Tuesday, July 10

Web Digest [ West Ham United ] - 10th July 2007

Live televised matches confirmed - WHUFC
09/07/2007 09:36

Sky Sports and Setanta Sports have announced their choices of the Barclays
Premier League matches to be televised live for the first four months of the
2007-08 season. West Ham United are scheduled to appear live five times
before the end of November, three times in home matches at Upton Park, and
twice away from home.

Our live televised matches in 2007 are as follows:

Date Match Kick-Off TV Company

Sun Sep 23 v Newcastle U (a) 1.30pm Sky Sports
Sun Oct 21 v Sunderland (h) 4.00pm Sky Sports
Sat Oct 27 v Portsmouth (a) 5.15pm Setanta
Sports
Sun Nov 4 v Bolton W (h) 4.00pm Sky Sports
Sun Nov 25 v Tottenham H (h) 1.30pm Sky Sports

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Dinner in honour of Steve Bacon - WHUFC
09/07/2007 12:36

West Ham United's popular club photographer Steve Bacon, who has been taking
pictures of Hammers players for more than 30 years, is to have his
achievements recognised in a special evening of celebration. On Friday 24th
August 2007, Dagenham and Redbridge Football Club will be hosting a dinner
in honour of Steve, who has been forced to stop working in recent years due
to illness. The evening is sure to be a memorable one, with special guests
Frank McAvennie, Ray Stewart, Tony Cottee, Tony Gale and Phil Parkes
attending, plus others who are yet to confirm. Tickets are available at
£45.00 each, which includes a three-course meal, are very limited and will
be sold on a strictly first-come, first-served basis. Tickets can be
purchased in tables of 10 or as individuals. Please email
novafootballclub@yahoo.co.uk for an application form or telephone 07751
442020 for information on purchasing tickets.
If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact the
organisers.

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Pre-Season friendly schedule finalised - WHUFC
09/07/2007 15:48

West Ham United have finalised the 2007-08 pre-season friendly schedule
after confirming the matches to be played during our training camp visit to
Austria.
Alan Curbishley's men will kick-off their preparations for the new Barclays
Premier League campaign this coming Saturday, July 14, with a short trip to
local neighbours and the Football League's newest members, Dagenham &
Redbridge, for a testimonial in honour of former QPR and Wales goalkeeper
Tony Roberts.
The squad will then head off to Austria for seven days, during which time
they will face matches against Czech side SK Sigma Olomouc, on Tuesday, July
17, and Paolo Di Canio's former club Lazio on Saturday, July 22.
The squad will then return to carry on their build-up on home soil with
another testimonial match at nearby rivals - this time for Leyton Orient
manager Martin Ling at Brisbane Road on Tuesday, July 24. A mixture of
senior and younger players will then be used the following evening,
Wednesday, July 25, for a match against MK Dons. On Saturday, July 28,
Hammers will travel to Roots Hall for a friendly clash against Southend
United that will form part of the Essex club's Centenary celebrations,
before heading to East Anglia on Tuesday, July 31 to face Norwich City -
managed by our former Assistant Manager Peter Grant. Following the trend of
recent years, the Club will then round off its pre-season preparations with
a prestige friendly at Upton Park one week before the start of the league
campaign, this year against Italian giants AS Roma on Saturday, August 4.

The complete schedule of first-team pre-season friendlies reads as follows…

Date Opponents H/A Kick-Off
Sat 14 Jul Dagenham & R A 3.00pm
Tue 17 Jul SK Sigma Olomouc N 6.30pm*
Sat 21 Jul Lazio N 6.00pm*
Tue 24 Jul Leyton Orient A 7.45pm
Wed 25 Jul MK Dons A 7.45pm
Sat 28 Jul Southend Utd A 3.00pm
Tue 31 Jul Norwich City A 7.45pm
Sat 4 Aug AS Roma H 3.00pm

*Local time in Austria

Please note, all fixtures are subject to change.

