Brazilian youngster from east London as he developed into a player that will one day rule the footballing world.
Chelsea were also keen on bringing Neymar to the Premier League, but Avram Grant wasn't deterred by the competition and made the first approach for the teen.
Testing the water, the then West Ham boss offered the Brazilian outfit £12million in the hope of snaring the youngster from under the noses of the European elite.
Santos rejected the bid outright, telling the Hammers they would not accept anything lower than his £28.4million release clause. Speaking at the time, club director Pedro Luiz Nunes said: "We received an offer from West Ham for Neymar, worth €15m [around £12m]. "Our position is clear, we do not open negotiations. These athletes only leave the club by paying the release clause."
West Ham returned with an improved £16million offer for the 18-year-old, but Santos stuck to their guns and once again snubbed the bid. At the time Neymar had yet to make a senior appearance for Brazil, meaning he was not able to receive an automatic work permit. This made the potential move even more problematic and it wasn't long before his mooted transfer to West Ham disintegrated into thin air. Premier League interest in the star persisted however with both Chelsea and Manchester City lodging bids in the region of £40million for the forward a year later, but, like West Ham, saw these quickly rejected. "We don't want to sell the player but there is a release clause in his contract that can be paid," explained Santos president Luis Ribeiro at the time. "Five European clubs have offered to match the clause."
And that was that until Barcelona finally won the battle to sign the Brazilian for £48.6million back in 2013. Four years on and playing for one of the best teams in the world, it was expected that Neymar would more than likely see out the rest of his career in Catalonia. But after Paris Saint-Germain started to show interest in the player, and there was suggestions they would meet his release clause, speculation started to grow. It was then confirmed by Barcelona on Wednesday that the 25-year-old had announced his decision to leave and will not be training with the first team for the time being. And so seven years on from a rejected bid worth £12million the Brazilian is preparing to move to Ligue 1 for a world-record breaking £199million...
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Rice, Holland, Arnautovic & Snodgrass - the winners and losers of West Ham's tour of Germany
Who came out of the trip with their reputation enhanced and who has taken a knock back?
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
10:00, 2 AUG 2017
Winners
Declan Rice
The undoubted star of the tour, there can be absolutely no doubt about that as the 18-year-old seriously rose to prominence in not only the eyes of Slaven Bilic, but the West Ham fans as well. The 18-year-old barely put a foot wrong in training or in games during all three matches - maybe getting caught under the ball for Altona 93's third goal on Tuesday night was an error - but other than that? Whether Rice played in central defence or midfield, he shone. Slaven Bilic, Nikola Jurcevic and Edin Terzic have been really impressed with the teenager and this trip may well mean a loan move away is not going to happen as the manager wants to keep the Irishman around the first team. Rice is very likely to add to those two Premier League minutes he got at the end of last season against Burnley this campaign and the kid should be proud of what he has done.
Nathan Holland
Another one of the youngsters who has made an excellent impression in training and games here in Germany. Holland was particularly good in the two games against Werder Bremen and football.london witnessed first hand his improvement in training. Another lad who is just a teenager, the future is extremely bright for Holland and Everton have certainly let a good one go in him, but that's West Ham's gain. Is Hollland a viable option as a replacement for Michail Antonio if he is injured or missing from the team for some reason? Don't bet against it.
Marko Arnautovic
From the moment the assembled media met Arnautovic at the Hammers team hotel in Rotenburg last Wednesday, we knew this was going to be a fun ride and Hammers fans can now see it too. The arrogance he has, the swagger on the pitch, the strength on the ball, to the undoubted talent and skill he has - he is the perfect signing for West Ham this summer. Slaven Bilic spent £23m on him and the Austrian, you sense, is very keen to repay that. He had an impact in all three friendlies here and has that "X Factor" that the club has been crying out for.
Arthur Masuaku
The Frenchman has outperformed Aaron Cresswell in all three games this tour and if Slaven Bilic wasn't sure who his left back should be this season, he really should know now and it's the Frenchman. Masuaku still needs work defensively but it's the attacking threat he brings which stands him out from Cresswell. If the defender can improve just slghtly as a defender, the Hammers have got a serious player on their hands. His partnership down the left with Marko Arnautovic looks excellent well, if that helps Slaven make a decision.
Losers
Robert Snodgrass
You have to feel for the Scotsman, who is just lacking completely in any confidence after a tough start to life at West Ham. Nothing went his way this tour, no matter how hard he tried and he really did, he can't be accused of not putting the effort in throughout the ten days. But when it came to the games, he just looked lost and unsure of what to do when he had the ball. He needs something to get him going this season or it could be a long struggle.
Andre Ayew
While he got on the scoresheet against Altona 93, the Ghanaian had a difficult tour as he struggled to have an impact in any of the games in a number of different positions. We know what we get with the former record signing - pace, energy and workrate - and we got that these past ten days but it wasn't enough for him to really stand out. With competition for his spot, Ayew is still likely to start at Old Trafford and he needs a big performance there, you'd suspect.
Moses Makasi
There were high hopes for the youngster heading into the tour but he really struggled in games, barely figuring in what have been a massively frustrating time for him. It wasn't all his fault, Slaven Bilic played him in three different positions on the trip, but Makasi failed to settle in any one of them and just drifted through games without making much noise. No doubt talented, he is clearly more suited the U23s just now rather than the first team.
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WHY IS THE GUARDIAN ANTI-WEST HAM?
By Blind Hammer 2 Aug 2017 at 08:00
WTID
Blind Hammer responds to Guardian criticisms of West Ham.
I am a Guardian Reader but have to confess I am becoming increasingly fed up with the negativity of some of the comments published by this August institution about West Ham. Some of this criticism is childish, snarling and frankly unacceptable. The Guardian's "Fiver" Sports Newsletter thinks it is clever to now resort to name calling, referring to our club as "Taxpayers United", joining with the BBC in promulgating a theory that if you repeat a lie often enough people will believe it. Apparently the Guardian is blind to the overt measures taken by Spurs to secure Tax payers money as reported by Sean Whetstone a couple of weeks ago, preferring to only launch their barbs with a single eyed determination at West Ham. It appears that the Guardian also somehow now believes fervently that West Ham should be responsible for funding the nation's commitment to Athletics at the London Stadium. This is the lazy lie which the Guardian and others are pushing about the Stadium's financial problems, that these are sole responsibility of West Ham cheating the Taxpayer when any fair analysis would recognise that it is only with West Ham that the stadium has any future at all. It is the multi-use of the stadium for Athletics which is creating a financial crisis.
This snarling criticism was echoed by a recent piece by Jacob Steinberg in which he sought to belittle the business done by West Ham in the transfer market this summer. The piece is interesting because I have personally been unaware of the Guardian taking up any agenda against other clubs for their transfer business, beyond reflecting on the general lack of business done. Only West Ham appears to have received criticism for the actual signings made.
If we are to believe Steinberg West Ham has indulged in "short terminism", signing players approaching the end of their Careers.
This flimsy and poorly argued piece by Steinberg is barely worth taking seriously but for the record he includes the signing of Joe Hart at 30 as an example of short terminism. He then goes on to criticise West Ham for not only signing a player at an advanced age but one who career is in decline. Steinberg appears desperate for what he describes as a "glamorous" signing to go sour.
Steinberg does not seem to reflect that if there is this risk then West Ham have done extremely good business by only signing Hart on loan. If things go sour, as he suggests, then the damage to West Ham will be minimised. If on the other hand things go well, then West Ham will be in prime position to consolidate the Hart signing with a buy option. I personally think it is extremely unlikely that if Hart does well, that he would want to jeopardise his international place, by returning to a so called "bigger club" to warm their bench. To describe the signing of a 30 year old keeper as short term by Steinberg would be laughed off as plain silly by most football pundits. Hart could easily have 7-8 years as a West Ham Goalkeeper ahead of him.
Pablo Zabaleta is the other allegedly geriatric players that Steinberg takes aim at. At 32 he is another person apparently up for a last big "pay-day" in a retirement home. Steinberg queries whether West Ham can cope with more slow players, referring to the evident lack of athleticism in the team last season. Now at 32 Pablo Zabaleta will have to answer some questions this season, though the prospects look reasonable, if pre-season is anything to go by. Age, as we know from many examples, including those at our club, is not necessarily a guide to fitness. Billy Bonds at 32 was clearly the fittest player at our club at the time.
However I do not recall Steinberg lining up to criticise Manchester United when they signed Zlatan Ibrahimovi? on an even shorter term contract last year at 35. Nobody is ridiculing Manchester United when they say that they may offer Zlatan Ibrahimovi? another contract in |January if he recovers from his knee ligament injury. It is apparently perfectly acceptable for Manchester United to invest in proven international class players at the end of their careers whilst it is foolish for West Ham to do the same.
Steinberg's criticism of Arnautovic seems to revolve around the fact that Stoke paid only £2 million for him 4 years ago, and that he is at the giddying advanced age of 28. Now Steinberg's carping now descends to the silly. 28 are considered by most to be the age at which most footballers are at their peak. The problem for West Ham over the years is that their transfer business has recruited players not at their peak, but players who are either young and unproven, or older and at the end of their careers. Any fair evaluation of the recruitment of Arnautovic would recognise this fact. The fact that he cost only £2 million 4 years ago is just irrelevant. There are hundreds of players who have increased their transfer value whilst playing for a club. Nobody blinks an eye if Chelsea or Manchester City pays a higher transfer fee for a player at his peak who was previously recruited for a lesser fee. Why should it be a problem for West Ham?
Hernandez at 29 is apparently another who is ready for the rest home and the lazy life. Whilst it would have been great to have signed Hernandez at 27, when we first wanted him, to suggest he is over the hill now is again carping. I have seen no articles from Steinberg pointing his ammunition at Bournemouth for signing the 34 year old Jermaine Defoe. If Hernandez has anything like the fitness levels he apparently naturally holds we have a player who can reasonably perform for the next 3-4 years at least. Steinberg's gloomy assessment of Hernandez's age does not appear to be shared by other football commentators. Commentators writing for the fan base of Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal have all bemoaned the fact that West Ham has achieved the Hernandez coup, when they clearly feel he could have done a job for them. But then according to Steinberg all these commentators from other clubs are presumably also lacking judgement, falling into the "short terminism trap.
There is a risk in all transfer business and we will have to see how these recruitments pan out. It is also possible that the club may still, late in the window, invest in more speculative players for the future. Any fair analysis of West Ham transfer policy over the last few seasons would recognise that this is what they have done. Ashley Fletcher was recently sold for a profit, Lanzini's worth has climbed astronomically since he was signed. Fernandez and Arthur Masuaku all look like proven PL quality signings on the cheap, as was Cheikhou Kouyaté. Even Payet realised a 250% transfer rise in value whilst at West Ham.
The investment in the Academy appears to be finally paying off with a crop of youngsters who may just possibly form the core of another "golden generation" of West ham youngsters. The investment the club makes year in, year out, in its Academy is the very opposite of short terminism.
So in my view it is time for the guardian to recover some it alleged spirit of "balanced reporting" and stop their anti-West Ham bias and sniping.
COYI
David Griffith.
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West Ham set to miss out on playmaker as €8.5m switch to Spain beckons for Montpellier star - report
West Ham transfer news sees target Ryad Boudebouz close in on a move to Real Betis
Football London
BYCHARLES WATTS
07:00, 2 AUG 2017
West Ham look set to miss out on Ryad Boudebouz. The Hammers have already concluded the baulk of their summer transfer business but Slaven Bilic has not ruled out further signings for his squad in the remainder of the transfer window. And with Robert Snodgrass a target for Premier League and Championship clubs and Sofiane Feghouli's future also shrouded in doubt, a move for Boudebouz had started to look increasingly likely. But Spanish side Real Betis now appear to have moved in and agreed a cut price deal for the Algeria international, who made 33 appearances in Ligue 1 last term and scored eleven goals as well as providing nine assists. Boudebouz is now expected to compete an €8.5m switch to the La Liga outfit. Sampdoria and Bayer Leverkusen had also been linked with the playmaker.
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Angelo Ogbonna tells West Ham to forget Champions League and stay focused
HITC
Damien Lucas
West Ham United star Angelo Ogbonna says the club must not get sidetracked by Champions League daydreams. The Hammers took a huge step forward in their first season under Slaven Bilic with a club record Premier League points haul seeing them finishing agonisingly just four points off the Champions League places.
A total of 14 draws that season - the joint most in the league - ultimately cost them but there were so many plus points including a first positive goal difference since 1986. Last season was a complete contrast, though, as Bilic's side struggled for any kind of form or consistency for much of a torrid campaign. West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic is seen during the Premier League match between Burnley and West Ham United at Turf Moor on May 21, 2017 in Burnley, England.
Problems ranging from poor recruitment to the Dimitri Payet saga and the fallout from the move to the Olympic Stadium made for an attritional campaign.
But the East Londoners pulled through and actually did reasonably well to finish 11th. Impressive transfer business this summer has once again raised expectations around the club. The acquisitions of Marko Arnautovic, Javier Hernandez and Pablo Zabaleta as well as the capture of Joe Hart on a season long loan have created a real buzz among fans. More signings are expected to follow too as West Ham look to re-establish themselves in the pack of teams looking to challenge the elite.
But Italian international and fan favourite Angelo Ogbonna has told the club to forget talk of Europe and maintain a steely focus in an interview with the official website. "We want to show ourselves better than last season and I think the board have done well and we have signed good players," Ogbonna told whufc.com.
"I think my idea is to start over this new season so that step-by-step we don't need to make the same mistakes like we did last season. "We don't need to talk about finishing higher or top-four, but we need to do better than last season. We need to concentrate on our work – this is very important."
The amount of money spent this summer already is an indicator to just how competitive the Premier League is going to be. West Ham's progress as a team will hinge on how quickly the new players can gel and how often Bilic can get his best XI on the pitch at the same time. But Ogbonna is right to be cautious and the club will need to hit the ground running with three consecutive away games to start the season at Manchester United, Newcastle and Southampton.
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Winston Reid sees red for clapping referee in West Ham pre-season match
Last updated 09:12 02/08/2017
Stuff.co.nz
Winston Reid had to hand over West Ham's captain's armband after getting a red card for ironically applauding a referee in a pre-season friendly in Germany.
All Whites skipper Winston Reid has copped a red card - for sarcastically applauding a German referee. Reid was captaining West Ham United in a pre-season friendly against Altona FC in Germany on Tuesday (Wednesday NZ Time) when he got his marching orders. The Daily Star reported that Reid was penalised for a foul in the Altona box while he was set to attack a corner just before halftime. Reid - who has been linked to English Premier League rival Everton - then "reportedly sarcastically clapped the referee for his decision", the Daily Star said. The 29-year-old was already on a yellow card and a video showed the match official dispatching Reid for an early shower for dissent. West Ham players mobbed the referee after the decision. Altona reportedly asked to play with 10 men in the second spell, but the referee refused their offer. The game ended in a 3-3 draw.
- Stuff
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Altona 93 3-3 West Ham: Ten-man Hammers held by German fourth tier side as Winston Reid is sent off
Altona took the lead through Nick Brisevac before Antonio Martinez equalised
Dennis Thiessen put Altona back in front shortly before half-time on Tuesday
Winston Reid was sent off for the Hammers a minute before the break
Andre Ayew levelled the match 2-2 after 53 minutes after clever play
Darius Stode regained the lead but Joshua Du Preez then scored an own goal
By Tom Farmery For Mailonline
PUBLISHED: 23:47, 1 August 2017 | UPDATED: 01:13, 2 August 2017
West Ham were held to an entertaining draw by Altona 93 on Tuesday night as Winston Reid was sent off. The match also presented Javier Hernandez with his first appearance for the Hammers. The German fourth tier opposition attacked West Ham from the first minute.
Altona 93: Grundmann (Matthai 27, Grubba 46, Du Preez 61), Aniteye (Stode 46), Yilmaz (Kunter 46), Hosseini (Lechler 74), Buzhala (Holz 46), Brisevac (Wachowski 46), Rettstadt (Cayir 46), Hinze (Edeling 46), Novotny (Sachs 46), Schultz (Correia Ca 46), Thiessen (Hadid 46, Schultz 83)
Goals: Brisevac 5, Thiessen 39, Stode 58
West Ham: Adrian, Zabaleta (Byram 57), Reid, Ogbonna (Rice 57), Cresswell (Masuaku 46), Obiang, Fernandes, Arnautovic (Holland 67), Snodgrass (Fonte 46), Ayew (Makasi 70), Martinez (Chicharito 70) Sub not used: Hart (GK)
Goals: Martinez 6, Ayew 53, Du Preez 72(own-goal)
It was their aggressive approach that put them in the lead after five minutes in Hamburg. They were ahead after Pedro Obiang gave away a free-kick 30 yards away from the West Ham goal. Nick Brisevac bent his free-kick around the Hammers wall and beyond goalkeeper Adrian. But Slaven Bilic's side were level just one minute later when Antonio Martinez equalised with a left-footed effort which nestled into the roof of the Altona net. The German were back in the lead shortly before half-time when Dennis Thiessen scored with a beautiful curler from 25 yards. West Ham's first half got even worse a minute before the break when Reid was sent off for a second bookable offence. The Hammers started the second half with a higher intensity than they had shown in the first 45 minutes. Andre Ayew got a deserved equaliser when he scored after a clever ball through ball. West Ham tried to push on but they were behind again with 58 minutes gone when Dennis Stode converted after Serhat Cayir's free-kick fell kindly to him in the West Ham. But with 16 minutes left West Ham were level for the third time when goalkeeper Joshua Du Preez scored an own goal.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Thursday, August 3
Wednesday, August 2
Daily WHUFC News - 2nd August 2017
Burke and Cullen join Bolton Wanderers on loan
WHUFC.com
West Ham United can confirm that Reece Burke and Josh Cullen have joined
Championship club Bolton Wanderers on a five-month loan agreement. The Youth
Academy graduates will spend the first half of the 2017/18 campaign with the
newly-promoted Trotters, having flown back at the weekend from the Hammers'
pre-season training camp in Germany.
