West Ham manager Alan Curbishley has refused to rule out a move for
Newcastle winger Kieron Dyer. Magpies boss Sam Allardyce has admitted Dyer,
28, could leave St James' Park because of family reasons. Curbishley said:
"I'm looking in all areas, and it's not very often that a club says that a
player is available. "Kieron wants to leave Newcastle and we have been
linked with him. I have one eye on everything until that transfer window
closes - so we'll have to see." He added: "We are actively looking to
strengthen the squad and we have to replace those who have left."
On Wednesday, Allardyce said he would not stand in Dyer's way if he wanted
to leave the club after eight years at Newcastle. Allardyce said: "At the
moment, there's a problem from a family point of view and we have to try to
see whether we can resolve that. "If we cannot then that may well result in
Kieron looking to leave the club for that reason and that reason alone."
As well as West Ham, Manchester City and Tottenham have also been linked
with a move for the England international. Allardyce is keen to keep the
player, who joined the Magpies from Ipswich in 1999, but admits he may have
to allow him to leave. "It's obviously disappointing for me, but it is one I
understand," he added. "If somebody has got a problem they cannot resolve,
then ultimately in the long run, it is better for the club and better for
him if you can resolve that problem. "If that's away from here, then so be
it." The departure of Dyer would be a further blow to Allardyce, having seen
new midfield capture Joey Barton already ruled out of the start of the
season.
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Bellamy eyes push for Europe - Sky
By Mark Buckingham - Created on 27 Jul 2007
Craig Bellamy is predicting West Ham United to mount a challenge for
European football. The club's record signing is confident another battle
against relegation can be avoided following Alan Curbishley's summer
recruitment drive. Bellamy has been impressed with latest signing Freddie
Ljungberg and is also looking forward to playing alongside fit-again Dean
Ashton. And with Curbishley still chasing further additions to his squad,
Welsh striker Bellamy is tipping The Hammers to push for a place in the top
six. "I know a lot of the players here already, so I know the capability of
the squad," said Bellamy in the Daily Star. "We've got a good chance and I
do believe Europe is a possibility. "I got a first glimpse of Freddie
Ljungberg at training the other day and during the game at MK Dons. I know
all about him and what a talent he is. "Dean Ashton has come back and he has
had a big injury. I've been out for a long time before, so I know what it is
like. He needs to get himself right. "As soon as that happens, he will be an
exceptional player. He is perfect for me up front because of the way I like
to play."
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West Ham close on Newcastle's Kieron Dyer - Telegraph
By Rob Stewart
Last Updated: 1:43am BST 27/07/2007
Kieron Dyer was conspicuous in his absence from the Newcastle side last
night that humiliated Celtic 4-1 in a friendly with the England
international on the verge of a move to West Ham United. Newcastle manager
Sam Allardyce decided not to risk the midfielder, who sat in the stands at
St James' Park alongside Michael Owen with talks having apparently opened
between Upton Park and the Tyneside club over a player who wants to leave
due to family reasons. advertisement"I was protecting our asset," said
Allardyce. "He could have ended up playing and becoming one of the
casualties, like Steven Taylor and Nicky Butt [who both hobbled off
injured]. We couldn't risk him because he is a valuable asset."
Manchester City are also believed to be ready to mount a bid for the
midfielder, although their chances of attracting him seem slim given his
desire to move nearer to is home town of Ipswich for family reasons. Two
strikes from misfit Spanish striker Albert Luque, plus goals from Obafemi
Martins and James Milner, allowed Allardyce to celebrate victory in his
first game in charge at St James' Park since joining Newcastle from Bolton
this summer.
Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper enjoyed a late cameo in attack when he
replaced the injured Butt, but failed to upstage Luque. However, Harper did
tee up Milner, who completed the rout with a low drive in stoppage time -
the pick of the night's goals.
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Quinn queries crazy spending - TeamTalk
Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has hit out at his big-spending Premier
League counterparts for artificially inflating the transfer market. Quinn,
who paid £5million for Michael Chopra this summer, believes middle and
low-ranking top-flight clubs are paying way over the odds for players, and
singled out West Ham and Portsmouth as the chief culprits. He said in the
Daily Mail: "There's six or seven new owners who are spending money, but are
they getting the type of player that the top four want? I don't think so.
"If I was going to spend a fortune on breaking the bank, I would be going
after the players Liverpool or Manchester United wanted to sign. "But, in
the middle, people are fighting each other and raising the prices for the
same players. You can see it with West Ham and Portsmouth. "The agents are
having an absolute 'beano'. It's like a property market, where estate agents
own half the property or, in West Ham's case, it looks like all the
property."