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Man Utd move for Tevez to drag on - BBC

Manchester United may have to be patient in their bid to sign striker Carlos
Tevez from West Ham United, BBC Sport understands. United boss Sir Alex
Ferguson says the club are close to signing Tevez. Ferguson said: "We are in
negotiations and want to make sure there are no side issues. The essential
parts are agreed. Hopefully it will be finalised soon." But BBC Five Live
has been told the Premier League could take weeks to finalise the move for
the 23-year-old.
The Premier League says the transfer must be "done directly" with West Ham
rather than his agent Kia Joorabchian. According to the Argentine's
representatives personal terms were agreed with United last week. Ferguson
added: "Club solicitor Maurice Watkins has been working on it for a month,
maybe more, to make sure the deal is perfectly clear. "To be honest, I
thought it would have all been sorted by the weekend just gone. It must be
the Premier League that is holding it up. "From what chief executive David
Gill and Maurice said, everything was ready to go. Unless something is being
held back from us, I don't know of anything that is holding it up."
However, last week West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson insisted Tevez is a
registered Hammers player and is expected to return for the new season.
But Joorabchian's lawyers say the deal has progressed with the "knowledge
and permission" of the Upton Park outfit. Tevez has made no secret of his
desire to move to Old Trafford, a proposed transfer he has described as a
"dream", and it appears it has taken a step closer to being realised. He was
involved in the saga that led to West Ham being fined £5m for breaching
transfer rules, although they crucially escaped a points deduction. The
Premier League wants to ensure Joorabchian is not paid any of the fee after
previous questions over the Argentine forward's "ownership". And the waters
are further muddied by the fact that West Ham, who insist they cut all ties
with Joorabchian after they were fined in April, expect Tevez to return to
east London after he concludes his international duties at the Copa America
in Venezuela.
Magnusson said earlier this month: "Carlos Tevez is a registered West Ham
player, contracted to the club until June 2010. "There is no agreement with
West Ham for Carlos Tevez to leave the club and we expect him to return in
time for next season's preparations. "No decision on his future can be
reached without the agreement of West Ham."
One possible avenue would be for West Ham to be paid a transfer fee and then
agree a compensation figure with Joorabchian for breaching contracts with
his company, Media Sports Investments (MSI), when the Hammers terminated
third-party agreements following their fine. However, it is understood the
League would want a substantial chunk of the transfer fee to remain at West
Ham rather than it all be handed over to MSI in compensation. If that was
the case, they could be accused of merely covering up the third-party
agreements that have caused so much controversy.

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Man Utd close in on Tevez signing - BBC

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson says the club are close to signing
Carlos Tevez from West Ham. The 23-year-old Argentine striker agreed
personal terms with United last week, according to his representatives. The
Premier League says the transfer must be "done directly" with West Ham
rather than his agent Kia Joorabchian. Ferguson said: "We are in
negotiations and want to make sure there are no side issues. The essential
parts are agreed. Hopefully it will be finalised soon." He added: "Club
solicitor Maurice Watkins has been working on it for a month, maybe more, to
make sure the deal is perfectly clear. "To be honest, I thought it would
have all been sorted by the weekend just gone. It must be the Premier League
that is holding it up. "From what chief executive David Gill and Maurice
said, everything was ready to go. Unless something is being held back from
us, I don't know of anything that is holding it up."
However, last week West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson insisted Tevez is a
registered Hammers player and is expected to return for the new season. But
Joorabchian's lawyers say the deal has progressed with the "knowledge and
permission" of the Upton Park outfit. Tevez has made no secret of his desire
to move to Old Trafford, a proposed transfer he has described as a "dream",
and it appears it has taken a step closer to being realised. He was involved
in the saga that led to West Ham being fined £5m for breaching transfer
rules, although they crucially escaped a points deduction. The Premier
League wants to ensure Joorabchian is not paid any of the fee after previous
questions over the Argentine forward's "ownership". And the waters are
further muddied by the fact that West Ham, who insist they cut all ties with
Joorabchian after they were fined in April, expect Tevez to return to east
London after he concludes his international duties at the Copa America in
Venezuela.
Magnusson said earlier this month: "Carlos Tevez is a registered West Ham
player, contracted to the club until June 2010. "There is no agreement with
West Ham for Carlos Tevez to leave the club and we expect him to return in
time for next season's preparations. "No decision on his future can be
reached without the agreement of West Ham."
One possible avenue would be for West Ham to be paid a transfer fee and then
agree a compensation figure with Joorabchian for breaching contracts with
his company, Media Sports Investments (MSI), when the Hammers terminated
third-party agreements following their fine. However, it is understood the
League would want a substantial chunk of the transfer fee to remain at West
Ham rather than it all be handed over to MSI in compensation. If that was
the case, they could be accused of merely covering up the third-party
agreements that have caused so much controversy.