Reece, 20, and Josh, 21, trained with their new team-mates for the first
time today, ahead of Bolton's Championship opener against Leeds United at
the Macron Stadium on Sunday, which is to be televised live on Sky Sports.
The deal sees the pair reunited with Bolton boss Phil Parkinson, who managed
both during their loan spells at Bradford City during the 2015/16 season.
Central defender Burke, who won the Player of the Season award at Valley
Parade that year, subsequently spent last season on loan at Wigan Athletic,
while midfielder Cullen enjoyed another successful spell with Bradford,
reaching the League One Play-Off final at Wembley, where they narrowly lost
out to Millwall.
The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international heads to Bolton having
yesterday signed a new three-year contract at London Stadium, and manager
Slaven Bilic believes that both players will benefit greatly from the
experience. Bilic says: "This is a perfect opportunity for Reece and Josh to
continue the fantastic progress they have made in recent seasons. "They are
both very promising young players, who have shown that they have the right
attitude, temperament and quality to have a successful future at West Ham
United if they continue in the same manner. "I have been really impressed
with the impact they have made with us during pre-season but it is important
that they continue to play serious, competitive football at this stage of
their development. "I have had a few good, long chats with them both
recently – they know what they have to do, and we agreed that playing
regularly at this level will be far more beneficial for them. "The
Championship will give them the opportunity to test themselves against teams
and players who will be fighting to get to the Premier League, and it will
be a great experience for them. "Bolton are a good club with an excellent
manager in Phil Parkinson, who knows both Reece and Josh well, and we will
be keeping a very close eye on their progress. "I wish them all the very
best in this adventure, and we look forward to welcoming them back to the
Club next year."
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Betway to donate pre-season shirt sponsorship to DT38 Foundation
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's principal sponsor Betway will donate its front of shirt
sponsorship to The DT38 Foundation during the upcoming pre-season clash with
Manchester City on Friday 4 August.
The leading online bookmaker is working in conjunction with DT38 and the
Club in a bid to raise awareness of men's health issues, with a particular
focus on testicular cancer.
Shirts from the pre-season friendly, which takes place in Iceland on 4
August, will then be signed by the players and auctioned off by DT38 after
the game to raise valuable funds for the foundation.
The DT38 Foundation was launched in 2015 in memory of West Ham Academy
starlet Dylan Tombides, who lost his three-year battle with testicular
cancer in April 2014, at the age of 20.
Karren Brady, Vice-Chairman of West Ham United, said: "It's fantastic that
our exceptional principal sponsors Betway care about all aspects of the Club
and its supporters, and we are very grateful to them for choosing to replace
their sponsorship with DT38 for the game against Manchester City in Iceland.
We really hope it can raise awareness of a wonderful person and a truly
worthy cause.
"A hugely popular figure among his teammates, coaches, backroom staff,
supporters and opponents alike, Dylan was loved and respected throughout the
football community, and is hugely missed by all at West Ham United.
"The way he battled his disease was truly inspirational, as is his wonderful
family's courage in the face of such adversity. The valuable work they are
doing in Dylan's name is absolutely incredible and a fitting way to ensure
Dylan's legacy continues to inspire others every day."
Anthony Werkman, Betway's Director of Marketing and Operations, said: "The
DT38 Foundation is a charity close to the hearts of everybody involved with
West Ham United and it is a great honour to be able to help such a worthy
cause raise not only valuable funds but also awareness.
"It's important to support the incredible work the foundation is doing to
raise awareness of such important health issues and we're absolutely
thrilled to donate our front shirt sponsorship for the game against
Manchester City."
Tracy Tombides, mother of Dylan, added: "It's a proud day for the DT38
family. Thank you to Betway and West Ham United for supporting our mission
to raise awareness and change the stigma associated with men's health issues
with a focus on testicular cancer.
"Having the team wear DT38 on their strips will allow the DT38 message to
spread to a whole new audience and to help ensure men all over the world
know the importance of conducting regular self- examinations of their
testicles and seeking ultrasound advice should they find any abnormalities."
For further information about The DT38 Foundation visit www.dt38.org
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Ogbonna: West Ham have got winners in our dressing room
WHUFC.com
Angelo Ogbonna believes the presence of 'winners' in the dressing room will
give West Ham United a massive boost this coming Premier League season. The
Italy international won back-to-back Serie A titles and reached the UEFA
Champions League final during his two seasons with Juventus between 2013-15.
The centre-back has since been joined in east London by a succession of
players who have also lifted trophies during their own careers – UEFA Euro
2016 champion Jose Fonte, two-time French League Cup winner Andre Ayew and
Manuel Lanzini, who won three league titles during his time in Brazil and
Argentina. This summer, double Premier League winners Joe Hart, Pablo
Zabaleta and Chicharito have joined them at London Stadium, giving Ogbonna
even more optimism for the 2017/18 campaign ahead. "I think it's very
important to have winners at the Club," the No21 confirmed, "and we have a
lot of international players who have won things, not only our new signings
but also players like Fonte, Ayew and Lanzini. "This is important for us
because these players bring an open and positive mentality. This is the best
thing, because you can look forward to what you want to achieve. "We have
signed experienced players and that's the most important thing for the Club.
They are used to winning things and will bring that to the dressing room, so
we can learn from them."
Ogbonna's two seasons in Claret and Blue have been wildly contrasting. The
2015/16 campaign saw the Hammers challenge for a top-four finish and qualify
for the UEFA Europa League. However, last term was a different story, with
West Ham struggling in the bottom half of the Premier League table for much
of the season before rallying to finish eleventh in May. The 29-year-old is
himself returning after knee surgery ruled him out for much of the second
half of last season, and does not believe setting lofty personal or team
targets is a sensible course of action. Instead, he is hoping the presence
of four top-class signings – Marko Arnautovic being the fourth member of the
quartet – will help the Hammers to improve on their 2016/17 showing. "We
want to show ourselves better than last season and I think the Board have
done well and we have signed good players," he continued. "That is a big
motivation, not just for us but for everyone around, like fans and for the
Club as well. "I think my idea is to start over this new season so that
step-by-step we don't need to make the same mistakes like we did last
season. We don't need to talk about finishing higher or top-four, but we
need to do better than last season. "We need to concentrate on our work –
this is very important."
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Hammers star Chicharito reveals his shirt number
WHUFC.com
Chicharito will wear the No17 shirt for West Ham United.
The Mexico superstar has picked the squad number after completing his
eagerly-anticipated move from Bayer Leverkusen a week ago.
The 29-year-old, who has previously worn the No14 and No7 shirts during his
prolific career, will don the No17 for the first time in Tuesday's
pre-season match with Altona 93 in Hamburg, Germany.
Chicharito wore the No14 for Mexico at both the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup
finals, as well as for the duration of his five-season stay at Old Trafford
and his 2014/15 loan spell at Real Madrid.
The striker then took the No7 for his two years in Leverkusen, where
Switzerland international Admir Mehmedi was already in possession of the
No14 shirt.
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Ten-man Hammers held by Altona 93 in Hamburg
WHUFC.com
Ten-man West Ham United came from behind three times to share an
entertaining 3-3 draw with Altona 93 in Hamburg on Tuesday evening.
Slaven Bilic's side handed a debut to Chicharito and welcomed back Winston
Reid from injury, only for the latter to be shown a red card at the
Adolf-Jager Kampfbahn.
However, goals from Toni Martinez and Andre Ayew and a Joshua Du Preez
own-goal seconds after the Mexican's introduction ensured West Ham shared
the spoils with their German hosts.
Altona, who warmed up to the sound of a chart-full of heavy metal hits,
rocked their Premier League visitors inside five minutes. Pedro Obiang was
penalised for a foul 30 yards out and Nick Brisevac arrowed the resulting
free-kick around the wall and beyond Adrian's full-length dive.
The stadium announcer was midway through congratulating the former Germany
U16 international when Martinez fired the Hammers level. Captain Reid – back
after recovering from shin surgery – pumped a long ball down the right
touchline and the Spaniard outstripped his marker, cut inside and sent a
rasping left-foot shot into the roof of the net.
The Altona fans among the capacity crowd were silenced, but not for long as
first Dennis Thiessen, then Marco Schultz fired low efforts wide of the
target. Clearly full of energy and determined to upset their illustrious
guests the Regionalliga Nord side kept coming, with Samuel Hosseini heading
Schultz's teasing cross alarmingly close to Adrian's far post.
Martinez flashed a low shot wide, but it was Altona who continued to look
the more threatening, and it was Thiessen who curled the Germans back into
the lead with an exquisite 25-yarder. It could have been 3-1 before the
break too, but Milaim Buzhala volleyed Thiessen's deep cross over the top
from ten yards.
West Ham's night went from bad to worse when the returning Reid, who had
been booked just after Thiessen's goal for dissent, repeated the offence and
was sent-off after being whistled for a push inside the Altona box and was
sent-off on the stroke of half-time.
Altona changed nine of their outfield players at the break and also
introduced a third goalkeeper, while Bilic opted to make two alterations of
his own – Jose Fonte and Arthur Masuaku replacing Robert Snodgrass and Aaron
Cresswell.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, the Hammers were an improved team
after the break and levelled within eight minutes of the restart when Andre
Ayew smashed a bouncing through ball past the third stopper Tobias Grubba.
It was only a temporary respite, however, as Serhat Cayir lifted a diagonal
free-kick into the penalty area and the ball dropped to centre-half Darius
Stode, who prodded past Adrian.
The game was now end-to-end and, after Ayew had been fouled, Marko
Arnautovic rattled the base of the post with a long-range free-kick.
Chicharito arrived with 20 minutes to go and his impact was immediate as the
impressive Sam Byram raced down the right and crossed. The new boy drew two
defenders, allowing the unmarked Nathan Holland too shoot, and the ball
bounced into the net via a deflection off unlucky goalkeeper Joshua Du
Preez. The new No17 then played in Edimilson Fernandes, but the Swiss
dragged his shot wide.
Altona were not done, though, as Adrian raced from his line to deny the home
side's 13th substitute Tobias Lechler. Moments later, the No7 nicked the
ball off the toe of Pedro Obiang but dragged his shot wide.
The stage was set for Chicharito to net the winner when he went clean
through with three minutes remaining, only to round Du Preez and see his
shot cleared off the line by Jakob Sachs.
Then, with seconds to go, the Mexican had his heels clipped inside the
Altona penalty area, stayed on his feet and flashed a shot wide.
That proved to be the final chance of a frenetic game and West Ham's
three-match visit to Germany.
The Hammers will complete their pre-season schedule by taking on Manchester
City in Iceland on Friday afternoon.
Altona 93: Grundmann (Matthai 27, Grubba 46, Du Preez 61), Aniteye (Stode
46), Yilmaz (Kunter 46), Hosseini (Lechler 74), Buzhala (Holz 46), Brisevac
(Wachowski 46), Rettstadt (Cayir 46), Hinze (Edeling 46), Novotny (Sachs
46), Schultz (Correia Ca 46), Thiessen (Hadid 46, Schultz 83)
Goals: Brisevac 5, Thiessen 39, Stode 58
West Ham United: Adrian, Zabaleta (Byram 57), Reid ©, Ogbonna (Rice 57),
Cresswell (Masuaku 46), Obiang, Fernandes, Arnautovic (Holland 67),
Snodgrass (Fonte 46), Ayew (Makasi 70), Martinez (Chicharito 70)
Sub not used: Hart (GK)
Goals: Martinez 6, Ayew 53, Du Preez 72(own-goal)
Sent-off: Reid 42
Attendance: 5,000
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Jurcevic: Chicharito debut gives us a feel of things to come
WHUFC.com
Assistant manager Nikola Jurcevic believes Chicharito will be a 'really
important player' for West Ham United after the Mexico star made an
eye-catching debut in Germany.
The new No17 played for just 20 minutes against Altona 93 in Hamburg, but
could easily have scored two goals, assisted another and won a penalty for
his side during an exciting cameo.
Speaking to whufc.com, Jurcevic felt both the striker and his new teammates
would have benefitted hugely from spending game-time together on the pitch
during a 3-3 draw at the Adolf-Jager-Kampfbahn.
"He was a plus point from this game," Jurcevic told whufc.com. "He spent a
few days with us and played about 20 minutes which was very important for
him to feel how he will play with West Ham United.
"In this moment he is not 100 per cent physically fit, but he is working
hard and for him it was very important for him to play 20 minutes. He showed
in that short time that he is a very different offensive player.
"He likes to have the ball in space, he is always on the offside line and I
think he will be a really important player for us."
While the performance of Chicharito was promising, the Hammers had to work
hard for their share of the spoils with fourth-tier Altona 93. The hosts led
three times, while West Ham also lost Winston Reid to a red card seconds
before half-time.
"It was a very difficult evening," he admitted. "We did very hard sessions
over the last two days and our opponent was also very good and a very tough
team.
"We started not so good. We conceded a few goals and also played the second
half with ten players, but in the end we scored three goals and a draw is
OK.
"Like I said before now, we in pre-season and we are working very hard and
we have had some tough training sessions and matches. The pitch was also not
in the best condition, but this is not an excuse and we must win this game.
"It was only 3-3, but the first half was not good. We were nervous for some
reason but in the second half our action was better and we scored some
goals. We had some good chances to win this game, but in the end it was only
a training game we must forget it very fast and concentrate on the future."
While West Ham went winless in their three-match German tour, adding a 1-0
defeat and 2-2 draw with Bundesliga team Werder Bremen to Tuesday's result,
Jurcevic urged fans not to be concerned ahead of the start of the new
Premier League season.
The Hammers travel to Iceland to face Manchester City on Friday before
returning to England for their top-flight opener at Manchester United on
Sunday 13 August, by which time they will have sharpened their game,
improved fitness and welcomed a number of injured players back.
"I can understand the supporters as they will normally not be happy with
this result," said Slaven Bilic's No2. "We are also not happy, but this is
only pre-season and many teams have different results in pre-season in
England, Germany and all the big leagues.
"Sometimes some big clubs play to draws against small clubs and it is not
something new in pre-season. We also played without some of our important
players and I am 100 per cent sure we will be better. I can say to our
supporters, don't be worried!
"Friday's game will be a very, very good test. We know how good Man City can
be but our first opponent in the Premier League is also good in Man United
so it will be a very good test for our team and I hope we will be good in
Iceland."
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Carlton Cole to be sacked by Indonesian club for not scoring
Last Updated: 01/08/17 11:52am
SSN
Former Premier League footballer Carlton Cole is likely to be sacked by
Indonesian club Persib, after failing to score a single goal this season.
The former West Ham striker, now 33, joined Persib in March but has not
impressed the club's manager Umuh Muchtar. Cole had signed a one-year deal
with the team which is owned by Indonesian businessman Erick Thohir, who is
also president of Italian giants Inter Milan.
Boss Muchtar said: "It's the management's decision to dismiss him, we will
have a new player in the second round of the season. "He plays very badly
compared to the other [foreign players] who have joined Persib. He had the
worst performance."
Bandung-based Persib compete in an 18-team league which was formed following
a row between Indonesia's sports ministry and their football association.
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Winston Reid sent-off for West Ham in pre-season friendly as former Man
United star Javier Hernandez makes debut
The Hammers defender was making his first appearance of pre-season following
injury but was sent off for two bookable offences against the German fourth
tier team
The Mirror
BYMARC ISAACS
19:56, 1 AUG 2017UPDATED20:25, 1 AUG 2017
West Ham defender Winston Reid was sent-off in a pre-season friendly against
German fourth tier team Altona 93. Reid could not believe his luck when the
referee brandished a red card on the stroke of half-time after he received
his second caution of the game for dissent. The New Zealand international
was shown his second yellow card for clapping at the referee and paid the
price as he was shown his marching orders. Slaven Bilic was not impressed as
Reid was making his first pre-season appearance following a shin injury
which forced him to miss the opening friendlies in Austria and Germany. The
talented defender has recently been linked with a move to Everton, but
despite this bizarre dismissal, Bilic will not want to lose his star
defender. The Hammers were forced to play half the game with ten-men and had
to settle for a 3-3 draw. The one positive consolation was big summer
signing Javier Hernandez making his debut for the club after he appeared as
late substitute. The former Manchester United star almost got on the
scoresheet as he took the ball round the keeper but saw his shot cleared off
the line.