Sunderland have not been shy themselves in spending money this summer, Quinn
funding manager Roy Keane to the tune of £17.5million so far. However, the
Black Cats supremo insists that the difference between him and other
chairmen is that his only involvement has been signing the cheques. He said:
"What horrifies me is people who have made money out of property or biscuit
tins telling a class act who's managing their club who they should be
signing. "That's for the birds, but it happens in a lot of cases. I see
players signing and chairmen standing there with the jersey and their arms
around the player and I say 'Oh my God, what are they doing?' It's their
call, they may be like that and may be in it for that, but it's not right.
"If I start telling Roy Keane who to sign, I'm going against my own
doctrine. Football is football, administration is administration. "I'm 100%
behind Roy on this. People are being pressurised into signing players from
videos and giving agents lots of money. We won't do that. We have to keep
out heads when this is going on."
PeterR - I have two words for you Mr Quinn... Michael Chopra ( 5 million!! )
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Freddie trousers his huge wad - The Sun
By ANDREW DILLON
July 27, 2007
PANTS model Freddie Ljungberg has got a huge wad — with image rights of
15,000 nicker a week at West Ham. The hunky Swedish midfielder trousered the
massive commercial deal in addition to his £60,000-a-week wages at Upton
Park. Ljungberg, 30, has already made a fortune as a clothes horse
advertising Calvin Klein underwear. But this extra makes him the
highest-paid player at Upton Park. It is understood Arsenal waived their
right to a transfer fee as a gesture of goodwill towards Ljungberg for
nearly nine years' service. And the Hammers want to cash in on his catwalk
value. Ljungberg — who has signed a three-year contract — made his debut for
West Ham in a 3-2 defeat at MK Dons only on Wednesday. But his picture in
the new kit already adorns the home page of the club's website. Another
Hammers new boy, Craig Bellamy, has given words of advice to Dean Ashton,
back after being out all last season with a broken ankle. Bellamy, once out
injured for a year during his Norwich days, said: "You need challenges to
get your confidence back. Basically, you need someone to take you out . . .
in the nicest way. "That's when you know you're all right and you get your
confidence from that. "Deano has had a very big injury. These pre-season
games will be important for him. And as soon as he gets himself right we'll
all know about it because he's an exceptional player."
Bellamy, signed for £8million from Liverpool this summer, believes his new
West Ham side can bag a spot in Europe this season. He said: "I knew it was
a very good squad here before I joined and I know what the capabilities are.
I do believe Europe is a possibility."
And Bellamy, appointed Wales' new captain this summer by boss John Toshack,
is hoping he will one day skipper the Hammers. He said: "The proudest moment
I could ever have was to be made captain of Wales. "I believe I have got to
earn the right here to get that honour and, hopefully, over the next few
years . . . well, you never know."
a.dillon@the-sun.co.uk
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City target's Hammers 'regret' - KUMB
Filed: Thursday, 26th July 2007
By: Matthew O'Greel
Giant striker Nikola Zigic has confessed that he regrets not joining West
Ham United last year. The 6'7" Racing Santander forward was heavily linked
with a move to East London 18 months ago during the January transfer window,
but eventually opted to move to Spain. But after a year or so at Santander,
the Serb says he wishes he had moved to London instead. Zigic's agent, Milan
Calasan, who is currently brokering a deal to take his client to Manchester
City, said last night: "All players want to play in England. The Premier
League is one of the best competitions in the world. "Nikola had the chance
to go to West Ham last year, but it did not happen - and that is one of his
biggest regrets." Alan Pardew was particularly keen to bring the striker to
the club but chose instead to spend his tranfer window funds on Dean Ashton
(and Yaniv Katan).
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Parker in fitness race - KUMB
Filed: Thursday, 26th July 2007
By: Matthew O'Greel
Scott Parker is a doubt for the season opener against Manchester City after
tweaking knee ligaments last week. Parker - who sustained the knock whilst
playing for the Hammers against Sigma in Austria last week - had initially
looked like missing no more than a fortnight. But that initial diagnosis is
thought to have been wide of the mark, and it is now believed that the
£7million summer signing could be out of action for up to a month - meaning
that he would almost certainly miss the season opener on 11th August. Craig
Bellamy, speaking after last night's defeat at MK Dons told reporters:
"Pre-season is a tough time for any team, and losing Scott for four weeks is
a big blow. But we've got a good squad here." United's injury jinx - which
struck Dean Ashton just days before the start of last season, ruling him out
for the entire season - had already claimed another new signing, Julien
Faubert, who is unlikely to play until next year after rupturing his
achilles last week.