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Fergie waits on Tevez transfer - Sky
By Mark Buckingham - Created on 9 Jul 2007

Sir Alex Ferguson is expecting Manchester United to complete the signing of
Carlos Tevez in the coming days. The Argentine has agreed personal terms to
join the Premier League champions, who are trying to resolve the issue of
his registration with West Ham United and the Premier League. Tevez's
representative Kia Joorabchian is also involved in the negotiation process,
but Ferguson believes the matter will conclude with the striker moving to
Old Trafford. "We have had a negotiation, it's well documented, with Carlos
Tevez," said Ferguson at a press conference on Sky Sports News. "The
essential parts, it's all agreed, we're just hoping to finalise it soon. "I
thought it was going to be done by last weekend. Everything seemed perfectly
okay, so the hold-up must be with the Premier League."
Ferguson also anticipates none of the problems which blighted West Ham's
signing of Tevez, with the East London club fined £5.5million. The United
manager insists nothing 'dodgy' will occur in his club's quest to bring the
South American to the club. He added: "I don't know about the intricacies,
I've left that to Maurice Watkins, he's dealing with that. "I'm sure the
outcome will be that we will be taking him with complete clarity in the
deal, with no suspicions or anything dodgy about it. "There is no way we can
be involved in anything that's underhand at all."
Tevez's capture would complete a big-spending summer for Ferguson, who has
already secured deals for Anderson, Owen Hargreaves and Nani.

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Latics lead Harewood hunt - Sky
By Peter ORourke - Created on 9 Jul 2007

Skysports.com understands Wigan are leading the chase for West Ham forward
Marlon Harewood. Harewood looks set to leave West Ham after the club
confirmed they would listen to offers for the striker. A number of clubs
including Birmingham, Fulham, Portsmouth and Aston Villa have expressed an
interest in Harewood, but now Wigan have jumped to the head of the queue for
the former Nottingham Forest man. Wigan boss Chris Hutchings is keen to
bolster his attacking options as he hopes to avoid another relegation scrap
in the forthcoming campaign and he believes Harewood would be a valuable
addition to his squad. West Ham have already rejected one bid from
Birmingham, but Wigan are believed to be close to meeting The Hammers'
valuation of Harewood.
Harewood's representative, Mick McGuire, confirmed Wigan were leading the
hunt for the player. "Wigan have come in with a bid for Marlon and it seems
the most meaningful bid," McGuire told skysports.com. "The bid is now open
to discussion between both clubs. "Aston Villa and Birmingham are still
interested, but it seems Wigan are closer to a deal. "We are hopeful of
sorting out Marlon's future in the next few days."

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Sir Alex Ferguson sure of Carlos Tevez deal - Telegraph
By Mark Ogden
Last Updated: 3:23am BST 10/07/2007