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Former West Ham and Chelsea striker Carlton Cole axed by Indonesian side
Persib Bandung
Cole has had his contract terminated after a string of "very bad"
performances in which he failed to score a single goal
The Mirror
BYAARON FLANAGAN
12:15, 1 AUG 2017UPDATED12:18, 1 AUG 2017
Carlton Cole has been given the bullet by Indonesian side Persib Bandung.
The former West Ham striker moved to Asia in March but has been axed after
failing to score a single goal. Cole, who has been playing alongside his
former Chelsea team-mate Michael Essien at Persib, is has been criticised
for his "very bad" performances. The 33-year-old Londoner's last career goal
came in a cup game during his spell at Celtic in the 2015/16 season. He also
failed to score during a short stint at Sacramento Republic. Cole was only
on a 10-month contract with Persib. "It's the management's decision to
dismiss him, we will have a new player in the second round of the season,"
Persib manager Umuh Muchtar told AFP. "He plays very badly compared to the
other (foreign players) who have joined Persib. He had the worst
performance."
Ambitious Persib are owned by Inter Milan president Erick Thor. But they are
falling short of targets having won five of their 17 Liga 1 games so far
this season, scoring just 16 times.
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WEST HAM LEAD NEWCASTLE AND SWANSEA IN RACE FOR LIGUE 1 STAR
Ladbrokes.com
1 August 2017
A trio of Premier League clubs are fighting it out for Montpellier's star
winger Ryad Boudebouz. The 27-year-old enjoyed arguably his best year yet
last time out, scoring 11 times while supplying his team-mates on nine
further occasions. But the rest of his Montpellier squad offered little in
addition as the side slumped to a 15th-place finish in Ligue 1 last term.
And now it's believed Boudebouz could leave for a relative bargain at £15m.
West Ham United are leading the way at 2/1, as the Hammers search for a
successor to Dimitri Payet. Having already signed Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta,
Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez, landing Boudebouz would cap a fine
summer for the Hammers. But they'll face competition from Newcastle United
at 9/2, and Swansea City at 5/1. The Toon Army have spent less than half of
the £75m Rafa Benitez was reportedly promised this summer. And Swansea are
still sweating on the future of playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson. Should the
Icelander head for pastures new, Boudebouz could be the ideal solution for
the Welsh club. Spanish side Real Betis have reportedly launched a bid for
the versatile forward, but at £6m it's unlikely to be accepted by
Montpellier and our traders have the Basque club behind the Premier League
trio at 6/1. AC Milan (12/1) and Sevilla (16/1) are the outsiders in the
betting. Algerian international Boudebouz has only been with Montpellier for
two years, arriving from SC Bastia in 2015 for just £1.45m.
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Javier Hernandez in line to make West Ham debut against Atlona 93
ALEX YOUNG
Evening Standard
West Ham fans are expected to get their first glimpse of new signing Javier
Hernandez in Tuesday night's friendly against Altona 93. The striker
completed his £16million move from Bayer Leverkusen eight days ago and flew
out to Germany on Thursday to join his new team-mates on their pre-season
tour. Fellow new arrivals Joe Hart and Marko Arnautovic have already made
their bows, the latter scoring in a 2-2 draw with Werder Bremen on Saturday.
Hernandez has been working on his fitness over the weekend having missed
preparation time with Leverkusen due to his Confederations Cup commitments
with Mexico. Slaven Bilic is now ready to give 'Chicharito' his first run
out as a Hammer with their opening game of the Premier League season,
against Manchester United, just 12 days away.
Altona 93 are a fifth-tier German outfit and welcome West Ham to their
8,000-seater stadium on Tuesday evening, with kick-off scheduled for 5.30pm
BST.
West Ham then travel to Iceland's Laugardalsvollur national stadium to face
Manchester City on Friday.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
DO WE REALLY NEED TO BUY ANOTHER STRIKER OR SHOULD MARTINEZ BE GIVEN HIS
CHANCE?
By Iain Dale 1 Aug 2017 at 08:00
WTID
At the moment we have three recognised first team strikers in Javier
Hernandexz, Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho. Most people would agree that we
need four, even though in extremis Michail Antonio and Andre Ayew can both
play in a central striking role if necessary. I don't know how many of you
saw Toni Martinez's (pictired) well taken header against Werder Bremen on
Saturday, but given the number of goals he was scoring for the Under 23s,
you just wonder if rather than being sent out on loan again, he might now
graduate to a first team role.
We are continually linked with a move for Andre Gray, who scored 9 goals in
32 games for Burnley last season. He certainly scored some cracking goals
and has always had a good goals to games ratio in the lower leagues. A
friend of mine who goes to every Burnley game, home and away thinks Gray is
vastly overrated and is basically a championship player. He'd be delighted
if we parted with £15 million for him and thinks Burnley would be robbing
us. Wolves are now said to be trying to sign him.
Given that our outgoings in this transfer windown haven't been massive,
there is still money in the pot. I wonder whether we are going to be
surprised by a marquee signing – one that would really make people sit up
and take notice. I imagine Ross Barckley is out of our league, but what a
signing he would be. Everton are quoting £50 million for him, but given he's
in his last year there, pundits reckon he would cost £30 million. Trouble
is, it's difficult to see where he would fit in. Lanzini is getting better
with every game and has replaced Payet in the playmaker role. To me, they
are too similar to play in the same team, but then again what do I know?
Slaven Bilic rarely plays with two strikers unless we are chasing the game
so it's difficult to see him blowing the rest of his transfer budget on a
top class striker, but I just don't see the point in buying a player like
Andre Gray who would no doubt be very unhappy to warm the bench. However, we
know that both Sakho and Carroll are injury prone, and we know that if
either could be sold in this transfer window they would be. Sakho would
bring in £7-10 million, while Carroll might get a bit more than that. Put
that with what remains in the kitty and you've probably got enough for a top
class striker.
I have no idea which of these scenarios come to pass, but whatever happens,
I'd like to see Toni Martinez given a chance this season. He's a great size
for a central striker and really looks the part. He's just turned twenty and
is keen to make an impression. I hope he starts tomorrow's friendly in
Germany.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham youngster Toni Martinez hails Andre Ayew assist in Werder Bremen
stalemate
Published on: 01 August 2017
GhanaSoccernet.com
West Ham striker Toni Martinez has lauded Ghana international Andre Ayew for
an excellent cross providing him with an assist in their 2-2 stalemate with
Bundesliga side Werder Bremen in a pre-season game. The Spanish youngster
shot his side ahead after heading home a beautiful finish from Andre Ayew's
cross after coming on as a substitute. The striker who is overly excited for
fetching his first goal for The Hammers has described the cross from the
Black Stars deputy skipper as an excellent assist. "It was a good cross from
[Andre] Ayew and good play from Marko [Arnautovic] too, it was a nice cross
and I put the ball in the net," he told the club's website. Martinez who was
promoted to the first team from The Hammers from their junior side says he
wants to score more. "It's amazing [to score]. It was a great game, we are
working hard to be strong for the first game in the league and we will keep
working hard. "I am happy to stay with the first team and I am grateful for
my opportunities. I wish for more opportunities for sure. I am really happy
to score my first goal for the first team. I thank my team mates for this.
The 20-year old scored 14 goals for the club's under 23's last season.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham United should look at Andriy Yarmolenko
HITC
Shane Callaghan
West Ham United need a creative outlet - and Andriy Yarmolenko is perfect.
Stoke City are interested in signing Dynamo Kiev star Andriy Yarmolenko,
according to The Mirror. But should West Ham United throw their hat into the
ring and try bring him to East London? Andriy Yarmolenko of Ukraine in
action the UEFA EURO 2016 Group C match between Ukraine and Poland at Stade
Velodrome on June 21, 2016 in Marseille, France. The Hammers hardly need a
winger after smashing their club record to sign Marko Arnautovic for £24
million, while Slaven Bilic also has Michail Antonio. However, Yarmolenko,
who netted 19 goals last season and set up another 10, is also capable of
playing the number 10 role and West Ham are crying out for a creative spark
since Robert Snodgrass proved himself a tame successor for Dimitri Payet.
Having said that, Antonio missed 12 Premier League matches last term, at two
different times of the season, and Bilic could also do with a back-up on the
right wing if the 27-year-old's problems persist into next season.
The Ukraine international is, in truth, a class act who would certainly add
something to the Irons' attack and if his £14.3 million valuation on
Transfermarkt is accurate then Bilic should ask about him. In addition to
the expensive Arnautovic, Bilic has also pulled off a big-money deal to
bring in Javier Hernandez, who will earn around £140,000 per week in the
capital, so it remains to be seen if such funds are still available to the
Croat.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'Welcome to London' Javier Hernandez reveals stunning WAG
WEST Ham's newest signing Javier Hernandez barely had his feet under the
table at the London Stadium before announcing his stunning new WAG.
Daily Star
By Jamie Micklethwaite / Published 1st August 2017
Hernandez has returned to the UK following two years playing for Bayer
Leverkusen in Germany. And it was believed the diminutive striker was on the
market after splitting up with long-term girlfriend Lucia Villalon. But
Hernandez, nicknamed Chicharito, teased his followers after posting pictures
of himself on a date with a mystery woman. This was later revealed to be
stunning Spanish actress Andrea Duro. Andrea, who is best known for her role
in Spanish TV series Love in Difficult Times, has 173,000 followers on
Instagram who have already let her know how jealous they are of the Mexican.
Cayuvvs wrote: "Chicharito 1 - rest of your fans 0."
The former Man United hitman spoke of his joy after signing for the Irons
for £16 million. He said: "The Premier League is the best league in the
world and when the opportunity came, I was desperate to sign for this club.
"West Ham is historic and very ambitious. "I've had three fantastic years
playing in Spain and Germany, but England was really the first big chapter
in my career and I am so happy to be back."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
West Ham United can confirm that Reece Burke and Josh Cullen have joined
Championship club Bolton Wanderers on a five-month loan agreement. The Youth
Academy graduates will spend the first half of the 2017/18 campaign with the
newly-promoted Trotters, having flown back at the weekend from the Hammers'
pre-season training camp in Germany.
Reece, 20, and Josh, 21, trained with their new team-mates for the first
time today, ahead of Bolton's Championship opener against Leeds United at
the Macron Stadium on Sunday, which is to be televised live on Sky Sports.
The deal sees the pair reunited with Bolton boss Phil Parkinson, who managed
both during their loan spells at Bradford City during the 2015/16 season.
Central defender Burke, who won the Player of the Season award at Valley
Parade that year, subsequently spent last season on loan at Wigan Athletic,
while midfielder Cullen enjoyed another successful spell with Bradford,
reaching the League One Play-Off final at Wembley, where they narrowly lost
out to Millwall.
The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international heads to Bolton having
yesterday signed a new three-year contract at London Stadium, and manager
Slaven Bilic believes that both players will benefit greatly from the
experience. Bilic says: "This is a perfect opportunity for Reece and Josh to
continue the fantastic progress they have made in recent seasons. "They are
both very promising young players, who have shown that they have the right
attitude, temperament and quality to have a successful future at West Ham
United if they continue in the same manner. "I have been really impressed
with the impact they have made with us during pre-season but it is important
that they continue to play serious, competitive football at this stage of
their development. "I have had a few good, long chats with them both
recently – they know what they have to do, and we agreed that playing
regularly at this level will be far more beneficial for them. "The
Championship will give them the opportunity to test themselves against teams
and players who will be fighting to get to the Premier League, and it will
be a great experience for them. "Bolton are a good club with an excellent
manager in Phil Parkinson, who knows both Reece and Josh well, and we will
be keeping a very close eye on their progress. "I wish them all the very
best in this adventure, and we look forward to welcoming them back to the
Club next year."
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Betway to donate pre-season shirt sponsorship to DT38 Foundation
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's principal sponsor Betway will donate its front of shirt
sponsorship to The DT38 Foundation during the upcoming pre-season clash with
Manchester City on Friday 4 August.
The leading online bookmaker is working in conjunction with DT38 and the
Club in a bid to raise awareness of men's health issues, with a particular
focus on testicular cancer.
Shirts from the pre-season friendly, which takes place in Iceland on 4
August, will then be signed by the players and auctioned off by DT38 after
the game to raise valuable funds for the foundation.
The DT38 Foundation was launched in 2015 in memory of West Ham Academy
starlet Dylan Tombides, who lost his three-year battle with testicular
cancer in April 2014, at the age of 20.
Karren Brady, Vice-Chairman of West Ham United, said: "It's fantastic that
our exceptional principal sponsors Betway care about all aspects of the Club
and its supporters, and we are very grateful to them for choosing to replace
their sponsorship with DT38 for the game against Manchester City in Iceland.
We really hope it can raise awareness of a wonderful person and a truly
worthy cause.
"A hugely popular figure among his teammates, coaches, backroom staff,
supporters and opponents alike, Dylan was loved and respected throughout the
football community, and is hugely missed by all at West Ham United.
"The way he battled his disease was truly inspirational, as is his wonderful
family's courage in the face of such adversity. The valuable work they are
doing in Dylan's name is absolutely incredible and a fitting way to ensure
Dylan's legacy continues to inspire others every day."
Anthony Werkman, Betway's Director of Marketing and Operations, said: "The
DT38 Foundation is a charity close to the hearts of everybody involved with
West Ham United and it is a great honour to be able to help such a worthy
cause raise not only valuable funds but also awareness.
"It's important to support the incredible work the foundation is doing to
raise awareness of such important health issues and we're absolutely
thrilled to donate our front shirt sponsorship for the game against
Manchester City."
Tracy Tombides, mother of Dylan, added: "It's a proud day for the DT38
family. Thank you to Betway and West Ham United for supporting our mission
to raise awareness and change the stigma associated with men's health issues
with a focus on testicular cancer.
"Having the team wear DT38 on their strips will allow the DT38 message to
spread to a whole new audience and to help ensure men all over the world
know the importance of conducting regular self- examinations of their
testicles and seeking ultrasound advice should they find any abnormalities."
For further information about The DT38 Foundation visit www.dt38.org
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ogbonna: West Ham have got winners in our dressing room
WHUFC.com
Angelo Ogbonna believes the presence of 'winners' in the dressing room will
give West Ham United a massive boost this coming Premier League season. The
Italy international won back-to-back Serie A titles and reached the UEFA
Champions League final during his two seasons with Juventus between 2013-15.
The centre-back has since been joined in east London by a succession of
players who have also lifted trophies during their own careers – UEFA Euro
2016 champion Jose Fonte, two-time French League Cup winner Andre Ayew and
Manuel Lanzini, who won three league titles during his time in Brazil and
Argentina. This summer, double Premier League winners Joe Hart, Pablo
Zabaleta and Chicharito have joined them at London Stadium, giving Ogbonna
even more optimism for the 2017/18 campaign ahead. "I think it's very
important to have winners at the Club," the No21 confirmed, "and we have a
lot of international players who have won things, not only our new signings
but also players like Fonte, Ayew and Lanzini. "This is important for us
because these players bring an open and positive mentality. This is the best
thing, because you can look forward to what you want to achieve. "We have
signed experienced players and that's the most important thing for the Club.
They are used to winning things and will bring that to the dressing room, so
we can learn from them."
Ogbonna's two seasons in Claret and Blue have been wildly contrasting. The
2015/16 campaign saw the Hammers challenge for a top-four finish and qualify
for the UEFA Europa League. However, last term was a different story, with
West Ham struggling in the bottom half of the Premier League table for much
of the season before rallying to finish eleventh in May. The 29-year-old is
himself returning after knee surgery ruled him out for much of the second
half of last season, and does not believe setting lofty personal or team
targets is a sensible course of action. Instead, he is hoping the presence
of four top-class signings – Marko Arnautovic being the fourth member of the
quartet – will help the Hammers to improve on their 2016/17 showing. "We
want to show ourselves better than last season and I think the Board have
done well and we have signed good players," he continued. "That is a big
motivation, not just for us but for everyone around, like fans and for the
Club as well. "I think my idea is to start over this new season so that
step-by-step we don't need to make the same mistakes like we did last
season. We don't need to talk about finishing higher or top-four, but we
need to do better than last season. "We need to concentrate on our work –
this is very important."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers star Chicharito reveals his shirt number
WHUFC.com
Chicharito will wear the No17 shirt for West Ham United.
The Mexico superstar has picked the squad number after completing his
eagerly-anticipated move from Bayer Leverkusen a week ago.
The 29-year-old, who has previously worn the No14 and No7 shirts during his
prolific career, will don the No17 for the first time in Tuesday's
pre-season match with Altona 93 in Hamburg, Germany.
Chicharito wore the No14 for Mexico at both the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup
finals, as well as for the duration of his five-season stay at Old Trafford
and his 2014/15 loan spell at Real Madrid.