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Curbs aware of Dyer situation - Sky
By Mark Buckingham - Created on 26 Jul 2007
Alan Curbishley is remaining coy regarding West Ham United's interest in
Kieron Dyer. The midfielder could be allowed to leave Newcastle United for
'family reasons', following talks with manager Sam Allardyce. West Ham have
been heavily linked with a bid for the England international, who has spent
eight years at St James' Park. Speaking after his side's friendly defeat at
Milton Keynes Dons on Wednesday night, Curbishley acknowledged he is aware
of Dyer's current situation. But the Hammers boss did not commit to making a
bid for the 28-year-old as he continues his quest to add to his squad before
the start of the season. "I'm looking in all areas and it's not very often
that a club says that a player is available," commented Curbishley. "You
normally phone up and get told that people are not available, so it's very
difficult, but anything can still happen. "The situation is that Kieron
wants to leave the club, as I understand it, but I don't know anything else.
"We get linked with a lot of players at the minute and he's one of them."
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Freddie happy with Hammers bow - Sky
By Kent Hedlundh - Created on 26 Jul 2007
Freddie Ljungberg has labelled his West Ham United debut 'truly fantastic'.
The Swedish midfielder joined The Hammers from Arsenal earlier this week and
was given his first run-out in Wednesday's friendly at Milton Keynes Dons.
Ljungberg lasted until midway through the second half of the 3-2 defeat
before being replaced by youngster Tony Stokes. With the player having been
short of pre-season match action, he was happy to be given the chance to
figure against MK Dons. "Truly fantastic," Ljungberg told Sportbladet when
asked for his feelings on his debut. "They (the fans) seem to be pleased and
that is fun. I want to help the young players to come right. "We had
fantastic success at Arsenal and I am hoping for more success at West Ham."
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Gartside confronts West Ham over Anelka 'tap-up'
Matt Scott and Daniel Taylor
Friday July 27, 2007
The Guardian
A Premier League tapping-up dispute erupted yesterday as Bolton Wanderers'
chairman, Phil Gartside, demanded an explanation from his West Ham United
counterpart, Eggert Magnusson, about talk of a £12m bid for Nicolas Anelka.
Despite there being no contact between the clubs, Gartside was furious to
hear allegations from the player's camp that the Monaco-based agent Mike
Morris was operating without a mandate to move the France international to
Upton Park.
Morris, named in the Quest report into football irregularities for his
unexplained involvement in the transfer of Julio Correia to Bolton and of
Michael Essien to Chelsea, yesterday denied any illegal approach. "I have no
idea what they are talking about," he said. "I am not involved in any
attempt to take players to any clubs without a mandate. I have no mandate
for Nicolas Anelka so I am not involved in trying to take him anywhere."
But the Bolton chairman was angry enough to confront Magnusson on the issue.
The West Ham chairman was shocked that his club has been dragged into the
situation, insisting Anelka was not a target. Instead, the Hammers are
believed to be close to making a formal bid for Barcelona's former Chelsea
forward Eidur Gudjohnsen.
"I had a conversation with Eggert and he has assured me there is nothing
untoward," said Gartside, whose club took Christian Wilhelmsson on loan from
Nantes yesterday. "He has given me a personal assurance that he and his club
are not involved in anything like that. There has been no bid for Nicolas,
and Nicolas has told me he wants to stay. We bought a winger today to supply
him."
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Dyer sits out Newcastle friendly as Spurs enter race to sign him
Michael Walker
Friday July 27, 2007
The Guardian
Kieron Dyer was last night omitted from a depleted Newcastle United squad
who beat Celtic 4-1 in a friendly at St James' Park. With Tottenham believed
to be preparing an offer for the England midfielder to rival an expected
offer from West Ham, Dyer is set to move to London but until a bid is
received by Newcastle he remains at the club and the manager, Sam Allardyce,
has stressed that the player's desire to leave will not mean Newcastle will
accept a "cheap" offer.
"We were protecting the asset," Allardyce said afterwards, having seen Nicky
Butt and Steven Taylor pick up injuries to add to the broken metatarsal
sustained by Joey Barton at Carlisle last Saturday. "Kieron could have
played today and ended up being one of those injuries."
But Allardyce confirmed there had been no bid for Dyer yet and also denied
any interest in West Bromwich Albion's centre-half Curtis Davies. Allardyce
wants a more experienced partner for his new signing David Rozehnal.
Dyer watched from the stands, where he saw Albert Luque, a £10m flop since
his signing from Deportivo La Coruña two years ago, score twice in the first
half as Newcastle took a 3-0 lead. Obafemi Martins had scored a sharp opener
in Allardyce's first match in charge at home. "We had to play with patience
and resilience," Allardyce said, "but you can't ask for much more in a
pre-season friendly."