Sir Alex Ferguson is confident Manchester United's pursuit of the West Ham
forward Carlos Tevez will reach a successful conclusion. The United manager
insists the Premiership champions have done everything possible to prevent
accusations that there are "dodgy" and "underhand" elements in the proposed
transfer.
United manager Ferguson, who yesterday paraded summer signings Owen
Hargreaves and Nani, the Portuguese forward, at the club's Carrington
training ground, confirmed talks had taken place with Tevez and that
financial aspects of the transfer of the Argentina international had been
thrashed out.
United are understood to have agreed to pay £6 million over the next two
years for the 23-year-old and wages of £90,000-a-week, with an option to buy
the player outright for £20 million in 2009. However, continuing confusion
over who controls Tevez - be it West Ham or Media Sports Investment (MSI)
and the player's part-owner, Kia Joorabchian, - have left the deal in limbo
with the Premier League insisting that any payment by United is made to the
London club rather than MSI or other third parties.
Despite the deal having seemingly reached an impasse, Ferguson remains
optimistic about completing the transfer, possibly ahead of United's
departure for their tour of the Far East on Sunday. "It has been well
documented that we are in negotiations with Carlos Tevez and in essential
parts it's all agreed,'' Ferguson said. ''We are just hoping to finalise
soon.
"I don't know the intricacies. I've left that to Maurice Watkins, the club
solicitor. He's dealing with that, but I'm sure the outcome will be that we
will be taking him with complete transparency in the deal, with nothing
dodgy about it. "There is no way that we can be involved in anything
underhand at all and Maurice has been working on it for a month, maybe more,
to make sure the deal is perfectly clear.''
West Ham have already paid a heavy price for their mysterious acquisition of
Tevez last August, being fined £5 million by the Premier League for
breaching rules relating to third party ownership of players. Javier
Mascherano, who joined West Ham in the same deal as Tevez last season, left
Upton Park for Liverpool in January and United are using that transfer as
the blueprint for the Tevez move. "We followed that procedure set by
Liverpool, but to be honest, I thought it would have all been sorted by the
weekend just gone,'' Ferguson added. ''It must be the Premier League that is
holding it up.''

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No Curb to the spending - The Sun
By ONLINE REPORTER
July 10, 2007

ALAN CURBISHLEY is still in the hunt for three players despite taking his
spending to almost £38million. The West Ham boss will finally land Craig
Bellamy for £7.5m from Liverpool today. The striker will sign a four-year
deal worth £60,000 a week. But Curbishley still wants another striker, with
Marlon Harewood on his way out. He also wants a left-back to replace Paul
Konchesky, who will also be axed, and a winger to put pressure on Matthew
Etherington.

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No one will stop Tevez joining and we will win the Champions League again,
says Fergie - This Is London
09.07.07

Sir Alex Ferguson last night vowed to push through Manchester United's
controversial capture of Carlos Tevez from West Ham and add him to a squad
he believes are ready to win the Champions League again. United's lawyers
are still working with the Premier League to complete the £30million
transfer of Argentina forward Tevez, 23. Ferguson says the deal will be
completely transparent — unlike the murky nature of his arrangement with
West Ham, which led to them being fined £5.5m. Ferguson is confident that
the arrival of Tevez, Owen Hargreaves and youngsters Nani and Anderson this
summer will give his squad the depth they need to improve on last season's
Champions League semi-final exit. The United manager said: "I think this
gives us a really strong squad next year. That maybe was our downfall last
season. When we got into the final part of the season we just didn't have
enough in the squad to handle all the competitions we were in. "Hopefully,
the additions of Hargreaves and Nani and Anderson, and the other signing we
hope to make, soon will lead to a promising season for us. "Last season we
reached the final of the FA Cup, the semi-final of the European Cup as well
as the league and had a great opportunity to win things. But we just didn't
have enough bodies to stretch our squad out and save legs where we could
have saved legs. Now we have a much stronger squad. "Last season was the
third Champions League semi-final we have failed in and we don't like that.
We think we should be doing better and signing these players does give us a
bigger chance."
Hargreaves and Nani were unveiled at United's training ground yesterday and
will join United on their pre-season tour of Asia this weekend. Tevez, on
Copa America duty with Argentina in Venezuela, remains the hot topic as the
Premier League continue to insist that United deal with his current club
West Ham, rather than the player's "owner", businessman Kia Joorabchian.
Ferguson said: "I don't know the intricacies of it but I'm sure the outcome
will be that we will be taking Tevez with complete transparency in the deal
with no suspicions and nothing dodgy about it. "There is no way that we can
be involved in anything underhand. I think there's a transparency there now.
We are clearer about the situation. "I thought it was going to be done by
the weekend but there has been a delay. It must be the Premier League
holding it up. "That's the only thing I can imagine is holding it up
because as far as I was aware, everything else was OK."
Ferguson warned that some of his players will have to be patient when it
comes to their place in the team, particularly with such an influx of
talent. He said: "Yes, it's going to take management. But I think players
understand that in order to challenge for everything you do need a strong
squad and it means that they don't play all the games. "No one will play all
the games next year and hopefully they accept that and move on to the
business of trying to achieve success for us. "I don't expect anybody to
leave but it may happen because some players will view the situation and
think maybe they won't get enough games to satisfy them."