The striker then took the No7 for his two years in Leverkusen, where
Switzerland international Admir Mehmedi was already in possession of the
No14 shirt.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ten-man Hammers held by Altona 93 in Hamburg
WHUFC.com
Ten-man West Ham United came from behind three times to share an
entertaining 3-3 draw with Altona 93 in Hamburg on Tuesday evening.
Slaven Bilic's side handed a debut to Chicharito and welcomed back Winston
Reid from injury, only for the latter to be shown a red card at the
Adolf-Jager Kampfbahn.
However, goals from Toni Martinez and Andre Ayew and a Joshua Du Preez
own-goal seconds after the Mexican's introduction ensured West Ham shared
the spoils with their German hosts.
Altona, who warmed up to the sound of a chart-full of heavy metal hits,
rocked their Premier League visitors inside five minutes. Pedro Obiang was
penalised for a foul 30 yards out and Nick Brisevac arrowed the resulting
free-kick around the wall and beyond Adrian's full-length dive.
The stadium announcer was midway through congratulating the former Germany
U16 international when Martinez fired the Hammers level. Captain Reid – back
after recovering from shin surgery – pumped a long ball down the right
touchline and the Spaniard outstripped his marker, cut inside and sent a
rasping left-foot shot into the roof of the net.
The Altona fans among the capacity crowd were silenced, but not for long as
first Dennis Thiessen, then Marco Schultz fired low efforts wide of the
target. Clearly full of energy and determined to upset their illustrious
guests the Regionalliga Nord side kept coming, with Samuel Hosseini heading
Schultz's teasing cross alarmingly close to Adrian's far post.
Martinez flashed a low shot wide, but it was Altona who continued to look
the more threatening, and it was Thiessen who curled the Germans back into
the lead with an exquisite 25-yarder. It could have been 3-1 before the
break too, but Milaim Buzhala volleyed Thiessen's deep cross over the top
from ten yards.
West Ham's night went from bad to worse when the returning Reid, who had
been booked just after Thiessen's goal for dissent, repeated the offence and
was sent-off after being whistled for a push inside the Altona box and was
sent-off on the stroke of half-time.
Altona changed nine of their outfield players at the break and also
introduced a third goalkeeper, while Bilic opted to make two alterations of
his own – Jose Fonte and Arthur Masuaku replacing Robert Snodgrass and Aaron
Cresswell.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, the Hammers were an improved team
after the break and levelled within eight minutes of the restart when Andre
Ayew smashed a bouncing through ball past the third stopper Tobias Grubba.
It was only a temporary respite, however, as Serhat Cayir lifted a diagonal
free-kick into the penalty area and the ball dropped to centre-half Darius
Stode, who prodded past Adrian.
The game was now end-to-end and, after Ayew had been fouled, Marko
Arnautovic rattled the base of the post with a long-range free-kick.
Chicharito arrived with 20 minutes to go and his impact was immediate as the
impressive Sam Byram raced down the right and crossed. The new boy drew two
defenders, allowing the unmarked Nathan Holland too shoot, and the ball
bounced into the net via a deflection off unlucky goalkeeper Joshua Du
Preez. The new No17 then played in Edimilson Fernandes, but the Swiss
dragged his shot wide.
Altona were not done, though, as Adrian raced from his line to deny the home
side's 13th substitute Tobias Lechler. Moments later, the No7 nicked the
ball off the toe of Pedro Obiang but dragged his shot wide.
The stage was set for Chicharito to net the winner when he went clean
through with three minutes remaining, only to round Du Preez and see his
shot cleared off the line by Jakob Sachs.
Then, with seconds to go, the Mexican had his heels clipped inside the
Altona penalty area, stayed on his feet and flashed a shot wide.
That proved to be the final chance of a frenetic game and West Ham's
three-match visit to Germany.
The Hammers will complete their pre-season schedule by taking on Manchester
City in Iceland on Friday afternoon.
Altona 93: Grundmann (Matthai 27, Grubba 46, Du Preez 61), Aniteye (Stode
46), Yilmaz (Kunter 46), Hosseini (Lechler 74), Buzhala (Holz 46), Brisevac
(Wachowski 46), Rettstadt (Cayir 46), Hinze (Edeling 46), Novotny (Sachs
46), Schultz (Correia Ca 46), Thiessen (Hadid 46, Schultz 83)
Goals: Brisevac 5, Thiessen 39, Stode 58
West Ham United: Adrian, Zabaleta (Byram 57), Reid ©, Ogbonna (Rice 57),
Cresswell (Masuaku 46), Obiang, Fernandes, Arnautovic (Holland 67),
Snodgrass (Fonte 46), Ayew (Makasi 70), Martinez (Chicharito 70)
Sub not used: Hart (GK)
Goals: Martinez 6, Ayew 53, Du Preez 72(own-goal)
Sent-off: Reid 42
Attendance: 5,000
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jurcevic: Chicharito debut gives us a feel of things to come
WHUFC.com
Assistant manager Nikola Jurcevic believes Chicharito will be a 'really
important player' for West Ham United after the Mexico star made an
eye-catching debut in Germany.
The new No17 played for just 20 minutes against Altona 93 in Hamburg, but
could easily have scored two goals, assisted another and won a penalty for
his side during an exciting cameo.
Speaking to whufc.com, Jurcevic felt both the striker and his new teammates
would have benefitted hugely from spending game-time together on the pitch
during a 3-3 draw at the Adolf-Jager-Kampfbahn.
"He was a plus point from this game," Jurcevic told whufc.com. "He spent a
few days with us and played about 20 minutes which was very important for
him to feel how he will play with West Ham United.
"In this moment he is not 100 per cent physically fit, but he is working
hard and for him it was very important for him to play 20 minutes. He showed
in that short time that he is a very different offensive player.
"He likes to have the ball in space, he is always on the offside line and I
think he will be a really important player for us."
While the performance of Chicharito was promising, the Hammers had to work
hard for their share of the spoils with fourth-tier Altona 93. The hosts led
three times, while West Ham also lost Winston Reid to a red card seconds
before half-time.
"It was a very difficult evening," he admitted. "We did very hard sessions
over the last two days and our opponent was also very good and a very tough
team.
"We started not so good. We conceded a few goals and also played the second
half with ten players, but in the end we scored three goals and a draw is
OK.
"Like I said before now, we in pre-season and we are working very hard and
we have had some tough training sessions and matches. The pitch was also not
in the best condition, but this is not an excuse and we must win this game.
"It was only 3-3, but the first half was not good. We were nervous for some
reason but in the second half our action was better and we scored some
goals. We had some good chances to win this game, but in the end it was only
a training game we must forget it very fast and concentrate on the future."
While West Ham went winless in their three-match German tour, adding a 1-0
defeat and 2-2 draw with Bundesliga team Werder Bremen to Tuesday's result,
Jurcevic urged fans not to be concerned ahead of the start of the new
Premier League season.
The Hammers travel to Iceland to face Manchester City on Friday before
returning to England for their top-flight opener at Manchester United on
Sunday 13 August, by which time they will have sharpened their game,
improved fitness and welcomed a number of injured players back.
"I can understand the supporters as they will normally not be happy with
this result," said Slaven Bilic's No2. "We are also not happy, but this is
only pre-season and many teams have different results in pre-season in
England, Germany and all the big leagues.
"Sometimes some big clubs play to draws against small clubs and it is not
something new in pre-season. We also played without some of our important
players and I am 100 per cent sure we will be better. I can say to our
supporters, don't be worried!
"Friday's game will be a very, very good test. We know how good Man City can
be but our first opponent in the Premier League is also good in Man United
so it will be a very good test for our team and I hope we will be good in
Iceland."
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Carlton Cole to be sacked by Indonesian club for not scoring
Last Updated: 01/08/17 11:52am
SSN
Former Premier League footballer Carlton Cole is likely to be sacked by
Indonesian club Persib, after failing to score a single goal this season.
The former West Ham striker, now 33, joined Persib in March but has not
impressed the club's manager Umuh Muchtar. Cole had signed a one-year deal
with the team which is owned by Indonesian businessman Erick Thohir, who is
also president of Italian giants Inter Milan.
Boss Muchtar said: "It's the management's decision to dismiss him, we will
have a new player in the second round of the season. "He plays very badly
compared to the other [foreign players] who have joined Persib. He had the
worst performance."
Bandung-based Persib compete in an 18-team league which was formed following
a row between Indonesia's sports ministry and their football association.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Winston Reid sent-off for West Ham in pre-season friendly as former Man
United star Javier Hernandez makes debut
The Hammers defender was making his first appearance of pre-season following
injury but was sent off for two bookable offences against the German fourth
tier team
The Mirror
BYMARC ISAACS
19:56, 1 AUG 2017UPDATED20:25, 1 AUG 2017
West Ham defender Winston Reid was sent-off in a pre-season friendly against
German fourth tier team Altona 93. Reid could not believe his luck when the
referee brandished a red card on the stroke of half-time after he received
his second caution of the game for dissent. The New Zealand international
was shown his second yellow card for clapping at the referee and paid the
price as he was shown his marching orders. Slaven Bilic was not impressed as
Reid was making his first pre-season appearance following a shin injury
which forced him to miss the opening friendlies in Austria and Germany. The
talented defender has recently been linked with a move to Everton, but
despite this bizarre dismissal, Bilic will not want to lose his star
defender. The Hammers were forced to play half the game with ten-men and had
to settle for a 3-3 draw. The one positive consolation was big summer
signing Javier Hernandez making his debut for the club after he appeared as
late substitute. The former Manchester United star almost got on the
scoresheet as he took the ball round the keeper but saw his shot cleared off
the line.
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Former West Ham and Chelsea striker Carlton Cole axed by Indonesian side
Persib Bandung
Cole has had his contract terminated after a string of "very bad"
performances in which he failed to score a single goal
The Mirror
BYAARON FLANAGAN
12:15, 1 AUG 2017UPDATED12:18, 1 AUG 2017
Carlton Cole has been given the bullet by Indonesian side Persib Bandung.
The former West Ham striker moved to Asia in March but has been axed after
failing to score a single goal. Cole, who has been playing alongside his
former Chelsea team-mate Michael Essien at Persib, is has been criticised
for his "very bad" performances. The 33-year-old Londoner's last career goal
came in a cup game during his spell at Celtic in the 2015/16 season. He also
failed to score during a short stint at Sacramento Republic. Cole was only
on a 10-month contract with Persib. "It's the management's decision to
dismiss him, we will have a new player in the second round of the season,"
Persib manager Umuh Muchtar told AFP. "He plays very badly compared to the
other (foreign players) who have joined Persib. He had the worst
performance."
Ambitious Persib are owned by Inter Milan president Erick Thor. But they are
falling short of targets having won five of their 17 Liga 1 games so far
this season, scoring just 16 times.
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WEST HAM LEAD NEWCASTLE AND SWANSEA IN RACE FOR LIGUE 1 STAR
Ladbrokes.com
1 August 2017
A trio of Premier League clubs are fighting it out for Montpellier's star
winger Ryad Boudebouz. The 27-year-old enjoyed arguably his best year yet
last time out, scoring 11 times while supplying his team-mates on nine
further occasions. But the rest of his Montpellier squad offered little in
addition as the side slumped to a 15th-place finish in Ligue 1 last term.
And now it's believed Boudebouz could leave for a relative bargain at £15m.
West Ham United are leading the way at 2/1, as the Hammers search for a
successor to Dimitri Payet. Having already signed Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta,
Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez, landing Boudebouz would cap a fine
summer for the Hammers. But they'll face competition from Newcastle United
at 9/2, and Swansea City at 5/1. The Toon Army have spent less than half of
the £75m Rafa Benitez was reportedly promised this summer. And Swansea are
still sweating on the future of playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson. Should the
Icelander head for pastures new, Boudebouz could be the ideal solution for
the Welsh club. Spanish side Real Betis have reportedly launched a bid for
the versatile forward, but at £6m it's unlikely to be accepted by
Montpellier and our traders have the Basque club behind the Premier League
trio at 6/1. AC Milan (12/1) and Sevilla (16/1) are the outsiders in the
betting. Algerian international Boudebouz has only been with Montpellier for
two years, arriving from SC Bastia in 2015 for just £1.45m.
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Javier Hernandez in line to make West Ham debut against Atlona 93
ALEX YOUNG
Evening Standard
West Ham fans are expected to get their first glimpse of new signing Javier
Hernandez in Tuesday night's friendly against Altona 93. The striker
completed his £16million move from Bayer Leverkusen eight days ago and flew
out to Germany on Thursday to join his new team-mates on their pre-season
tour. Fellow new arrivals Joe Hart and Marko Arnautovic have already made
their bows, the latter scoring in a 2-2 draw with Werder Bremen on Saturday.
Hernandez has been working on his fitness over the weekend having missed
preparation time with Leverkusen due to his Confederations Cup commitments
with Mexico. Slaven Bilic is now ready to give 'Chicharito' his first run
out as a Hammer with their opening game of the Premier League season,
against Manchester United, just 12 days away.
Altona 93 are a fifth-tier German outfit and welcome West Ham to their
8,000-seater stadium on Tuesday evening, with kick-off scheduled for 5.30pm
BST.
West Ham then travel to Iceland's Laugardalsvollur national stadium to face
Manchester City on Friday.
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DO WE REALLY NEED TO BUY ANOTHER STRIKER OR SHOULD MARTINEZ BE GIVEN HIS
CHANCE?
By Iain Dale 1 Aug 2017 at 08:00
WTID
At the moment we have three recognised first team strikers in Javier
Hernandexz, Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho. Most people would agree that we
need four, even though in extremis Michail Antonio and Andre Ayew can both
play in a central striking role if necessary. I don't know how many of you
saw Toni Martinez's (pictired) well taken header against Werder Bremen on
Saturday, but given the number of goals he was scoring for the Under 23s,
you just wonder if rather than being sent out on loan again, he might now
graduate to a first team role.
We are continually linked with a move for Andre Gray, who scored 9 goals in
32 games for Burnley last season. He certainly scored some cracking goals
and has always had a good goals to games ratio in the lower leagues. A
friend of mine who goes to every Burnley game, home and away thinks Gray is
vastly overrated and is basically a championship player. He'd be delighted
if we parted with £15 million for him and thinks Burnley would be robbing
us. Wolves are now said to be trying to sign him.
Given that our outgoings in this transfer windown haven't been massive,
there is still money in the pot. I wonder whether we are going to be
surprised by a marquee signing – one that would really make people sit up
and take notice. I imagine Ross Barckley is out of our league, but what a
signing he would be. Everton are quoting £50 million for him, but given he's
in his last year there, pundits reckon he would cost £30 million. Trouble
is, it's difficult to see where he would fit in. Lanzini is getting better
with every game and has replaced Payet in the playmaker role. To me, they
are too similar to play in the same team, but then again what do I know?
Slaven Bilic rarely plays with two strikers unless we are chasing the game
so it's difficult to see him blowing the rest of his transfer budget on a
top class striker, but I just don't see the point in buying a player like
Andre Gray who would no doubt be very unhappy to warm the bench. However, we
know that both Sakho and Carroll are injury prone, and we know that if
either could be sold in this transfer window they would be. Sakho would
bring in £7-10 million, while Carroll might get a bit more than that. Put
that with what remains in the kitty and you've probably got enough for a top
class striker.
I have no idea which of these scenarios come to pass, but whatever happens,
I'd like to see Toni Martinez given a chance this season. He's a great size
for a central striker and really looks the part. He's just turned twenty and
is keen to make an impression. I hope he starts tomorrow's friendly in
Germany.
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West Ham youngster Toni Martinez hails Andre Ayew assist in Werder Bremen
stalemate
Published on: 01 August 2017
GhanaSoccernet.com
West Ham striker Toni Martinez has lauded Ghana international Andre Ayew for
an excellent cross providing him with an assist in their 2-2 stalemate with
Bundesliga side Werder Bremen in a pre-season game. The Spanish youngster
shot his side ahead after heading home a beautiful finish from Andre Ayew's
cross after coming on as a substitute. The striker who is overly excited for
fetching his first goal for The Hammers has described the cross from the
Black Stars deputy skipper as an excellent assist. "It was a good cross from
[Andre] Ayew and good play from Marko [Arnautovic] too, it was a nice cross
and I put the ball in the net," he told the club's website. Martinez who was
promoted to the first team from The Hammers from their junior side says he
wants to score more. "It's amazing [to score]. It was a great game, we are
working hard to be strong for the first game in the league and we will keep
working hard. "I am happy to stay with the first team and I am grateful for
my opportunities. I wish for more opportunities for sure. I am really happy
to score my first goal for the first team. I thank my team mates for this.
The 20-year old scored 14 goals for the club's under 23's last season.
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West Ham United should look at Andriy Yarmolenko
HITC
Shane Callaghan
West Ham United need a creative outlet - and Andriy Yarmolenko is perfect.
