WHUFC.com
One lucky fan will be hoping to see more of Carlton Cole when England play Andorra at Wembley
09.06.2009
When England take on Andorra this Wednesday night, there will be one fan who will particularly willing that Carlton Cole gets a chance to shine.
When it was confirmed Cole had overwhelmingly won the club's Goal of the Season competition as voted by whufc.com users, it was decided to let one of 7,500-odd who had voted for the strike to have the honour of presenting the award. Step forward Kate Mammone who was picked out at random and contacted by the club to see if she would like to come to the final game of the season and hand over the award.
"I got an email from the club which said please call me on the number below about your nomination of the goal of the season," said Kate, who lives in Bethnal Green and is a lifelong Hammers fan. My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe it and I had to take a deep breath before I called back. I was asked if I wanted to come to the game and present the trophy.
"I said 'of course I do' and it was absolutely brilliant. We were given four tickets and the first person I thought of was my mum Di Forrest. She is a big fan and often can't watch the matches on telly because it means so much. I thought it was a bit of a windup actually but it ended up being like a dream come true."
As well as her mum Di Forrest, Kate arrived with her eleven-year-old son Sunny and husband Mark. "Everybody was so kind to me and so nice," she explained. "After the game I got to go down to the pitch and see the players close-up and it was absolutely great. I do follow the team when I can and it was very special."
Nothing was more special than meeting Cole. "He is one of my favourite players," he said. "I think he has come on in leaps and bounds over the last year. I don't know what's happened but obviously it must be Zola's coaching. I tell you who really stood out for me though - Junior Stanislas. He hit the crossbar and scored the winner. He looks a really good player for the future."
Thinking back to the Cole goal that made it all possible, Kate said: "It was a no-brainer choosing that one. I thought it was a really good team effort and it summed up the way we play. When I saw it it took my breath away, it was great."
Such was the experience of the day, she is planning on becoming a more regular visitor to the Boleyn Ground. "I haven't been for a long time because of my family commitments but we will be coming again now. We have joined the supporters club as well. They were also wonderful to us, really hospitable and it will be nice to go in there for a drink. Everything was great. We won and Carlton scored another goal."
"My mum particularly had a wonderful day. She said she was treated like the Queen. It is good to see the club is still like that. You hear all these negative things and that football has changed but it was a great day. We are going to go to the kids for a quid games and come along and meet more of the supporters. You have to say there an awful lot of happy Hammers around still."
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Upson's debt to Zola
WHUFC.com
Matthew Upson believes Gianfranco Zola has played an important role in his development this season
09.06.2009
Matthew Upson has spoken of the impact Gianfranco Zola has had on establishing him with England as he prepares for Wednesday night's home match with Andorra.
The centre-back has missed just one league game for the club since the manager's arrival and in so doing has played his way firmly into Fabio Capello's thoughts. As he looked forward to the prospect of his 16th cap with the FIFA World Cup qualifier at Wembley, Upson stressed how life at West Ham under Zola had raised his game.
"At international level it is important to be able to play with the ball. He works on that a lot and I have been trying to improve that every day. He and Steve Clarke have drilled that into us.
"Any transition period is difficult and the results weren't very clever when he [Zola] first came in. We tried a different system - he had to change a lot of things. But he stuck with it and came through in the end and I think we finished the season very positive with his squad and team, despite having a few injuries."
Upson added that he was encouraged by news of the club's stability for the coming season and the years to come, especially given the progress made so far under Zola. "It would be really nice to build on that. We have got the right man in charge.
"The manager has done an excellent job and it would be nice to see the new owners spending money and taking the team on.
"You can't stand still anymore. It's a very important period for the club. The manager has shown we've got something to offer but we have to build and improve the squad so it's a crucial time."
Having helped the club finish in ninth place and only just miss out on seventh and with it UEFA Europa League qualification, Upson was upbeat about the future. He was also boosted by being able to play more games than ever before in a single campaign - testament to the club's backroom staff.
"I think we can get into Europe. I think if we'd kept going [in 2008/09], kept the momentum we could have got in but in the future we can do it."