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Hammers eye Okkas swoop - Sky
By Fotis Voinikas - Created on 10 Jul 2007

West Ham have handed a trial to Yanniks Okkas. The 30-year-old Cypriot
international is currently without a club after leaving Olympiakos. Okkas
has long been linked with a move to England and he now has the chance to
seal a deal with The Hammers. Reports suggest that should Okkas impress
manager Alab Curbishley - then there is a two-year deal waiting for him.

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Colchester signing Sheringham shrugs off West Ham trouble
tribalfooball.com - July 09, 2007

After signing a one-year deal with Colchester yesterday, Teddy Sheringham
shrugged off his battle with West Ham manager Alan Curbishley last season.
"I have had a lot of managers down the years who like the way I play,"
Sheringham said pointedly. "But I can't grumble. These things happen in
football and West Ham did their job. They got out of trouble. "I had a
barren time last season but I don't think it has any bearing on what I want
to do this week or next week."

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Villa, Wigan, West Ham keen on Jaziri
tribalfooball.com - July 09, 2007

Tunisia World Cup striker Ziad Jaziri is wanted by three Premiership clubs.
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has inquired about the forward, 29, who
plays for French side Troyes. But O'Neill faces competition from West Ham
and Wigan, who have also registered their interest in the player. A source
close to Jaziri told the Sunday Mercury: "Three clubs are looking at him and
Troyes are keen to do something."

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Birmingham want West Ham to drop Konchesky price
tribalfooball.com - July 09, 2007

Birmingham City boss Steve Bruce is keen to add a new left-back to his
squad. Bruce wants to bring in at least two more players before the big
kick-off in August but has only a limited budget of around £8million and
accepts he may now have to sell to buy. He is still keen on defender Paul
Konchesky but is unwilling to meet West Ham's asking price of £4million
after offering half of that amount.

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West Ham To Play Lazio In Pre Season Friendly- WestHamFans.org
Submitted by Neville Nixon on 9 July, 2007 - 23:41.

West Ham have confirmed fixtures against Italian Serie A club Lazio and
Czech side SK Sigma Olomouc during their week long training camp in Austria
next week. Hammers had already lined up a tasty friendly against Roma at the
Boleyn on August the 4th, a week before the new season begins. Alan
Curbishley will be keen to give a run out for new signings Scott Parker,
Julien Faubert, Richard Wright and Craig Bellamy. The club's pre season
campaign begins against Dagenham and Redbridge this Saturday in a
testimonial for Daggers goalkeeper Tony Roberts. Hammers then face Sigma
Olomouc on Tuesday and Lazio on July 22 before a series of pre season games
during July against Leyton Orient, MK Dons who are now managed by ex-hammer
and famous judas Paul Ince, Southend and Norwich. Pre season is always a
strange period, but history tells us that those clubs that do well in the
season's run up tend to do well when the real action starts. - Ed

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League transfer fee ruling delays Tevez switch to United - The Times
By Jason Burt
Published: 10 July 2007

Lawyers from Manchester United and West Ham were yesterday frantically
trying to find a solution that will allow Carlos Tevez to move to the
Premiership champions.

Privately, West Ham accept that the Argentine has played his final game for
them, but the Premier League are still insisting that the club - rather than
the businessman Kia Joorabchian - receive the bulk of the £35m transfer fee
that could be paid by United.

That insistence has held up the deal - indeed it has led to an impasse -
although United are also yet to submit a formal transfer bid for Tevez to
West Ham. "There is still no proposal on the table," a West Ham source said
last night.

Yesterday the United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said he believed that Tevez
was close to signing - but that view is contradicted by all the other
parties. "It's been well documented that we are in negotiations with Carlos
Tevez and in essential parts it is all agreed," Ferguson said. "Now we are
just hoping to finalise soon." At present that is a hugely optimistic
statement with the Premier League remaining firm that West Ham had given
undertakings that Tevez is their player and therefore cannot be sold by a
third party.