Stoke City are interested in signing Dynamo Kiev star Andriy Yarmolenko,
according to The Mirror. But should West Ham United throw their hat into the
ring and try bring him to East London? Andriy Yarmolenko of Ukraine in
action the UEFA EURO 2016 Group C match between Ukraine and Poland at Stade
Velodrome on June 21, 2016 in Marseille, France. The Hammers hardly need a
winger after smashing their club record to sign Marko Arnautovic for £24
million, while Slaven Bilic also has Michail Antonio. However, Yarmolenko,
who netted 19 goals last season and set up another 10, is also capable of
playing the number 10 role and West Ham are crying out for a creative spark
since Robert Snodgrass proved himself a tame successor for Dimitri Payet.
Having said that, Antonio missed 12 Premier League matches last term, at two
different times of the season, and Bilic could also do with a back-up on the
right wing if the 27-year-old's problems persist into next season.
The Ukraine international is, in truth, a class act who would certainly add
something to the Irons' attack and if his £14.3 million valuation on
Transfermarkt is accurate then Bilic should ask about him. In addition to
the expensive Arnautovic, Bilic has also pulled off a big-money deal to
bring in Javier Hernandez, who will earn around £140,000 per week in the
capital, so it remains to be seen if such funds are still available to the
Croat.
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'Welcome to London' Javier Hernandez reveals stunning WAG
WEST Ham's newest signing Javier Hernandez barely had his feet under the
table at the London Stadium before announcing his stunning new WAG.
Daily Star
By Jamie Micklethwaite / Published 1st August 2017
Hernandez has returned to the UK following two years playing for Bayer
Leverkusen in Germany. And it was believed the diminutive striker was on the
market after splitting up with long-term girlfriend Lucia Villalon. But
Hernandez, nicknamed Chicharito, teased his followers after posting pictures
of himself on a date with a mystery woman. This was later revealed to be
stunning Spanish actress Andrea Duro. Andrea, who is best known for her role
in Spanish TV series Love in Difficult Times, has 173,000 followers on
Instagram who have already let her know how jealous they are of the Mexican.
Cayuvvs wrote: "Chicharito 1 - rest of your fans 0."
The former Man United hitman spoke of his joy after signing for the Irons
for £16 million. He said: "The Premier League is the best league in the
world and when the opportunity came, I was desperate to sign for this club.
"West Ham is historic and very ambitious. "I've had three fantastic years
playing in Spain and Germany, but England was really the first big chapter
in my career and I am so happy to be back."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Tuesday, August 1
Daily WHUFC News - 1st August 2017
Altona 93 v West Ham United: All you need to know
WHUFC.com
West Ham United play the third and final fixture of their pre-season visit to Germany when they take on Altona 93 in Hamburg on Tuesday evening.
The Hammers will tackle their Regionalliga Nord opponents at the Adolf-Jäger-Kampfbahn stadium at 6.30pm local time (5.30pm BST), seeking to build on their encouraging performance in Saturday's 2-2 Betway Cup draw with Werder Bremen.
Here, we let you know where to watch, who will be in action and much more about West Ham's penultimate pre-season fixture...
Where and when?
Altona 93 v West Ham United, Tuesday 2 August 2017, 6.30pm, Adolf-Jäger-Kampfbahn, Griegstraße 62, 22763, Hamburg, Germany
Where to watch?
Fans can follow the game on Twitter at @westhamutd. A full report, reaction and highlights will be available on whufc.com. Tuesday's match will also be shown live by Premier Sports from 5.30pm.
Matchday squads
Altona 93: Du Preez, Aniteye, Correia Ca, Yilmaz, Wachowski, Hosseini, Lechler, Hinze, Sachs, Brisevac, Kunter, Holz, Rettstadt, Dogan, Novotny, Grundmann, Cayir, Schultz, Siebert, Edeling, Matthai, Thiessen, Grubba, Buzhala
West Ham United: Adrian, Hart, Matrevics, Byram, Zabaleta, Cresswell, Masuaku, Collins, Ogbonna, Fonte, Reid, Burke, Rice, Makasi, Lanzini, Snodgrass, Obiang, Fernandes, Cullen, Holland, Arnautovic, Ayew, Martinez, Chicharito
Team news
West Ham United could hand a first appearance to Mexico star Chicharito in Hamburg, with the striker in line to pull on a Claret and Blue shirt after working hard on his fitness over the weekend. The Hammers also welcome Winston Reid back into the matchday squad for the first time in pre-season. The New Zealand defender is back to fitness after recovering from the shin surgery he underwent just prior to the end of last season. Striker Diafra Sakho is back in training but will not be involved, while Mark Noble is still ruled out with a minor toe injury.
Meet the opposition
Altonaer FC von 1893 was originally formed as Altonaer Cricket Club in Hamburg 124 years ago. The football team is a department of a larger sports club which also offers handball, karate, table tennis, and volleyball.
Altona is one of Germany's oldest football clubs and were founder members of the Altona-Hamburg football league formed in 1894, as well as one of the founding clubs of the German Football Association (DfB) in Leipzig in 1900. Three years later, Altona hosted the first-ever German national championship final played between VfB Leipzig and DFC Prague.
Altona themselves were Northern German champions twice in their early years and have won the Hamburg Cup on four occasions. They now ply their trade in the Regionalliga Nord (Germany's fourth tier) after winning promotion from the Oberliga Hamburg last season.
Player to watch
Chicharito could make his first appearance in a West Ham United shirt in front of a sell-out crowd at Altona 93's 8,000-capacity Adolf-Jäger-Kampfbahn stadium on Tuesday evening.
The Mexico striker joined up with his new teammates in Germany last Thursday afternoon and has trained hard over the weekend to get up to speed, having returned to pre-season late after appearing at the FIFA Confederations Cup.
Unsurprisingly, Chicharito has never featured in a match against Altona 93, but he did play against their local rivals Hamburger SV three times for Bayer Leverkusen over the previous two seasons - and never ended on the losing side.
Previous meeting
West Ham United have never faced Altona 93 before, but the Hammers were in the Hamburg area as recently as July 2013.
Sam Allardyce's side took on the city's Bundesliga representatives Hamburger SV in the town of Flensburg, 100 miles north on border with Denmark.
Alou Diarra, James Tomkins and Ravel Morrison scored the goals in a 3-1 win, with winger Matt Jarvis providing the assists for all three. Of the current squad, James Collins, Winston Reid and Mark Noble all appeared.
Did you know?
Altona 93 have a special relationship with south London club Dulwich Hamlet dating back nearly 100 years. Initially created by supporters, the close ties between the two see regular friendly matches played in both England and Germany
Altona 93's manager since 2015 is Berkan Algan, a former Turkey and Germany U21 international who was born in Hamburg and enjoyed a long and nomadic playing career with a host of clubs in northern Germany. He had two spells with Altona as a player, scoring 26 goals in 66 games from midfield
Altona 93's stadium is named in honour of their legendary striker Adolf Jäger, who spent 21 years with the club between 1907 and 1927, playing more than 700 games and reputedly scoring more than 2,000 goals. He was a member of the German Olympic squad in 1912, scoring his country's only goal. Jäger died during World War II, while working to defuse Allied bombs in Hamburg.
How to get there
From Hamburg Hauptbanhof, take the S-Bahn line 3 six stops westbound to Hamburg-Altona. The journey should take about 12 minutes. From there, your best option is to walk the 1.2 miles along Ottenser Hauptstraße, Große Brunnenstraße, Behringstraße and Griegstraße or
How to buy tickets
The match is an 8,000 sell out!
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Declan Rice admits rise to Hammers prominence has been a 'bit mad'
WHUFC.com
Declan Rice admits his rise from teenage unknown to Premier League footballer has been 'a bit mad' but is determined to keep his focus on his next target – regular top-flight football. Still just 18, Rice has had quite a year. He captained the U23s to promotion and made his Premier League debut in May, before being called-up to the Republic of Ireland senior squad for the first time. Slaven Bilic then included him in the first-team squad for the pre-season training camps in Austria and Germany, where he has appeared in all four matches and even filled a deep-lying midfield role in two Betway Cup ties with Werder Bremen.
"I think I have done very well," said Rice, whose confidence should not be mistaken for arrogance, but rather a belief in his own ability. "I have been very happy with myself in training and I think I have made an impression in games. "Having players around like Mark Noble and James Collins, they just keep egging me on to do better and better and keep getting better, giving me confidence to perform. "Now I have played in midfield in two games I have started to feel a lot more comfortable there. Obviously, centre-back is my favourite position but it is good that I can play in both roles. "I have to keep level-headed, keep focused, keep working hard in training every single day and hopefully the manager gives me my chance. "My next target is to start in the Premier League, that's what I am aiming for. I'll play wherever the manager puts me, centre back or centre midfield, I don't care."
While Rice has fitted seamlessly into Bilic's squad this summer, the teenager himself admits it has been a challenge to get used to the speed of first-team training after spending the majority of the past two years with the U23s. "It is a massive step-up from the U23s to this – with better players, international footballers, everything is a bit more sharper and at a high intensity," he observed. "I think I am raising my game to go along with them, definitely. With the help of the others and the manager I'm getting better each time."
As Rice continues to improve and impress, so his stature will continue to rise, not only among the coaching staff but also among the Claret and Blue Army.
"About a year ago, no-one knew who I was and now, I'm signing autographs for fans here in Germany, it's a bit mad. It's weird people knowing who I am!"
If he continues to play as he has been in pre-season, it will not be weird for much longer.
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U18s to kick-off campaign at Brighton
WHUFC.com
West Ham United U18s will kick-off their 2017/18 Premier League Youth campaign with an away clash at Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday 12 August.
The Seagulls finished tenth in the southern section of the division last season, eleven points behind the fourth-placed Hammers, who unlike the south coast side, qualified for Group 1 of the league when it split earlier this year.
Mark Phillips and Steve Potts' side were held to a 2-2 draw in the same fixture last year, with Jahmal Hector-Ingram and Joe Powell – both of whom have impressed for the U23s this pre-season – scoring for the visitors.
West Ham's first competitive fixture back at their Little Heath home will be against Southampton a week later – the same day Slaven Bilic's first team travel to St. Mary's for their second Premier League game.
The following weekend will see the Hammers take on Arsenal at London Colney in the first derby clash of the campaign.
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Slaven Bilic: It's time for West Ham players to stake their claim
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic says it is time for his players to stake their claim for a regular place in his matchday squad. The West Ham United manager took an initial squad of more than 25 players to Germany, while the likes of Michail Antonio, Chiekhou Kouyate and Andy Carroll remained in England to work on their fitness. However, with only 18 to be named for the Premier League opener at Manchester United on 13 August, competition for places is hotting up with that fixture now less than a fortnight away. "All the players are happy now," Bilic observed. "It's a pre-season and it's the same in every club – they train brilliantly and all that and they are all hoping they are going to play and be starters in our team. "Then, of course, only eleven or maybe 14 will think 'I'm there' probably, almost definitely, some players will notice that they are not regulars in the beginning of the season, so maybe a few of them will not be happy and some of them will ask for a move, so we've got to be ready for that. "It's my job to think about the team first and foremost and you have to expect these things to happen in every club. When it happens, you have to be ready with some players that are interesting for us and who are not going to be regulars at their clubs!"
With the transfer window open for another month, the prospect of West Ham doing more business – both in and out – is a real one. The Hammers have already brought in four new players – Pablo Zabaleta, Joe Hart, Marko Arnautovic and Chicharito – while allowing seven to leave London Stadium – Havard Nordtveit, Enner Valencia, Darren Randolph, Ashley Fletcher, Alvaro Arbeloa, Raphael Spiegel and Stephen Hendrie. Young defender Reece Oxford has also joined Borussia Moenchengladbach on a season-long loan. While he does not anticipate upsetting the balance of his squad, Bilic has money to spend and is not ruling out making more signings before the end of August. "You've got to be ready for all situations and be able to predict them if and when they happen, because it's better if you're ready," he observed. "I don't expect any more 'exciting' signings because you don't want to be overbooked in certain positions. You have to respect your players and those who are number two, because you don't want them to be number three in their position. "You only need them in case you have many, many injuries, but of course you can't think like that. If something extraordinary happens, and it can happen because we've done really well without spending crazy money.
"We got four players, one on a free, Joe on loan, we spent good money on Chicharito and Arnautovic, but also Havard is gone to Hoffenheim, Randy has gone, Enner has gone to Mexico and Ash to Middlesbrough. "I presume if something extraordinary happens in the market, then hopefully we're still going to be able to do it, if necessary."
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Reece Oxford nets first Borussia Monchengladbach goal
WHUFC.com
Reece Oxford scored his first goal in a Borussia Monchengladbach shirt on Saturday, levelling in his German side's 2-1 win over Spanish outfit Malaga. The 18-year-old defender, who joined Die Fohlen on a season-long loan earlier this transfer window, rose highest in the penalty area to head home a corner and make it 1-1 in the 77th minute. The teenager had only been introduced on the hour-mark, replacing fellow defender Nico Elvedi before equalising in the pre-season clash in Duisberg. The goal marked an impressive performance at right-back by the Academy of Football graduate having been named Man of the Match after the full-time whistle.
After the game, Oxford said: "I'm happy to score but it's more important that we completed the turnaround." It was Ibrahima Traore who set up the England youth international, swinging in a corner from the left-hand-side for Oxford to nod home with power to cancel out Alejandro Mula Sanchez's opener for Malaga. Brazilian forward Raffael completed the comeback for Gladbach in the 86th minute, netting from the penalty spot. Friday could mark Oxford's return to England as Monchengladbach face Leicester City at the King Power Stadium in their final pre-season fixture, before their domestic campaign kicks-off a week later in the DFB-Pokal first round against RW Essen.
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Ayew: We are capable of doing good things this season
WHUFC.com
Andre Ayew is excited by West Ham United's attacking options. The Ghana forward is relishing the prospect of working alongside the likes of summer signings Chicharito and Marko Arnautovic, as well as influential No10 Manuel Lanzini. With Diafra Sakho, Michail Antonio and Andy Carroll also working their way towards full fitness, Ayew believes Slaven Bilic has a strong armoury at his disposal. "It's good and I'm happy to see these good players coming in," said Ayew, who provided a superb assist for young Spanish striker Toni Martinez's goal against Werder Bremen on Saturday. "I think we have a good squad, but now we have to do the job on the field and that's another thing altogether. "We already had good players in the squad and now we've added some more good players, so that's really important for a club like West Ham to get to another level. "I feel like we are going to be capable of doing good things but we need to stay humble, work hard and don't think we have done it before time."
Concentrating on Chicharito, Ayew says the Mexican's international and UEFA Champions League experience will be invaluable. Having played under intense scrutiny for hometown club Guadalajara, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and his country, Chicharito has successfully learned how to succeed at the highest level. Ayew also believes his mere presence will boost his new teammates, who will now spend hours on the training pitch devising how to best serve the prolific striker's goal-poaching qualities. "It's good to have players to play alongside who have played for great clubs at the highest level as they know the expectations. Players who have played in the Champions League are what I like. "When you play with players you know have played to that level, especially when you too have played there against them years before, it's good for you as a player, it's good for the club and good for the fans, especially. "I feel he's going to bring a lot of fighting spirit, a lot of trouble for the other defence and we need to start training together to really know what he likes. When you watch games, it's different from when you are training and you get the feeling more to know his movements, what he likes and doesn't like and we have to adapt to him the same way he has to adapt to us. "We will try to find the best ways for him to get goals for us."
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Maybe the hardest bit is yet to come
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 31st July 2017
By: Paul Walker
So far so good, this has been the best transfer window in years at West Ham, but David Sullivan probably knows the toughest bit is yet to come. Our majority shareholder has overseen a very impressive window of action and not words, of very decent signings that are an improvement, every one of them, on what we had before. And many feel there may be one more big money signing still to come, considering the £30m we have raised from outgoing transfers so far.
Sullivan and his team have received deserved praise--yes, even from me (I know, I'll try not to let it happen again!) as we have seen real talent arrive at the London Stadium. Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez have over 700 Premier League appearances between them, and that's just the experience of the English top flight that Slaven Bilic has been crying out for.
But, and there's always a but, sorry, we now have predatory big clubs--well maybe not Everton but certainly Liverpool--sniffing around our squad.
It's the stuff of the summer months. When you are on the receiving end of transfer speculation it is written off as the silly season without any foundation. When you are doing the same thing--Marko springs to mind--it is deadly serious, despite what Stoke were saying.
I am always amused by the predictable comments that always emerge. Firstly a manager says "there have been no bids," then a club insider insists the player is not for sale and under long term contract anyway, then someone gets accused of tapping up said player(pause here for universal laughter throughout the corrupt industry), and then the player slaps in a transfer request and all hell break lose.
It always ends with the player leaving, after training on his own for a while, Dimitri Payet and Virgil van Dijk spring to mind. Players and agents always get their way in the end.
These past few days have seen Everton linked with James Collins and Winston Reid while Liverpool (and Spurs?) are hovering around Manuel Lanzini.
Now West Ham have said all the right things here. Ken Dyer in Monday's Standard reports that the club insist Reid is not for sale. Last week exactly the same thing was said about Lanzini. The response to the Collins stuff was a little different, with our club saying the ball was in Ginge's court and nobody would want to stand in the way of the 33 year-old making a few extra bob if he could.