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Noble is captain fantastic
WHUFC.com
England U21 coach Stuart Pearce has praised Mark Noble's leadership skills after he captained the side
09.06.2009
England Under-21 coach Stuart Pearce has heaped praise on his captain fantastic Mark Noble. The West Ham United midfielder led England to a 7-0 friendly victory over Azerbaijan on Monday as Pearce's squad completed their preparations for next week's UEFA European Championship finals. Noble was in superb form at stadium:mk, showing his full range of passing and trademark tackling as well as being desperately unlucky not to get a goal to his name when his 28th minute strike flew into the net via a post and Azerbaijani goalkeeper Elchin Sadigov. Afterwards, former Hammer Pearce was gushing over the performance of his skipper, admitting Noble was a natural contender to be named as captain for the finals, which begins in Sweden on Monday. "Mark has been outstanding," said the U21 coach. "He's a chirpy character. We've lost [Newcastle United's] Steven Taylor which is a blow to this squad but Mark has done extremely well. I think he bounces off the players extremely well. With that in mind he captained the side and I think his performance was very good."
Noble is one of a handful of players who could be handed the armband for England's opening fixture against Finland in Halmstad, with Manchester City pair Micah Richards and Nedum Onuoha, Aston Villa's James Milner and Wigan Athletic's Lee Cattermole also in the running. Whoever Pearce chooses, he is confident England's strong team spirit will see them unite behind their leader. "The spirit is good in the camp. They all want to be there and all want to go. I've had them together for a couple of weeks and they've been fantastic on the training pitch and they took that camaraderie and ability on to the pitch on Monday. "I'm pleased with what's on that aeroplane going to Sweden. Now it's down to them to have a tilt at this tournament if we can. I'm not sure who my captain will be. I think I've got a few candidates to captain this team and I'll decide that the night before we play Finland."
Noble is one of four survivors from England's run to the semi-finals of Euro 2007, when he scored twice in the U21s' heart-breaking 13-12 penalty shoot-out defeat by hosts the Netherlands. The 22-year-old was joined by Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart and defender Onuoha and Villa winger Milner two summers ago, and coach Pearce believes their experience will be vital this time around. "We're at the business end of these championships now and one thing I can guarantee is that 23 people will come back in three weeks time having had a fantastic experience at the championship," said Pearce. "You've only got to ask the ones who went two years ago that, to a man, they had a great time. There was a bit of heartbreak and a bit of nervousness and a bit of everything but we enjoyed the camaraderie and everything we had between us. I think this group of 23 will go with the same mentality."
After opening their challenge against the Finns on Monday, England complete their Group B fixtures by facing Spain in Gothenburg on 18 June and Germany in Halmstad on 22 June.
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West Ham's financial troubles far from over
Andrew Fifield
09.06.09
This Is London
West Ham are still facing a potential financial crisis after it emerged their new owners could be forced into liquidation in less than two months. CB Holding, an asset management company which is 70 per cent owned by bust Icelandic bank Straumur, took control of the club on Monday, insisting the move effectively guaranteed their future. West Ham had been on the brink of collapse as former owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson's investment company, Hansa, was due to be declared bankrupt after being hit by the global financial meltdown. Straumur, which was owed £100million by Hansa, was able to complete the takeover as it enjoys a moratorium - a period of time during which payments to creditors can be delayed and restructured in order to protect the stricken company - over its own liabilities. That is due to expire on Thursday, with the bank set to apply to the District Court of Reykjavik for a further six-month extension. Straumur are confident that extension will be granted but the respite could only be temporary, as the bank's executives are set for a potentially decisive meeting with creditors on 6 August. They are seeking to persuade them to sign a composition agreement - a contract whereby creditors accept a partial payment of what they are owed - but if they fail to agree terms or creditors are unconvinced by Straumur's plans to sell West Ham to another buyer, the bank will be subjected to a winding-up order.
Three attorneys from Iceland's supreme court would place Straumur's assets, including West Ham, into bankruptcy, leaving the club open to potential sanctions from the Premier League, which could include points deductions or even relegation. A League spokesman confirmed they have asked West Ham to supply documents clarifying the club's change of ownership. He said: "Once we have that information, we will assess it and act accordingly."