They also dismiss arguments from Joorabchian, West Ham and United that the
transfer is similar to the deal that took Javier Mascherano to Liverpool,
saying the circumstances are very different because West Ham did not claim
that the midfielder was theirs and hold on to him.

Legal action would have to be instigated by Joorabchian and although he is
loath to do so it also appears that he would have a strong case. For West
Ham paying him compensation may be preferable to the possibility of another
Premier League inquiry - and of a points deduction - which is also being
threatened. Ferguson revealed that United, through their solicitor Maurice
Watkins, had been working on the deal for a month and were confident that it
had been sorted out.

"I'm sure that the outcome will be that we will be taking him with complete
transparency in the deal with no suspicions and nothing dodgy about it,"
Ferguson said. "There is no way that we can be involved in anything
underhand at all."

Ferguson said he had hoped the deal would be completed by last weekend -
United planned to announce it on Friday - but admitted that the hold-up had
come from the Premier League. United now hope Tevez will fly from Venezuela
at the end of the Copa America this weekend to join them on their pre-season
Far East tour.

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Maybe It Is Time For West Ham To Set Up A South American Office -
WestHamFans.org
Submitted by Neville Nixon on 9 July, 2007 - 12:56.

Despite the fall out associated with 'Tevez Gate', West Ham United could do
worse than embrace the culture of South American football rather than
retreat with their tails between their legs. Chelsea, Manchester United and
other top teams actively pursue 'exotic' players, why not West Ham? The Copa
America has been a scouts dream and surely proves that better value can be
obtained for those prepared to take the dare. If a fairly ineffectual failed
businessman like Kia Joorabchian can plunder the talents of hopefulls from
Argentina and Brazil, surely West Ham could become a presence where it
matters , in South America.

Given the ludicrous transfer fees and wages demanded for european players,
West Ham could establish a conveyor belt of talent that could utilise all
the effort that the club had to make in order to try to habilitate players
to the rigour of the Premier League.. The arrival of Carlos Tevez and Javier
Mascherano could be blamed for destabilising the club, but the knowledge
gained of how to integrate 'flair' players could prove to be a boon for West
Ham. OK there would be a lot of players who would be unable to make the
change, but even if three out of ten made the grade it could represent a
good bit of business, think of it as try and buy, you win some and you lose
some.. Given the funds available to the manager, you can bet your old ford
escort that old Harry would have pushed the boat out to enhance Hammers
being perceived as a source of potential greatness to aspiring stars from
warmer climes. - Ed

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Marlon's move to Wigan in doubt - TeamTalk

Striker Marlon Harewood's move from West Ham to Wigan could be scuppered due
to the poor relations between the two clubs. Harewood has been tipped for a
£3.5million move to the JJB Stadium after being told he could leave Upton
Park by boss Alan Curbishley. However, according to the Manchester Evening
News, the Hammers are reluctant to sell him to Latics after chairman Dave
Whelan called for them to be relegated from the Premier League for their
part in the Carlos Tevez controversy. The 27 year-old was the subject of a
failed £3million offer from Birmingham and has also been linked with Fulham
and Celtic.
On his pending Upton Park exit, Harewood said: "I think it's time for me to
leave West Ham. I've had four good years at the club but now it's time for
me to find a new challenge. "I've had a chat with the new manager and he
obviously wants to bring his own players in, it happens everywhere." He
continued: "I want to be playing football, I love it. "I had a great season
before last for West Ham playing 43 games and scoring 16 goals but last
season wasn't the best for me. "But I'm so up for next season. I just can't
wait to be scoring again and winning games for a team, that's what I want to
be doing."