I understand the Collins situation, but hate the thought of one of our finest servants leaving. He has given everything, blood, sweat and not one tear--not him is it?--for West Ham and we all love him for it.
I would like to see him end his career with us, get some coaching badges and have a job here for life. He deserves that level of respect. Every season he starts as third or fourth-choice centre back and ends up playing half the matches and dragging us out of the mire single handed because the rest can't be trusted to tie their own boots properly.
But he knows he is fourth choice now and that talented kids like Declan Rice, Reece Burke and Reece Oxford--done well in Germany already lads, hasn't he?--are waiting in the wings. He's out of contract next summer and if he fancies a new two-year contract at Everton and a pay rise, who are we to stand in his way? My view Ginge…stay with us, you know you will be a battle-scarred regular come December!
Now the other two. Let's first dismiss all this silly season rubbish. I doubt there is one approach, one transfer, one move anywhere, that the player, his agent and family don't know about well in advance.
It's a total fallacy to suggest otherwise. No club goes into a potential deal without testing the water first, is the player interested, how much money is on offer, what's the contract like and can he have a nice mansion in Southport?
Not for one second do Reid and Lanzini's people not know everything there is to know about potential moves for their players. So West Ham can deny it all, pour on cold water, whatever. Payet showed how it's done, and so too did Jose Fonte (to a lesser extent) and Arnautovic as well.
Stoke have been pretty pissed off by that deal, because we have taken their best player. And there are a few Stoke fans of my acquaintance who have long been unimpressed by Marko's brother/agent. Ho hum, it's just the way of business.
The one bit that does worry me is that Reid is yet to sign a new, promised contract yet. I have searched the club website, and various worthy and creditable fans' blogs and news websites to no avail.
Reid got the hump last season when Fonte arrived on allegedly bigger wages. He was promised more and the last I saw was a proposed deal that increased his buy-out to £15m and his wages in line with his Portuguese team-mate. That was a couple of months ago. Has it been fully negotiated or even signed? If not a few folk at the LS need to get their act together.
That's why, it seems, that the potential fee is only £9m, with buy-anything-that-moves Everton looking for a deal to cover for injured defender Ramiro Funes Mori. Firstly, that fee is a joke. Reid is our best defender, occasional captain and key part of our defence. He's worth well north of £20m to us.
Reid, represented by the Danish based ApS agency, is well aware of his value to us and it's no surprise that transfer talk starts while contract talks are ambling their way to conclusion.
Michail Antonio, or to be precise his agent Will Salthouse, also talked a lot about a transfer out of the club while they were trying, successfully in the end, to hammer out a new four year deal on near double-your-money wages. The pattern of negotiations is so blindingly obvious every time.
Lanzini has a similar contract position. He were told a month back that he was next on the list for a new deal. Antonio, Pedro Obiang and Angelo Ogbonna have got theirs. Manu has been away rubbing shoulders with Lionel Messi and winning his first caps for Argentina, so he certainly knows his worth now if not before.
We need to sort this deal out double quick. He has become absolutely key to us, after a great season in the wake of Payet's departure. The mere thought of him going to Liverpool if Philippe Coutinho moves on to Barcelona is too horrific to contemplate.
West Ham know all too well that such a move for Lanzini, Reid too, goes against everything they have been working for this summer. Expectation has been raised, good players signed, people are enthused again. Losing your best players is not the way to maintain respect from the fans.
But there is always 'no smoke without fire' in transfer rumours. Maybe these transfer rumblings are just that. Summer fiction, but Sullivan knows he dare not let such situations run and run. New contracts, bigger wages etc are in order. But then, as we found with Payet and Stoke found with Arnautovic, even that may not be enough. Let's hope not and I am worrying for no reason.
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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West Ham will not sell Winston Reid amid £9m Everton transfer links
KEN DYER
Evening Standard
West Ham look certain to reject any interest in Winston Reid with reports suggesting Everton are considering a £9million move for the central defender. Everton are the second Merseyside club to be linked with a West Ham player of late, with Liverpool chasing playmaker Manuel Lanzini. Ronald Koeman's Toffees are said to be looking at New Zealand international Reid as cover for Ramiro Funes Mori, but West Ham are intent on keeping the 29-year-old at London Stadium as the 2017-18 Premier League season approaches. Liverpool are still reported to be interested in Argerntina international Lanzini should Barcelona be successful in prising Philippe Coutinho away from Anfield. But West Ham are determined to keep the 24-year-old playmaker as well, with the club cautious of sending out the wrong message having boosted morale and expectations by bringing in the likes of Javier Hernandez, Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta and Marko Arnautovic.
West Ham drew 2-2 against Werder Bremen on Saturday, with Arnautovic scoring his first club for the East London club.
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Man City vs West Ham: Friendly prediction, team news, start time, live, TV, head to head, odds
Evening Standard
TOM DOYLE
West Ham face a true test of their Premier League ambitions on Friday as they are pitted against Pep Guardiola's title-chasing Manchester City in Iceland. The Hammers have moved decisively in the market following a slow start to the summer transfer window, with Javier Hernandez the star signing along with Marko Arnautovic, Joe Hart and Pablo Zabaleta. Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was so impressed with the Hammers' business that he has marked them out as potential title contenders. But Slaven Bilic will have a clearer picture of his side's potential when they come up against the might of Man City in Reykjavik - the first clash between two Premier League teams in the country.
Man City take on West Ham at the Laugardalsvollur Stadium in Reykjavik, Iceland. The match kicks off at 3pm (GMT) on August 4.
TV and live online coverage
The match will not be televised live on TV in the UK. You can follow all the build-up and action from 12pm with Standard Sport's London Football live blog.
Team news
Pablo Zalabeta is set for an early reunion with his former club after spending nine years at City. Goalkeeper Hart - currently on loan at West Ham from City - is another who may be taking on some familiar faces, while £16m striker Hernandez will almost certainly get some minutes as he builds fitness following his Confederations Cup appearances. City have confirmed that Claudio Bravo and Bernardo Silva could play after their extended holidays following the confederations Cup. However, £52m wing-back Benjamin Mendy and midfielder Ilkay Gundogan are out through injury.
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Chicharito won't wear No. 14 at West Ham
July 31, 2017 3:35pm
Jon Arnold
Updated at 3:35 p.m. ET
Foxsports
Premier League, West Ham UnitedIt's still not totally decided which number the Mexico forward will be sporting with the London club, but he's ruled out his traditional digits Fans looking forward to buying a new West Ham United shirt with forward Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez's name and number on the back will have to wait a little longer to see exactly what that number will be. Mexico's all-time leading scorer was presented at West Ham after joining the London side from Bayer Leverkusen but still isn't sure which number he'll sport with the Hammers. It does appear, though, that his days wearing his traditional No. 14 may be over.
"I've got a little bit of an idea, but I can't say yet. They're going to announce it when they have a bit of an idea what the rest of the club's movements are like," he told Fox Sports. "Something that we do have in mind is that I'm not going to use the 14. We'll see what number I end up with." The forward likely will make his West Ham debut against his former club Manchester United when the teams meet in the first match of the season on Aug. 13. "It's going to be a very special weekend. Who would've thought my return to the English league would be playing at the place I called home with my old club?" Hernandez said. "It'll be really nice. I'm very motivated, very hopefully to be there that weekend, also just because it'll be start of the season.
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Real Betis launch bid for West Ham target Ryad Boudebouz
By Jay Williams - Jul 31, 2017 0
WestHamWorld
Spanish side Real Betis have launched a bid for West Ham United target Ryad Boudebouz, according to reports coming out of France. French media outlet France Football is reporting that Real Betis have offered €7m for Montpellier star Ryad Boudebouz. There are many clubs interested in the Ligue 1 play maker, who caught the eye last season. Alongside Real Betis and West Ham, the likes of Sampdoria, Newcastle United and Bayer Leverkusen are credited with an interest in the Algerian international. However, it is La Liga outfit Real Betis who have firmed up their interest with the first bid, testing the water at €7m. Montpellier are thought to be holding out for a fee closer to €15m for Ryad Boudebouz after his impressive year for the South France side. In 33 Ligue 1 appearances, Boudebouz weighed in with eleven goals and nine assists, catching the attention of a number of top clubs across Europe. West Ham have some decent options in the attacking midfield regions after snapping up Marko Arnautovic. Arnautovic will compete with Manuel Lanzini, Andre Ayew and Michail Antonio for the attacking midfield spots but peripheral players Robert Snodgrass and Sofiane Feghouli could be moved on to bring someone like Boudebouz in. France Football believe that the 27-year-old's market value is between €8m and €12m.
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West Ham signing Javier Hernandez gives fans a right to dream… and at just £16million he is a bargain in today's transfer market
Ex-Manchester United forward is the answer to the Hammers' striker crisis and has plenty of gas left in the tank at just 29
FAN'S VIEW
By ExWHUemployee
31st July 2017, 11:48 am Updated: 31st July 2017, 12:00 pm
LAST summer West Ham fans were promised a proven goalscorer. But instead of a marque signing, we ended up with Simone Zaza and Jonathan Calleri – who managed a grand total of one league goal between them. Inevitably, West Ham fans were very pessimistic and worried that, once again this summer, we would fail to land a top quality goalscorer and still be reliant on the injury prone Diafra Sakho and Andy Carroll. Thankfully our prayers have been answered. Not only have we landed a top quality, proven goalscorer, but we have done it at a snip in today's over-inflated transfer market. Javier Hernandez is Mexico's all-time top scorer and has netted at the very top level for Manchester United and Real Madrid. He is exactly the sort of player we had been crying out for — and a bargain at just £16million. At 29, he still has many years left in the tank. We were quoted nearly £40m to sign another 29-year-old in Anthony Modeste – and he is not in the same league as Hernandez when it comes to finding the back of the net. Already, Chicharito has settled in well to the squad and players have said he has taken no time to forge close friendships. Jose Mourinho spoke very highly of the player and said had he not already bought Romelu Lukaku then he would have been after our Little Pea. This speaks volumes in itself. There is a genuine buzz around the club about this signing and I don't think our supporters have been this excited since we landed two South American superstars in 2006 in Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. Hopefully he will stay longer than they did. So far this window, our transfers have been exactly what we needed. We have shifted a lot of dead wood on high wages and brought in proven Premier League quality in Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Marko Arnautovic and Hernandez. I feel that we could really do with another forward to take the burden off Hernandez, possibly one that is equally at home on the wing to give an alternative option. It is fitting that Hernandez will make his debut for us at Old Trafford. Alongside two City favourites, I am hoping another famous result for us at the Theatre of Dreams becomes a reality.
Tweet @ExWHUemployee
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West Ham pulled out of Kelechi Iheanacho move due to ongoing agent issues
HITC
Vincent Ralph
West Ham United had been linked with the Manchester City player earlier in the transfer window. According to All Nigeria Soccer, West Ham United made the early decision to pull out of a move for Kelechi Iheanacho due to the issues surrounding his agent representation. A number of different reasons have been suggested for why the Hammers opted not to pursue a potential bargain move for the Manchester City forward. However it is now being claimed that West Ham knew early on of the dispute between First Eleven Management and Stellar Group and decided to step aside because the issue was not resolved. Manchester City's Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho (C) misses with thsi shot as Stoke City's English defender Ryan Shawcross (R) tries to defend during the English Premier League...
That allowed Leicester City to make their move. The problem is until the issue of who actually represents Iheanacho comes to a head, he will remain at City player.
In hindsight West Ham were wise to step aside and focus their attention elsewhere. They have brought in Javier Hernandez - a truly exciting striker signing who could go down a storm at the London Stadium after a recent history of uninspiring additions. Marko Arnautovic has also arrived and together with the Mexican he should form a fine attacking partnership for the Hammers. There is no doubt Iheanacho will score goals wherever he is playing next season and beyond. But on reflection it seems West Ham were made aware of the issue early and decided they did not have time to waste. Not everything the West Ham hierarchy have done in recent summers should be applauded, yet in this instance it appears they got it spot on. After all, had West Ham put all their eggs in one basket and banked solely on Iheanacho their fans would still be waiting for a new goal-scorer.
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Kelechi Iheanacho May Remain At Man City, Why West Ham Opted Out
Published: July 31, 2017
allnigeriasoccer.com
Kelechi Iheanacho May Remain At Man City, Why West Ham Opted Out The future of Africa's most promising talent Kelechi Iheanacho remains unresolved, less than two weeks before the beginning of the 2017-2018 campaign, and a month before the World Cup qualifiers versus Cameroon. The Citizens number seventy two's transfer to Leicester City is being delayed due to a dispute between his intermediaries First Eleven Management and Stellar Group. Contrary to speculations in the media, allnigeriasoccer.com has been informed by sources in the know that West Ham pulled the plug on the signing of Iheanacho because the legal issue was not yet addressed. City manager Pep Guardiola has backtracked on his earlier statement and has now revealed that the Nigerian may remain at the Etihad Stadium at the close of the transfer window. ''I think Kelechi leaves us in favour of Leicester. I think so, but I do not want to say anything wrong either.'' ''We will see. If that does not happen, he will be part of the group,'' Guardiola stated. The 2017-2018 campaign is a World Cup season and Iheanacho is worried that he won't get playing opportunities if he remains at Manchester City.
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Real Betis reportedly make low bid for Ryad Boudebouz, West Ham must act fast
HITC
Charlie Hayward
The Algerian playmaker has been linked with a switch to West Ham this summer. If West Ham want to sign Ryad Boudebouz this summer they will have to move fast. Reports from France Football suggest that Real Betis have made a bid for the Algerian creator. The La Liga club have tabled an opening offer of £6.2m for Boudebouz, which France Football say is below Montpellier's asking price. Offers of between £7.15m and £8.94m are more likely to be well received by the Ligue 1 club and, at that price, West Ham must pull the trigger. France Football name Sampdoria and Bayer Leverkusen alongside the Hammers as parties interested in the 25-cap Algerian international, so if Betis' bid starts a flurry of action, West Ham will need to move quickly. Boudebouz was one of the most creative players in Europe's top five leagues last season, and played more key passes than any other player according to Who Scored. The 27-year-old has registered 21 league assists for Montpellier in the last two campaigns and would be an ideal replacement for Dimitri Payet's missing creativity at the London Stadium. His arrival would add to the already impressive list of acquisitions Slaven Bilic has made this summer. Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Javier Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic are all on board and Boudebouz would top off that list quite nicely.
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Manuel Lanzini back for West Ham gym session after minor knee injury
The Argentine star joined in with the Hammers players again on Monday
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
12:00, 31 JUL 2017
Manuel Lanzini has been back in West Ham training on Monday morning as he took part in a gym session at the training camp in Rotenburg. The Argentine star had missed the past two Betway Cup games with a minor knee injury problem and there were fears previously the injury could have been significant. But, West Ham posted on their Instagram page this morning Lanzini riding on a cycling machine alongside captain Mark Noble as "The Jewel" steps up his recovery. Striker Diafra Sakho was also part of the session for the first time this season, having been training on his own previously as recovers from hamstring and back problems.
The Hammers players, who had a day off from training on Sunday in Rotenburg, were back at it this morning and will likely have another session this afternoon, with one more scheduled for Tuesday morning. They will then take on Altona 93 in Hamburg in the evening in their final pre-season friendly of the Germany trip before heading off to Iceland to take on Manchester City in Reykjavik.
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Diafra Sakho hands West Ham massive boost as he returns to first team squad for training
The Senegalese striker is back in training with the squad after another injury nightmare
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
11:00, 31 JUL 2017
Diafra Sakho has rejoined the West Ham first team squad for training in Rotenburg on Monday morning, providing Slaven Bilic with a huge boost ahead of the new season. The Hammers posted a video of Sakho on a cycling machine iad straight after it, other members of the Hammers squad doing the same thing. The striker has been working extremely hard in training over the past week or so to get himself fit enough to return to first team training although any return to action is expected to be a long way off. Football.London witnessed Sakho going through daily gruelling fitness regimes by himself in Bothel and Rotenburg with members of the club coaching staff away from the main group as he built up his fitness levels ahead of a full return to training. The Hammers players, fresh off a day off on Sunday, were ut through their paces in a gym session this morning, with an outdoor session expected later this afternoon. Sakho featured just three times for the Hammers last season against Tottenham and Macnchester United - twice - before suffering a hamstring problem in the league cup loss at Old Trafford just a few weeks after recovering from what appears to be a chronic back injury. That had kept him out of action long-term and also scuppered a move to West Bromwich Albion last summer.