Scott Brown produced a token response for an at-times sloppy Celtic in the
second half but Newcastle's three-goal advantage was restored by James
Milner in the final minute. By then Steve Harper, Newcastle's reserve
goalkeeper, was playing up front.
"I saw a lot of good things, I saw a lot of things that need to be
rectified," said Celtic's manager, Gordon Strachan. "It was a good friendly,
I enjoyed the game. I didn't enjoy the result but I'm not going away a
confused manager."
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BELL BOY'S EURO CALL - The Mirror
By Darren Lewis 27/07/2007
CRAIG BELLAMY believes West Ham will defy claims they are building a Bad
Boys' XI and gatecrash Europe. Critics believe boss Alan Curbishley will
have his hands full keeping the Upton Park dressing room in order following
the addition of Bellamy to a squad already including Lee Bowyer. Curbishley
appeared to send a message out to Bellamy and the other Upton Park bad lads
this week when he insisted: "It's about time Craig did his talking on the
pitch." But £7.5million Welsh striker Bellamy, 28, insists he is ready to
lead by example. He said: "We are putting together a good squad and Europe
is a possibility.
"Dean Ashton will be perfect for me up front."
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Clichy bites back at Freddie jibe - TeamTalk
Gael Clichy has rejected Freddie Ljungberg's claim that Arsenal are lacking
ambition, saying this will be a "great season" for the Gunners. The north
London club have come under fire for only buying untested Croatian striker
Eduardo da Silva and right-back Bacary Sagna after the exit of Thierry
Henry. Swedish winger Ljungberg suggested that the club's glory days were
over after joining West Ham last week. But Clichy told the Evening Standard:
"I don't think Arsenal lack ambition. "I don't know why Freddie said that.
He has had nine great seasons with Arsenal and he's entitled to his opinion
but I've got a different opinion. "We know we've got the quality, the
strength. Everyone is confident, we have signed new players and we are going
to have a great season. "For two years we hear Arsenal are not competitive
any more but last season we won both matches against Manchester United, drew
both against Chelsea with what is supposed to be a young team, so I don't
know what's wrong with that. "We have a few new players who have added more
quality to the team and the boss is one of the best managers."
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Konchesky confident of England recall - Daily Mail
Last updated at 12:42pm on 26th July 2007
Paul Konchesky believes leaving West Ham for Fulham has kept his England
dream alive. The twice-capped defender said: "England have two left-backs
injured at the moment so hopefully I'll have a chance — particularly if I
get off to a good start here."
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Boa Morte injured in MK Dons defeat - Daily Mail
Luis Boa Morte left the pitch with a dead leg as the Hammers crashed at MK
Dons. The Portuguese winger is a doubt for Saturday's friendly at Southend.
Hogan Ephraim and Matthew Upson scored for the Hammers at the brand new
Stadium:MK. New signing Craig Bellamy, who joined from Liverpool earlier
this month, was on show, as was Freddie Ljungberg.
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CORINTHIANS BREAKS OFF MSI PARTNERSHIP - Sport Business
Thu, 26/07/2007 - 08:29
Brazilian club Corinthians have reportedly broken their links with the
London-based sports management group MSI, which is currently embroiled in
the dispute over the ownership of Argentinian player Carlos Tevez. The club
had agreed a 10-year partnership with MSI in December 2004, but the
executive council voted unanimously in favour of ending the deal. "It's the
end of a partnership," Rubens Aprobato Machado, one of the council's 241
members, told Brazilian television. "It was a unanimous decision."
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Paper View: West Ham in for Nicolas Anelka - Telegraph
By Vicki Hodges
Last Updated: 11:21am BST 26/07/2007
There could be fireworks on the pitch at Upton Park next season if West Ham
land their latest big-name transfer target. Bolton's moody striker Nicolas
Anelka is the latest player to be linked with a big-money move to London's
east end and could form a potentially explosive partnership with summer
signing Craig Bellamy. The Daily Mail says that Upton Park will offer a
club-record £12m for the Frenchman, known as 'Le Sulk' for his past
misdemeanours, and persuade the 28-year-old to join with a tasty
£90,000-a-week lucrative salary. Maybe Anelka could prove a calming
influence on Bellamy, who landed himself in hot water with officials and
fans during West Ham's 3-2 friendly at MK Dons last night. Never one to be
fazed by incessant booing by the home fans, the Mail says Bellamy got his
West Ham career off to a bad start when "he was given a severe ticking-off
by referee Trevor Kettle".