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New signings imminent, says Duxbury
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 9th June 2009
By: Staff Writer
Scott Duxbury has revealed that the Hammers are close to boosting their squad with the arrival of three new players. In an interview with Sky, conducted 24 hours after the club's new owners were announced the CEO confirmed that the club hope to sign the unnamed trio within 'a fortnight'. "He [Gianfranco Zola] has indentified three positions where he wants to bring players in whom he believes will improve the squad and the first team," said Duxbury. "We're close to securing those those three players." When asked when that may be, Duxbury replied: "All three in question hopefully within the next couple of weeks. But there's still a little way to go before we can conclude them."
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Hammers target new trio
West Ham chief executive rejects administration reports
By Richard Bailey Last updated: 9th June 2009
SSN
West Ham chief executive Scott Duxbury has revealed West Ham are keen to sign three players and rejected reports they were close to administration. The Hammers were taken over by CB Holding on Monday amid suggestions that the club were in desperate need of investment. Duxbury dispelled the rumours of a financial crisis after revealing that the club were close to capturing three new players that would considerably improve the first-team squad. Although the Hammers chief would not name any of the trio, for fear of alerting rival clubs, he did state that he hoped the deals would be completed in the next few weeks. "We are a self-sufficient well-run football club and clubs or companies that are close to administration can't purchase multi-million pound players," he told Sky Sports News. "We purchased Savio, we have just exercised the option to buy Illunga, we have just extended the contracts of Gianfranco (Zola) and Steve Clarke so it's absolute nonsense. "We have never been close to administration and as long as I am here we never will be. "He (Zola) has identified three positions where he wants to bring players in who he believes will improve the squad and the first-team. "We are close to securing those three players so the team will just improve. Ideally, hopefully one of the players we can conclude in the next couple of weeks.
"But then the manager has gone on record as saying he wants pre-season to start so he can assess his squad and then further decisions will be made. "The three players in question - hopefully in the next few weeks we will be able to announce something - but there is still a little way to go, but talks and discussions have gone well and are ongoing."
Duxbury has also revealed that despite the takeover the club's ethos of bringing youngsters through would remain the same as they look to make a serious bid for trophies in the coming seasons. "The short-term and the long-term goals are the same," he added. "We want to achieve success and it's through progression and progression of the young players. "We have a clear vision of how we are going to achieve success. I work very closely with Gianluca (Nani, director of football) and Gianfranco and Gianfranco's ideology is to bring the young players through. "You have seen the development on the pitch this season and Gianfranco hasn't even had a pre-season with the team yet. You will see the team improve. "So the short and long-term are the same goal, achieve success."
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Nani on striker rumours
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 9th June 2009
By: Staff Writer
The Daily Mirror reports that Gianluca Nani has confirmed West Ham's interest in 24-year-old Inter midfielder Luis Jiminez. Nani is quoted by the paper as saying: "He [Jiminez] is a great player, one that we have always followed. He is a possibility but nothing is certain. He is also a non-EU player and it is not easy to get a permit for those players in England."
Chilean Jiminez, who also captains his country is rated at around £15million by his club, therefore any potential deal is likely to be loan-based with a view to purchase. The Hammers are said to be facing competition from Arsenal and Tottenham. Elsewhere Sheffield Wednesday say that defender Tommy Spurr - who was linked with a move to the Hammers last weekend - is yet to put pen to paper on a new contract offer. "The players are on holiday now and I wouldn't expect to see Tommy and Richard Wood until they report back for pre-season," Owls boss Brian Laws told the Sheffield Star. Interestingly, Wednesday - whose young centre half, Mark Beevers, has also been linked with West Ham - have just signed central defender Darren Purse from Cardiff.
Predictably perhaps today's papers have chosen to ignore Matthew Upson's considered comments from yesterday's England press conference regarding West Ham and Gianfranco Zola in order to concentrate on a reply he gave to a question regarding playing in the Champions League, from which they have reached the conclusion that he is looking to leave Upton Park. See KUMB's 'Upson on future' story here for those. Times football writer Gary Jacob had gone one step further by claiming the Hammers will consider selling their best players - in direct contrast to the club's new non-executive Chairman Andrew Bernhardt's statement yesterday. "The club will want to reduce the wage bill and that could make them more likely to accept offers for the highest earners at the club, players such as Dean Ashton and Matthew Upson," predicted Jacob, without any foundation whatsoever. In other transfer news, many sources are now reporting KUMB's story from a week ago regarding Radoslav Kovac's situation. West Ham remain interested in taking the Czech midfielder on a permanent basis but not at the fee quoted by the Russians.