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Without a new deal for Bilic, David Gold's West Ham youngsters u-turn means nothing
The chairman has backtracked on his stance on the youth players but there's more to it than just that
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
08:25, 31 JUL 2017
David Gold now believes West Ham could have the best crop of youngsters seen at the club in a decade, which is in stark contrast to what he said a couple of months ago. The success of the U23s in gaining promotion to Division One of PL2, seeing some of them on the bench for the Premier League team and then Declan Rice getting some game time against Burnley at the end of last season, the kids are doing alright. Now, Nathan Holland and Declan Rice are shining on pre-season tour, Josh Cullen and Reece Burke are doing well too and Toni Martinez scored his first senior goal for the Hammers on Saturday. They aren't doing too bad for some players are unlikely to "break into a team of seasoned internationals," which is what Gold has said. But one thing hinges on the future of these youngsters at the club and that is Slaven Bilic, who is entering the final year of his current contract at West Ham. Understandably when results weren't good last season the club didn't enter contract negotiations but the club has backed him to the tune of £23m for Marko Arnautovic and £16m for Javier Hernandez, plus a loan deal for Joe Hart in this transfer window. Bilic chose to bring Holland, Rice, Martinez, Burke, Cullen and Moses Makasi on pre-season tour to Austria and Germany and he needs to be backed to develop them as well. You can add Reece Oxford into the equation, currently on a season-long loan at Borussia Monchengladbach. With some of the seasoned internationals underwhelming massively, the opportunity is now there for the youth stars, who are learning quickly under Bilic and what would happen to their development if a new boss came in next year?
The "Academy of Football" moniker couldn't have been more wrong over the past couple of seasons but now it is starting to show signs of making a return. Along with academy director Terry Westley, Bilic needs to be at the forefront of it.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
West Ham United play the third and final fixture of their pre-season visit to Germany when they take on Altona 93 in Hamburg on Tuesday evening.
The Hammers will tackle their Regionalliga Nord opponents at the Adolf-Jäger-Kampfbahn stadium at 6.30pm local time (5.30pm BST), seeking to build on their encouraging performance in Saturday's 2-2 Betway Cup draw with Werder Bremen.
Here, we let you know where to watch, who will be in action and much more about West Ham's penultimate pre-season fixture...
Where and when?
Altona 93 v West Ham United, Tuesday 2 August 2017, 6.30pm, Adolf-Jäger-Kampfbahn, Griegstraße 62, 22763, Hamburg, Germany
Where to watch?
Fans can follow the game on Twitter at @westhamutd. A full report, reaction and highlights will be available on whufc.com. Tuesday's match will also be shown live by Premier Sports from 5.30pm.
Matchday squads
Altona 93: Du Preez, Aniteye, Correia Ca, Yilmaz, Wachowski, Hosseini, Lechler, Hinze, Sachs, Brisevac, Kunter, Holz, Rettstadt, Dogan, Novotny, Grundmann, Cayir, Schultz, Siebert, Edeling, Matthai, Thiessen, Grubba, Buzhala
West Ham United: Adrian, Hart, Matrevics, Byram, Zabaleta, Cresswell, Masuaku, Collins, Ogbonna, Fonte, Reid, Burke, Rice, Makasi, Lanzini, Snodgrass, Obiang, Fernandes, Cullen, Holland, Arnautovic, Ayew, Martinez, Chicharito
Team news
West Ham United could hand a first appearance to Mexico star Chicharito in Hamburg, with the striker in line to pull on a Claret and Blue shirt after working hard on his fitness over the weekend. The Hammers also welcome Winston Reid back into the matchday squad for the first time in pre-season. The New Zealand defender is back to fitness after recovering from the shin surgery he underwent just prior to the end of last season. Striker Diafra Sakho is back in training but will not be involved, while Mark Noble is still ruled out with a minor toe injury.
Meet the opposition
Altonaer FC von 1893 was originally formed as Altonaer Cricket Club in Hamburg 124 years ago. The football team is a department of a larger sports club which also offers handball, karate, table tennis, and volleyball.
Altona is one of Germany's oldest football clubs and were founder members of the Altona-Hamburg football league formed in 1894, as well as one of the founding clubs of the German Football Association (DfB) in Leipzig in 1900. Three years later, Altona hosted the first-ever German national championship final played between VfB Leipzig and DFC Prague.
Altona themselves were Northern German champions twice in their early years and have won the Hamburg Cup on four occasions. They now ply their trade in the Regionalliga Nord (Germany's fourth tier) after winning promotion from the Oberliga Hamburg last season.
Player to watch
Chicharito could make his first appearance in a West Ham United shirt in front of a sell-out crowd at Altona 93's 8,000-capacity Adolf-Jäger-Kampfbahn stadium on Tuesday evening.
The Mexico striker joined up with his new teammates in Germany last Thursday afternoon and has trained hard over the weekend to get up to speed, having returned to pre-season late after appearing at the FIFA Confederations Cup.
Unsurprisingly, Chicharito has never featured in a match against Altona 93, but he did play against their local rivals Hamburger SV three times for Bayer Leverkusen over the previous two seasons - and never ended on the losing side.
Previous meeting
West Ham United have never faced Altona 93 before, but the Hammers were in the Hamburg area as recently as July 2013.
Sam Allardyce's side took on the city's Bundesliga representatives Hamburger SV in the town of Flensburg, 100 miles north on border with Denmark.
Alou Diarra, James Tomkins and Ravel Morrison scored the goals in a 3-1 win, with winger Matt Jarvis providing the assists for all three. Of the current squad, James Collins, Winston Reid and Mark Noble all appeared.
Did you know?
Altona 93 have a special relationship with south London club Dulwich Hamlet dating back nearly 100 years. Initially created by supporters, the close ties between the two see regular friendly matches played in both England and Germany
Altona 93's manager since 2015 is Berkan Algan, a former Turkey and Germany U21 international who was born in Hamburg and enjoyed a long and nomadic playing career with a host of clubs in northern Germany. He had two spells with Altona as a player, scoring 26 goals in 66 games from midfield
Altona 93's stadium is named in honour of their legendary striker Adolf Jäger, who spent 21 years with the club between 1907 and 1927, playing more than 700 games and reputedly scoring more than 2,000 goals. He was a member of the German Olympic squad in 1912, scoring his country's only goal. Jäger died during World War II, while working to defuse Allied bombs in Hamburg.
How to get there
From Hamburg Hauptbanhof, take the S-Bahn line 3 six stops westbound to Hamburg-Altona. The journey should take about 12 minutes. From there, your best option is to walk the 1.2 miles along Ottenser Hauptstraße, Große Brunnenstraße, Behringstraße and Griegstraße or
How to buy tickets
The match is an 8,000 sell out!
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Declan Rice admits rise to Hammers prominence has been a 'bit mad'
WHUFC.com
Declan Rice admits his rise from teenage unknown to Premier League footballer has been 'a bit mad' but is determined to keep his focus on his next target – regular top-flight football. Still just 18, Rice has had quite a year. He captained the U23s to promotion and made his Premier League debut in May, before being called-up to the Republic of Ireland senior squad for the first time. Slaven Bilic then included him in the first-team squad for the pre-season training camps in Austria and Germany, where he has appeared in all four matches and even filled a deep-lying midfield role in two Betway Cup ties with Werder Bremen.
"I think I have done very well," said Rice, whose confidence should not be mistaken for arrogance, but rather a belief in his own ability. "I have been very happy with myself in training and I think I have made an impression in games. "Having players around like Mark Noble and James Collins, they just keep egging me on to do better and better and keep getting better, giving me confidence to perform. "Now I have played in midfield in two games I have started to feel a lot more comfortable there. Obviously, centre-back is my favourite position but it is good that I can play in both roles. "I have to keep level-headed, keep focused, keep working hard in training every single day and hopefully the manager gives me my chance. "My next target is to start in the Premier League, that's what I am aiming for. I'll play wherever the manager puts me, centre back or centre midfield, I don't care."
While Rice has fitted seamlessly into Bilic's squad this summer, the teenager himself admits it has been a challenge to get used to the speed of first-team training after spending the majority of the past two years with the U23s. "It is a massive step-up from the U23s to this – with better players, international footballers, everything is a bit more sharper and at a high intensity," he observed. "I think I am raising my game to go along with them, definitely. With the help of the others and the manager I'm getting better each time."
As Rice continues to improve and impress, so his stature will continue to rise, not only among the coaching staff but also among the Claret and Blue Army.
"About a year ago, no-one knew who I was and now, I'm signing autographs for fans here in Germany, it's a bit mad. It's weird people knowing who I am!"
If he continues to play as he has been in pre-season, it will not be weird for much longer.
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U18s to kick-off campaign at Brighton
WHUFC.com
West Ham United U18s will kick-off their 2017/18 Premier League Youth campaign with an away clash at Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday 12 August.
The Seagulls finished tenth in the southern section of the division last season, eleven points behind the fourth-placed Hammers, who unlike the south coast side, qualified for Group 1 of the league when it split earlier this year.
Mark Phillips and Steve Potts' side were held to a 2-2 draw in the same fixture last year, with Jahmal Hector-Ingram and Joe Powell – both of whom have impressed for the U23s this pre-season – scoring for the visitors.
West Ham's first competitive fixture back at their Little Heath home will be against Southampton a week later – the same day Slaven Bilic's first team travel to St. Mary's for their second Premier League game.
The following weekend will see the Hammers take on Arsenal at London Colney in the first derby clash of the campaign.
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Slaven Bilic: It's time for West Ham players to stake their claim
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic says it is time for his players to stake their claim for a regular place in his matchday squad. The West Ham United manager took an initial squad of more than 25 players to Germany, while the likes of Michail Antonio, Chiekhou Kouyate and Andy Carroll remained in England to work on their fitness. However, with only 18 to be named for the Premier League opener at Manchester United on 13 August, competition for places is hotting up with that fixture now less than a fortnight away. "All the players are happy now," Bilic observed. "It's a pre-season and it's the same in every club – they train brilliantly and all that and they are all hoping they are going to play and be starters in our team. "Then, of course, only eleven or maybe 14 will think 'I'm there' probably, almost definitely, some players will notice that they are not regulars in the beginning of the season, so maybe a few of them will not be happy and some of them will ask for a move, so we've got to be ready for that. "It's my job to think about the team first and foremost and you have to expect these things to happen in every club. When it happens, you have to be ready with some players that are interesting for us and who are not going to be regulars at their clubs!"
With the transfer window open for another month, the prospect of West Ham doing more business – both in and out – is a real one. The Hammers have already brought in four new players – Pablo Zabaleta, Joe Hart, Marko Arnautovic and Chicharito – while allowing seven to leave London Stadium – Havard Nordtveit, Enner Valencia, Darren Randolph, Ashley Fletcher, Alvaro Arbeloa, Raphael Spiegel and Stephen Hendrie. Young defender Reece Oxford has also joined Borussia Moenchengladbach on a season-long loan. While he does not anticipate upsetting the balance of his squad, Bilic has money to spend and is not ruling out making more signings before the end of August. "You've got to be ready for all situations and be able to predict them if and when they happen, because it's better if you're ready," he observed. "I don't expect any more 'exciting' signings because you don't want to be overbooked in certain positions. You have to respect your players and those who are number two, because you don't want them to be number three in their position. "You only need them in case you have many, many injuries, but of course you can't think like that. If something extraordinary happens, and it can happen because we've done really well without spending crazy money.
"We got four players, one on a free, Joe on loan, we spent good money on Chicharito and Arnautovic, but also Havard is gone to Hoffenheim, Randy has gone, Enner has gone to Mexico and Ash to Middlesbrough. "I presume if something extraordinary happens in the market, then hopefully we're still going to be able to do it, if necessary."
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Reece Oxford nets first Borussia Monchengladbach goal
WHUFC.com
Reece Oxford scored his first goal in a Borussia Monchengladbach shirt on Saturday, levelling in his German side's 2-1 win over Spanish outfit Malaga. The 18-year-old defender, who joined Die Fohlen on a season-long loan earlier this transfer window, rose highest in the penalty area to head home a corner and make it 1-1 in the 77th minute. The teenager had only been introduced on the hour-mark, replacing fellow defender Nico Elvedi before equalising in the pre-season clash in Duisberg. The goal marked an impressive performance at right-back by the Academy of Football graduate having been named Man of the Match after the full-time whistle.
After the game, Oxford said: "I'm happy to score but it's more important that we completed the turnaround." It was Ibrahima Traore who set up the England youth international, swinging in a corner from the left-hand-side for Oxford to nod home with power to cancel out Alejandro Mula Sanchez's opener for Malaga. Brazilian forward Raffael completed the comeback for Gladbach in the 86th minute, netting from the penalty spot. Friday could mark Oxford's return to England as Monchengladbach face Leicester City at the King Power Stadium in their final pre-season fixture, before their domestic campaign kicks-off a week later in the DFB-Pokal first round against RW Essen.
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Ayew: We are capable of doing good things this season
WHUFC.com
Andre Ayew is excited by West Ham United's attacking options. The Ghana forward is relishing the prospect of working alongside the likes of summer signings Chicharito and Marko Arnautovic, as well as influential No10 Manuel Lanzini. With Diafra Sakho, Michail Antonio and Andy Carroll also working their way towards full fitness, Ayew believes Slaven Bilic has a strong armoury at his disposal. "It's good and I'm happy to see these good players coming in," said Ayew, who provided a superb assist for young Spanish striker Toni Martinez's goal against Werder Bremen on Saturday. "I think we have a good squad, but now we have to do the job on the field and that's another thing altogether. "We already had good players in the squad and now we've added some more good players, so that's really important for a club like West Ham to get to another level. "I feel like we are going to be capable of doing good things but we need to stay humble, work hard and don't think we have done it before time."
Concentrating on Chicharito, Ayew says the Mexican's international and UEFA Champions League experience will be invaluable. Having played under intense scrutiny for hometown club Guadalajara, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and his country, Chicharito has successfully learned how to succeed at the highest level. Ayew also believes his mere presence will boost his new teammates, who will now spend hours on the training pitch devising how to best serve the prolific striker's goal-poaching qualities. "It's good to have players to play alongside who have played for great clubs at the highest level as they know the expectations. Players who have played in the Champions League are what I like. "When you play with players you know have played to that level, especially when you too have played there against them years before, it's good for you as a player, it's good for the club and good for the fans, especially. "I feel he's going to bring a lot of fighting spirit, a lot of trouble for the other defence and we need to start training together to really know what he likes. When you watch games, it's different from when you are training and you get the feeling more to know his movements, what he likes and doesn't like and we have to adapt to him the same way he has to adapt to us. "We will try to find the best ways for him to get goals for us."
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Maybe the hardest bit is yet to come
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 31st July 2017
By: Paul Walker
So far so good, this has been the best transfer window in years at West Ham, but David Sullivan probably knows the toughest bit is yet to come. Our majority shareholder has overseen a very impressive window of action and not words, of very decent signings that are an improvement, every one of them, on what we had before. And many feel there may be one more big money signing still to come, considering the £30m we have raised from outgoing transfers so far.
Sullivan and his team have received deserved praise--yes, even from me (I know, I'll try not to let it happen again!) as we have seen real talent arrive at the London Stadium. Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez have over 700 Premier League appearances between them, and that's just the experience of the English top flight that Slaven Bilic has been crying out for.
But, and there's always a but, sorry, we now have predatory big clubs--well maybe not Everton but certainly Liverpool--sniffing around our squad.
It's the stuff of the summer months. When you are on the receiving end of transfer speculation it is written off as the silly season without any foundation. When you are doing the same thing--Marko springs to mind--it is deadly serious, despite what Stoke were saying.
I am always amused by the predictable comments that always emerge. Firstly a manager says "there have been no bids," then a club insider insists the player is not for sale and under long term contract anyway, then someone gets accused of tapping up said player(pause here for universal laughter throughout the corrupt industry), and then the player slaps in a transfer request and all hell break lose.
It always ends with the player leaving, after training on his own for a while, Dimitri Payet and Virgil van Dijk spring to mind. Players and agents always get their way in the end.
These past few days have seen Everton linked with James Collins and Winston Reid while Liverpool (and Spurs?) are hovering around Manuel Lanzini.
Now West Ham have said all the right things here. Ken Dyer in Monday's Standard reports that the club insist Reid is not for sale. Last week exactly the same thing was said about Lanzini. The response to the Collins stuff was a little different, with our club saying the ball was in Ginge's court and nobody would want to stand in the way of the 33 year-old making a few extra bob if he could.
I understand the Collins situation, but hate the thought of one of our finest servants leaving. He has given everything, blood, sweat and not one tear--not him is it?--for West Ham and we all love him for it.
I would like to see him end his career with us, get some coaching badges and have a job here for life. He deserves that level of respect. Every season he starts as third or fourth-choice centre back and ends up playing half the matches and dragging us out of the mire single handed because the rest can't be trusted to tie their own boots properly.
But he knows he is fourth choice now and that talented kids like Declan Rice, Reece Burke and Reece Oxford--done well in Germany already lads, hasn't he?--are waiting in the wings. He's out of contract next summer and if he fancies a new two-year contract at Everton and a pay rise, who are we to stand in his way? My view Ginge…stay with us, you know you will be a battle-scarred regular come December!
Now the other two. Let's first dismiss all this silly season rubbish. I doubt there is one approach, one transfer, one move anywhere, that the player, his agent and family don't know about well in advance.
It's a total fallacy to suggest otherwise. No club goes into a potential deal without testing the water first, is the player interested, how much money is on offer, what's the contract like and can he have a nice mansion in Southport?