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West Ham make shock £5.5m bid to snap up Kamara - Daily Mail
Last updated at 10:54am on 9th July 2007

West Ham manager Alan Curbishley has made a shock £5.5m bid for West Brom
striker Diomansy Kamara. The Hammers have outbid London rivals Fulham for
the Senegal star and hopes to agree personal terms in the next 24 hours,
reports the Mirror. Kamara had met with Fulham last week but Heidar
Helguson's reluctance to move in the opposite direction caused the move to
stall. And after the Cottagers refused a cash only bid, Curbishley took full
advantage and will fund most of the deal by letting Marlon Harewood join
Wigan for £3.5m. Kamara netted 23 goals for West Brom last season and faces
competition for places at Upton Park with Bobby Zamora having been offered a
big pay increase to stay and Craig Bellamy expected to join from Liverpool.

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Irons to snap up Kamara - Report - TeamTalk

West Ham are reportedly set to beat London rivals Fulham to the £5.5million
signing of West Brom striker Diomansy Kamara. The Senegalese striker had
looked to be on his way to Craven Cottage, but with the clubs still haggling
over a fee and Heidar Helguson stalling over a move in the opposite
direction, the Hammers have taken advantage by tabling a £5.5million offer,
according to the Daily Mirror. Kamara could seal his move as early as Monday
after indicating a willingness to move to Upton Park and fight for his
place. Hammers boss Alan Curbishley wants plenty of options in attack, with
Craig Bellamy close to completing his move from Liverpool, while Carlos
Tevez and Marlon Harewood are both on their way out of the club. Kamara, who
scored 23 goals in the Championship last season, moved to England in 2004
when he signed for Portsmouth for a then-club record fee of £2.25million
from Italian side Modena.
Despite failing to settle at Fratton Park, the Baggies snapped him up for
£1.5million and he has become a fans favourite at the Hawthorns, attracting
the attentions of a host of clubs in the Premier League and in Italy.

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CURBS CLICKS WITH £5.5M KAMARA BID - The Mirror
By Alan Nixon 09/07/2007

WEST HAM boss Alan Curbishley made a shock £5.5million move for West Brom
striker Diomansy Kamara last night. Curbishley outbid Fulham for the
Senegalese star and hopes to agree personal terms with him today. Kamara had
already met Fulham last week but the clubs haggled over the fee, with
forward Heidar Helguson stalling on a move in the opposite direction as part
of the deal. Fulham refused to make a straight cash bid, while the Hammers
have taken advantage with their new-found wealth - and are also about to
ship out striker Marlon Harewood. Hammers are ready to let Harewood join
Wigan for £3.5m if he wants to go, creating a vacancy that Kamara could fill
within the next 24 hours. Kamara, who scored 23 goals for his Championship
side last season, is willing to go to West Ham and fight for a place. He
will face stiff competition from the likes of Craig Bellamy, who will
finalise his own switch once he sorts out a pay-off at Liverpool. Curbishley
wants several options up front, with Carlos Tevez bound to leave.

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Wigan near to double swoop - lep.co.uk

Latics are closing in on the signings of Jason Koumas and Marlon Harewood as
new manager Chris Hutchings continues his summer shopping spree. West
Bromwich Albion midfielder Koumas and West Ham United striker Harewood are
both due in Wigan for talks in the next few days, with Koumas possibly in
town as early as this afternoon. Transfer talks have been on-going between
the respective clubs over the weekend in a bid to make headway. A fee in the
region of £4.5m is believed to have tempted Albion to allow Wales
international Koumas to speak to Wigan after an earlier £4m offer was
rejected. And the price for Harewood is around the £3.5m mark. The striker
is being allowed to leave Upton Park as the Hammers are about to secure the
signing of Liverpool's Craig Bellamy. Were the pair to sign, they would
become the fifth and sixth new arrivals at the JJB Stadium following on from
Titus Bramble, Antoine
Sibierski, Mario Melchiot and Carlo Nash. In the other direction, Latics
striker Henri Camara found himself at the centre of weekend speculation
regarding a reported £4m bid from Fulham. The Cottagers have since denied
making the offer, and interest in Camara is thought to be coming from closer
to home, with both Bolton and Blackburn eyeing the Senegal international.
It's expected Camara will have left the JJB by the start of the season next
month, especially in the light of Harewood's expected arrival. Earlier in
the summer it was thought he would head to France, with Paris St Germain
favourites to pounce. But now it seems Camara will remain in the Premier
League.

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