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West Ham open talks with Internazionale's Luis Jiménez
Attacking midfielder could be bought for around £3.5m
Chile international has been bit‑part player at San Siro
David Hytner guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 9 June 2009 22.57 BST
Luis Jimenez is a target for Gianfranco Zola's side. West Ham United are in talks with the Internazionale attacking midfielder Luis Jiménez, who is rated at £3.5m. The Chile international has been a bit‑part player at San Siro and he is open to a move to the Premier League. It is unclear how West Ham's change of ownership to CB Holding will affect the deal.
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West Ham open door to England defender Matthew Upson's departure
Hammers chief admits wantaway players can go
by: Kirk Blows
9 June 2009
News Group Newspapers Ltd
MATTHEW UPSON has been told that West Ham won't stand in his way if he wants to leave this summer. The England defender, who is set to win his 16th cap against Andorra tomorrow, has expressed his desire to play Champions League football. That means he is unlikely to want to extend his current deal at Upton Park, which has two years left to run. And Hammers technical director Gianluca Nani admits that players who see their futures elsewhere will be allowed to quit the club. Nani said: "Our intention is to keep hold of all our best players and allow those who ask to leave to go."
Upson, 30, had indicated his future at West Ham could depend on whether the club qualified for Europe this year. The Hammers missed out after finishing ninth and Upson knows he needs to be playing at the highest level if he wants to keep challenging for an England place. And he fears John Terry and Rio Ferdinand will always be Fabio Capello's first choice while they are playing in Europe and he isn't. Upson said: "I am desperate to play in the Champions League and that is where I want to be. "Every day I'm striving to be a first choice for England. But I'm coming from a negative position in terms of where Rio and John have been. "It definitely favours them to be playing in the Champions League every year."
Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola could try to tempt Upson into further commitment by handing him the captaincy following Lucas Neill's decision to leave. Zola will also hope that his positive influence on the defender will help make a difference when the time comes for him to make a decision on his future. Upson admits he has benefited from the coaching of the Italian and his assistant Steve Clarke since they took over last autumn. Upson said: "I feel I have improved massively working with Zola on a daily basis and that has helped me at international level. "It is important to be able to play with the ball and he works on that a lot."
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Italian influence has given Matthew Upson a cultural revolution
Simon Johnson
09.06.09
This Is London
If Matthew Upson does realise his dream of playing in a World Cup for England next year, the West Ham defender knows it will be down to the guiding influence of two Italians.
While tomorrow's clash with Andorra will see Upson win his 16th cap, playing alongside John Terry in place of the injured Rio Ferdinand, over half of those have been won under Fabio Capello's stewardship of England and playing in a West Ham side now managed by fellow Italian Gianfranco Zola.
There was a time in his career when the 30-year-old feared he wouldn't be good enough to play at the highest level but between the two of them, Capello and Zola have helped turn Upson from a solid defender in the top flight to someone who will have even Terry and Ferdinand looking over their shoulders.
Assessing his two latin masters, Upson says: "They have their similarities and their differences. Being Italian they are very aware of developing the team tactically and technically, but they are very different characters.
"With Fabio Capello, I feel the things he has touched on, tactically, have improved me as a player. We have been raised as traditional English defenders, but the Italian way is quite different.
"He has been trying to coax the Italian style into us in terms of where to be positionally when the ball is wide. English centre halves traditionally go and attack the ball in the space whereas he wants you to get hold of the player and be tight to the man. It is more man-marking, he finds that works best.
"It was hard to change that mentality at the start because I wasn't doing what he wanted, but he gets his point across and he has improved me as a centre half. It is a better way of defending crosses and has brought my game on.
"Gianfranco has helped strengthen my game too. It is very important at international level to be able to play with the ball and it is something I am working on a lot. His training is based on that a lot at West Ham and he and Steve Clarke have also drilled us to become more of a defensive unit."