Not for one second do Reid and Lanzini's people not know everything there is to know about potential moves for their players. So West Ham can deny it all, pour on cold water, whatever. Payet showed how it's done, and so too did Jose Fonte (to a lesser extent) and Arnautovic as well.
Stoke have been pretty pissed off by that deal, because we have taken their best player. And there are a few Stoke fans of my acquaintance who have long been unimpressed by Marko's brother/agent. Ho hum, it's just the way of business.
The one bit that does worry me is that Reid is yet to sign a new, promised contract yet. I have searched the club website, and various worthy and creditable fans' blogs and news websites to no avail.
Reid got the hump last season when Fonte arrived on allegedly bigger wages. He was promised more and the last I saw was a proposed deal that increased his buy-out to £15m and his wages in line with his Portuguese team-mate. That was a couple of months ago. Has it been fully negotiated or even signed? If not a few folk at the LS need to get their act together.
That's why, it seems, that the potential fee is only £9m, with buy-anything-that-moves Everton looking for a deal to cover for injured defender Ramiro Funes Mori. Firstly, that fee is a joke. Reid is our best defender, occasional captain and key part of our defence. He's worth well north of £20m to us.
Reid, represented by the Danish based ApS agency, is well aware of his value to us and it's no surprise that transfer talk starts while contract talks are ambling their way to conclusion.
Michail Antonio, or to be precise his agent Will Salthouse, also talked a lot about a transfer out of the club while they were trying, successfully in the end, to hammer out a new four year deal on near double-your-money wages. The pattern of negotiations is so blindingly obvious every time.
Lanzini has a similar contract position. He were told a month back that he was next on the list for a new deal. Antonio, Pedro Obiang and Angelo Ogbonna have got theirs. Manu has been away rubbing shoulders with Lionel Messi and winning his first caps for Argentina, so he certainly knows his worth now if not before.
We need to sort this deal out double quick. He has become absolutely key to us, after a great season in the wake of Payet's departure. The mere thought of him going to Liverpool if Philippe Coutinho moves on to Barcelona is too horrific to contemplate.
West Ham know all too well that such a move for Lanzini, Reid too, goes against everything they have been working for this summer. Expectation has been raised, good players signed, people are enthused again. Losing your best players is not the way to maintain respect from the fans.
But there is always 'no smoke without fire' in transfer rumours. Maybe these transfer rumblings are just that. Summer fiction, but Sullivan knows he dare not let such situations run and run. New contracts, bigger wages etc are in order. But then, as we found with Payet and Stoke found with Arnautovic, even that may not be enough. Let's hope not and I am worrying for no reason.
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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West Ham will not sell Winston Reid amid £9m Everton transfer links
KEN DYER
Evening Standard
West Ham look certain to reject any interest in Winston Reid with reports suggesting Everton are considering a £9million move for the central defender. Everton are the second Merseyside club to be linked with a West Ham player of late, with Liverpool chasing playmaker Manuel Lanzini. Ronald Koeman's Toffees are said to be looking at New Zealand international Reid as cover for Ramiro Funes Mori, but West Ham are intent on keeping the 29-year-old at London Stadium as the 2017-18 Premier League season approaches. Liverpool are still reported to be interested in Argerntina international Lanzini should Barcelona be successful in prising Philippe Coutinho away from Anfield. But West Ham are determined to keep the 24-year-old playmaker as well, with the club cautious of sending out the wrong message having boosted morale and expectations by bringing in the likes of Javier Hernandez, Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta and Marko Arnautovic.
West Ham drew 2-2 against Werder Bremen on Saturday, with Arnautovic scoring his first club for the East London club.
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Man City vs West Ham: Friendly prediction, team news, start time, live, TV, head to head, odds
Evening Standard
TOM DOYLE
West Ham face a true test of their Premier League ambitions on Friday as they are pitted against Pep Guardiola's title-chasing Manchester City in Iceland. The Hammers have moved decisively in the market following a slow start to the summer transfer window, with Javier Hernandez the star signing along with Marko Arnautovic, Joe Hart and Pablo Zabaleta. Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was so impressed with the Hammers' business that he has marked them out as potential title contenders. But Slaven Bilic will have a clearer picture of his side's potential when they come up against the might of Man City in Reykjavik - the first clash between two Premier League teams in the country.
Man City take on West Ham at the Laugardalsvollur Stadium in Reykjavik, Iceland. The match kicks off at 3pm (GMT) on August 4.
TV and live online coverage
The match will not be televised live on TV in the UK. You can follow all the build-up and action from 12pm with Standard Sport's London Football live blog.
Team news
Pablo Zalabeta is set for an early reunion with his former club after spending nine years at City. Goalkeeper Hart - currently on loan at West Ham from City - is another who may be taking on some familiar faces, while £16m striker Hernandez will almost certainly get some minutes as he builds fitness following his Confederations Cup appearances. City have confirmed that Claudio Bravo and Bernardo Silva could play after their extended holidays following the confederations Cup. However, £52m wing-back Benjamin Mendy and midfielder Ilkay Gundogan are out through injury.
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Chicharito won't wear No. 14 at West Ham
July 31, 2017 3:35pm
Jon Arnold
Updated at 3:35 p.m. ET
Foxsports
Premier League, West Ham UnitedIt's still not totally decided which number the Mexico forward will be sporting with the London club, but he's ruled out his traditional digits Fans looking forward to buying a new West Ham United shirt with forward Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez's name and number on the back will have to wait a little longer to see exactly what that number will be. Mexico's all-time leading scorer was presented at West Ham after joining the London side from Bayer Leverkusen but still isn't sure which number he'll sport with the Hammers. It does appear, though, that his days wearing his traditional No. 14 may be over.
"I've got a little bit of an idea, but I can't say yet. They're going to announce it when they have a bit of an idea what the rest of the club's movements are like," he told Fox Sports. "Something that we do have in mind is that I'm not going to use the 14. We'll see what number I end up with." The forward likely will make his West Ham debut against his former club Manchester United when the teams meet in the first match of the season on Aug. 13. "It's going to be a very special weekend. Who would've thought my return to the English league would be playing at the place I called home with my old club?" Hernandez said. "It'll be really nice. I'm very motivated, very hopefully to be there that weekend, also just because it'll be start of the season.
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Real Betis launch bid for West Ham target Ryad Boudebouz
By Jay Williams - Jul 31, 2017 0
WestHamWorld
Spanish side Real Betis have launched a bid for West Ham United target Ryad Boudebouz, according to reports coming out of France. French media outlet France Football is reporting that Real Betis have offered €7m for Montpellier star Ryad Boudebouz. There are many clubs interested in the Ligue 1 play maker, who caught the eye last season. Alongside Real Betis and West Ham, the likes of Sampdoria, Newcastle United and Bayer Leverkusen are credited with an interest in the Algerian international. However, it is La Liga outfit Real Betis who have firmed up their interest with the first bid, testing the water at €7m. Montpellier are thought to be holding out for a fee closer to €15m for Ryad Boudebouz after his impressive year for the South France side. In 33 Ligue 1 appearances, Boudebouz weighed in with eleven goals and nine assists, catching the attention of a number of top clubs across Europe. West Ham have some decent options in the attacking midfield regions after snapping up Marko Arnautovic. Arnautovic will compete with Manuel Lanzini, Andre Ayew and Michail Antonio for the attacking midfield spots but peripheral players Robert Snodgrass and Sofiane Feghouli could be moved on to bring someone like Boudebouz in. France Football believe that the 27-year-old's market value is between €8m and €12m.
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West Ham signing Javier Hernandez gives fans a right to dream… and at just £16million he is a bargain in today's transfer market
Ex-Manchester United forward is the answer to the Hammers' striker crisis and has plenty of gas left in the tank at just 29
FAN'S VIEW
By ExWHUemployee
31st July 2017, 11:48 am Updated: 31st July 2017, 12:00 pm
LAST summer West Ham fans were promised a proven goalscorer. But instead of a marque signing, we ended up with Simone Zaza and Jonathan Calleri – who managed a grand total of one league goal between them. Inevitably, West Ham fans were very pessimistic and worried that, once again this summer, we would fail to land a top quality goalscorer and still be reliant on the injury prone Diafra Sakho and Andy Carroll. Thankfully our prayers have been answered. Not only have we landed a top quality, proven goalscorer, but we have done it at a snip in today's over-inflated transfer market. Javier Hernandez is Mexico's all-time top scorer and has netted at the very top level for Manchester United and Real Madrid. He is exactly the sort of player we had been crying out for — and a bargain at just £16million. At 29, he still has many years left in the tank. We were quoted nearly £40m to sign another 29-year-old in Anthony Modeste – and he is not in the same league as Hernandez when it comes to finding the back of the net. Already, Chicharito has settled in well to the squad and players have said he has taken no time to forge close friendships. Jose Mourinho spoke very highly of the player and said had he not already bought Romelu Lukaku then he would have been after our Little Pea. This speaks volumes in itself. There is a genuine buzz around the club about this signing and I don't think our supporters have been this excited since we landed two South American superstars in 2006 in Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. Hopefully he will stay longer than they did. So far this window, our transfers have been exactly what we needed. We have shifted a lot of dead wood on high wages and brought in proven Premier League quality in Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Marko Arnautovic and Hernandez. I feel that we could really do with another forward to take the burden off Hernandez, possibly one that is equally at home on the wing to give an alternative option. It is fitting that Hernandez will make his debut for us at Old Trafford. Alongside two City favourites, I am hoping another famous result for us at the Theatre of Dreams becomes a reality.
Tweet @ExWHUemployee
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West Ham pulled out of Kelechi Iheanacho move due to ongoing agent issues
HITC
Vincent Ralph
West Ham United had been linked with the Manchester City player earlier in the transfer window. According to All Nigeria Soccer, West Ham United made the early decision to pull out of a move for Kelechi Iheanacho due to the issues surrounding his agent representation. A number of different reasons have been suggested for why the Hammers opted not to pursue a potential bargain move for the Manchester City forward. However it is now being claimed that West Ham knew early on of the dispute between First Eleven Management and Stellar Group and decided to step aside because the issue was not resolved. Manchester City's Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho (C) misses with thsi shot as Stoke City's English defender Ryan Shawcross (R) tries to defend during the English Premier League...
That allowed Leicester City to make their move. The problem is until the issue of who actually represents Iheanacho comes to a head, he will remain at City player.
In hindsight West Ham were wise to step aside and focus their attention elsewhere. They have brought in Javier Hernandez - a truly exciting striker signing who could go down a storm at the London Stadium after a recent history of uninspiring additions. Marko Arnautovic has also arrived and together with the Mexican he should form a fine attacking partnership for the Hammers. There is no doubt Iheanacho will score goals wherever he is playing next season and beyond. But on reflection it seems West Ham were made aware of the issue early and decided they did not have time to waste. Not everything the West Ham hierarchy have done in recent summers should be applauded, yet in this instance it appears they got it spot on. After all, had West Ham put all their eggs in one basket and banked solely on Iheanacho their fans would still be waiting for a new goal-scorer.
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Kelechi Iheanacho May Remain At Man City, Why West Ham Opted Out
Published: July 31, 2017
allnigeriasoccer.com
Kelechi Iheanacho May Remain At Man City, Why West Ham Opted Out The future of Africa's most promising talent Kelechi Iheanacho remains unresolved, less than two weeks before the beginning of the 2017-2018 campaign, and a month before the World Cup qualifiers versus Cameroon. The Citizens number seventy two's transfer to Leicester City is being delayed due to a dispute between his intermediaries First Eleven Management and Stellar Group. Contrary to speculations in the media, allnigeriasoccer.com has been informed by sources in the know that West Ham pulled the plug on the signing of Iheanacho because the legal issue was not yet addressed. City manager Pep Guardiola has backtracked on his earlier statement and has now revealed that the Nigerian may remain at the Etihad Stadium at the close of the transfer window. ''I think Kelechi leaves us in favour of Leicester. I think so, but I do not want to say anything wrong either.'' ''We will see. If that does not happen, he will be part of the group,'' Guardiola stated. The 2017-2018 campaign is a World Cup season and Iheanacho is worried that he won't get playing opportunities if he remains at Manchester City.
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Real Betis reportedly make low bid for Ryad Boudebouz, West Ham must act fast
HITC
Charlie Hayward
The Algerian playmaker has been linked with a switch to West Ham this summer. If West Ham want to sign Ryad Boudebouz this summer they will have to move fast. Reports from France Football suggest that Real Betis have made a bid for the Algerian creator. The La Liga club have tabled an opening offer of £6.2m for Boudebouz, which France Football say is below Montpellier's asking price. Offers of between £7.15m and £8.94m are more likely to be well received by the Ligue 1 club and, at that price, West Ham must pull the trigger. France Football name Sampdoria and Bayer Leverkusen alongside the Hammers as parties interested in the 25-cap Algerian international, so if Betis' bid starts a flurry of action, West Ham will need to move quickly. Boudebouz was one of the most creative players in Europe's top five leagues last season, and played more key passes than any other player according to Who Scored. The 27-year-old has registered 21 league assists for Montpellier in the last two campaigns and would be an ideal replacement for Dimitri Payet's missing creativity at the London Stadium. His arrival would add to the already impressive list of acquisitions Slaven Bilic has made this summer. Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Javier Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic are all on board and Boudebouz would top off that list quite nicely.
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Manuel Lanzini back for West Ham gym session after minor knee injury
The Argentine star joined in with the Hammers players again on Monday
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
12:00, 31 JUL 2017
Manuel Lanzini has been back in West Ham training on Monday morning as he took part in a gym session at the training camp in Rotenburg. The Argentine star had missed the past two Betway Cup games with a minor knee injury problem and there were fears previously the injury could have been significant. But, West Ham posted on their Instagram page this morning Lanzini riding on a cycling machine alongside captain Mark Noble as "The Jewel" steps up his recovery. Striker Diafra Sakho was also part of the session for the first time this season, having been training on his own previously as recovers from hamstring and back problems.
The Hammers players, who had a day off from training on Sunday in Rotenburg, were back at it this morning and will likely have another session this afternoon, with one more scheduled for Tuesday morning. They will then take on Altona 93 in Hamburg in the evening in their final pre-season friendly of the Germany trip before heading off to Iceland to take on Manchester City in Reykjavik.
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Diafra Sakho hands West Ham massive boost as he returns to first team squad for training
The Senegalese striker is back in training with the squad after another injury nightmare
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
11:00, 31 JUL 2017
Diafra Sakho has rejoined the West Ham first team squad for training in Rotenburg on Monday morning, providing Slaven Bilic with a huge boost ahead of the new season. The Hammers posted a video of Sakho on a cycling machine iad straight after it, other members of the Hammers squad doing the same thing. The striker has been working extremely hard in training over the past week or so to get himself fit enough to return to first team training although any return to action is expected to be a long way off. Football.London witnessed Sakho going through daily gruelling fitness regimes by himself in Bothel and Rotenburg with members of the club coaching staff away from the main group as he built up his fitness levels ahead of a full return to training. The Hammers players, fresh off a day off on Sunday, were ut through their paces in a gym session this morning, with an outdoor session expected later this afternoon. Sakho featured just three times for the Hammers last season against Tottenham and Macnchester United - twice - before suffering a hamstring problem in the league cup loss at Old Trafford just a few weeks after recovering from what appears to be a chronic back injury. That had kept him out of action long-term and also scuppered a move to West Bromwich Albion last summer.
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Without a new deal for Bilic, David Gold's West Ham youngsters u-turn means nothing
The chairman has backtracked on his stance on the youth players but there's more to it than just that
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
08:25, 31 JUL 2017
David Gold now believes West Ham could have the best crop of youngsters seen at the club in a decade, which is in stark contrast to what he said a couple of months ago. The success of the U23s in gaining promotion to Division One of PL2, seeing some of them on the bench for the Premier League team and then Declan Rice getting some game time against Burnley at the end of last season, the kids are doing alright. Now, Nathan Holland and Declan Rice are shining on pre-season tour, Josh Cullen and Reece Burke are doing well too and Toni Martinez scored his first senior goal for the Hammers on Saturday. They aren't doing too bad for some players are unlikely to "break into a team of seasoned internationals," which is what Gold has said. But one thing hinges on the future of these youngsters at the club and that is Slaven Bilic, who is entering the final year of his current contract at West Ham. Understandably when results weren't good last season the club didn't enter contract negotiations but the club has backed him to the tune of £23m for Marko Arnautovic and £16m for Javier Hernandez, plus a loan deal for Joe Hart in this transfer window. Bilic chose to bring Holland, Rice, Martinez, Burke, Cullen and Moses Makasi on pre-season tour to Austria and Germany and he needs to be backed to develop them as well. You can add Reece Oxford into the equation, currently on a season-long loan at Borussia Monchengladbach. With some of the seasoned internationals underwhelming massively, the opportunity is now there for the youth stars, who are learning quickly under Bilic and what would happen to their development if a new boss came in next year?
The "Academy of Football" moniker couldn't have been more wrong over the past couple of seasons but now it is starting to show signs of making a return. Along with academy director Terry Westley, Bilic needs to be at the forefront of it.
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