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Hammers eye Barnes - Daily Mail
Last updated at 10:00am on 26th July 2007
West Ham have turned their attentions to Derby County's highly-rated young
winger Giles Barnes. But Barnes, a long-term target for Tottenham, will
spend the whole of next season at Pride Park after having already firmly
committed himself to County. The England Under-21 star impressed in Derby's
promotion season and before the Championship play-off final he said: "Even
if we don't make it [to the Premiership] I still want to be here next
season. I want regular first-team football to develop as a player." One
option open to a buying club, however, is to buy the talented youngster and
loan him back to the Rams for valuable Premiership first-team experience.
Despite a massive summer spending spree Tottenham are still keen to
strengthen the left side of the midfield and have been disappointed in the
chase of Bulgarian star Martin Petrov who is set to join Manchester City.
The Hammers meanwhile are currently focusing their attention on Nicolas
Anelka and Keiron Dyer but, according to The Independent, Barnes is also
high on Alan Curbishley's wishlist.
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Blades waiting game as reality bites - The Star Sheffield
SHEFFIELD UNITED are eagerly awaiting the outcome of Kia Joorabchian's legal
war with the Premier League. Joorabchian, who has held a series of meetings
with officials from Bramall Lane in recent weeks, was today expected to
reveal details of the writ he has served on the FA Premier League in an
attempt to force through Carlos Tevez's protracted transfer from West Ham to
Manchester United.
Bryan Robson's side are also in dispute with the FAPL after claiming that
Tevez, who played a crucial role in saving West Ham from relegation last
season, was illegally registered during the final three games which, as a
result, handed the Londoners an unfair advantage in the battle to avoid
relegation.
Should Joorabchian, who insists he still owns Tevez, win his case in the
High Court then it would blow apart the FAPL's argument that the Argentine's
paperwork is in order and represent a green light for United to make a fresh
claim for compensation, if not reinstatement.
Joorabchian's decision means that the Court of Arbitration for Sport, who
had been asked by FIFA to rule on the issue, may now withdraw from the
process.
CAS secretary general Matthieu Reeb said: "Once civil proceedings are under
way, we would no longer consider arbitrating in the matter."
FAPL chief executive Richard Scudamore's claim that a growing number of
foreign owners has brought a new professionalism to the competition will,
therefore, have raised eyebrows among the South Yorkshire club's support
given the fact that West Ham are owned by an Icelandic consortium.
With nine of England's 20 top-flight teams effectively controlled by
overseas investors, Scudamore said: "I am sure there are people who wish
every player was English and every owner was a local businessman made good
who supported the club as a boy.
"Clearly that is not where we are at and we cannot go back there.
"It is not about who the owners are. It is about how they perform and how
they behave.
"Our experience suggests the new owners bring a level of professionalism to
the situation. They bring new things to the game and I don't see any
evidence that they have ripped up the old traditions or that they are riding
roughshod over the rulebook."
Meanwhile United have completed the sale of Claude Davis to Derby County
after the Jamaica defender won his appeal for a work permit.The £3m fee he
commanded will be handed to Robson for squad development.
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MK Dons 3 West Ham 2 - The Sun
By BOB HAYES
July 26, 2007
CRAIG BELLAMY shot from the lip and had ref Trevor Kettle boiling over last
night. Hammers striker Bellamy gave old pal Drewe Broughton a piece of his
mind after the Dons hit-man tumbled to the floor under Jonathan Spector's
challenge to win a penalty. But Bellamy's banter had Kettle incensed and the
Rutland official pulled aside the Wales skipper to give him a very public
ticking off. Bellamy said: "Everyone shouts but if I shout the referee's
over to me straight away. "Looking at it off the pitch, the referee was
probably right to have a word. But, on the pitch, how could it ever be me.
"One of my best friends won that bloody penalty and I had a right go at him
about it. "I thought he went down very easily for a big strong
centre-forward. "We were at Norwich together as kids from the age of 12 so
we're very close and I let him know about it."
The Dons, playing in their new 22,000-seater stadium, took a ninth-minute
lead through Mark Wright. Hogan Ephraim levelled for West Ham on 16 minutes
and Matthew Upson put them ahead two minutes later. But seven minutes into
the second half Dons skipper Keith Andrews thumped home the controversial
spot-kick. Leon Knight grabbed the winner on 77 minutes. Hammers boss Alan
Curbishley said: "I'm disappointed with the result, the passing and the
chances we missed. But, hopefully, they all come out in pre-season. "Against
Orient on Tuesday we were sharper and more aggressive. We were a bit
laboured here."
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