Both men appear to have had influences in different ways with Capello improving his defensive qualities and Zola his ability on the ball, and Upson feels a new inner belief because of it.
Hew added: "This has been the best season of my career to date, I have played the most games for England and developed well, so I am very positive about next season."
It is a far cry from what he experienced at Arsenal earlier in his career, when he thought his chances of making the breakthrough at the highest level were remote.
He spent six years at Highbury under Arsene Wenger, but was sold to Birmingham in 2003 after making just 35 appearances for the first team.
Some players have found it impossible to recover from such a blow, witness Jermaine Pennant's travails since being moved on from north London, however it says much about Upson's transformation that Wenger has been considering taking him back this summer.
The defender feels he benefited from that experience as much as any other in his football career and added: "I think my opportunity was there to make it at Arsenal, but I wasn't ready to take it.
"I needed to step away from Arsenal and experience something else. I went to Birmingham which was a step backwards, but I had a really good time there and I really had to learn how to defend properly.
"It wasn't just about playing with the ball, there were lots of other sides of the game which I probably didn't do well enough at Arsenal.
"It made me a better player and a stronger person for having to do that. I feel ready to compete in those environments and in that company now."
However, he still thinks there is something missing from his game and watching the way Terry has progressed from the days they played together as Under-21 internationals to first-team captain is a constant reminder.
Upson said: "I look at JT and the biggest difference between us is that he gets to play in the Champions League. He has an opportunity to play against the best players in the world.
"That can really help to develop your game and it's certainly done a good job for him. He's developed well, he is playing some really good football so that's something that is a real advantage to him and Rio.
"I'm coming from a position where they are very established so for me to get in the first team for the World Cup will be difficult, but anything can happen.
"Over the season, the amount of times I've played suggests I'm first reserve behind those two. Obviously I want to play on a regular basis and this season has been positive in that respect."
If he keeps following the two Italian guiding lights in his life, there's no reason why Upson won't have a major part to play in a certain tournament in South Africa next summer.
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Hammers & Sunderland sold but Newcastle can't give it away
Mypompey.com
With news that West Ham were put back on the market within hours of being acquired by an Icelandic bank, quickly followed by Mike Ashley inviting bids for Newcastle by email, you could be forgiven for thinking there's too much fluoride in English water.
There was a time that you couldn't buy a top club for love nor money, but these days it's different. Over the past few years we have seen most clubs in the Premier League change hands and this year many are either up for sale, have been sold, or are struggling to repay leveraged buyout finance deals.
Why is this? Much is down to credit being squeezed and the likes of our own Sacha Gaydamak finding that running a Club is beyond their means. Let's face it, how many people these days have the appetite or means to fund 20 or so £50k a week wage bills when the future is less than clear.
Despite many needing to exit the glamorous world of Premier club ownership there are plenty it would seem that are ready to take their places. The problem is that wealthy individuals such as Mandaric and Gaydamak are being squeezed out and replaced by much larger entities such as sovereign funds and other monied bodies, each hoping to turn a profit, or at the very least break even with a few PR niceties thrown in along the way.
What does this mean for the football? In a word, inflation. When rash new money is put into any market the result is higher prices without a commensurate leap in quality. Players get richer, Clubs spend more and the fan gets caught in the middle.
Take a look at Pompey. If the Doc had arrived on the scene two years ago the island would have sunk under the weight of journalists. Now even the super rich buying up our clubs passes with barely a mention. That's inflation for you.
The wealth that made Sacha welcome a few years back can't even pay the bills these days. I am not complaining, just wishing that money, money and more money wasn't the answer, when for most of us our incomes remain static at best.
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Fancy a Threesome?
West Ham Till I Die
Scott Duxbury has given an interview to Sky Sports today in which he says the club are targetting three players. He says Zola has identified three positions which he thinks needs strengthening. I assume they are right back, striker and, well, I'm not sure what the third is - another striker? I can't believe some on here think we should be signing Obafeme Martens from Newcastle. Haven't we had enough Newcastle players in recent times?
So, who would you be targeting if you were Zola?
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Upson Puts Up Sale Sign
The Sun
By PAT SHEEHAN
Published: Today
MATTHEW UPSON could be on his way out of West Ham after putting his house up for sale. The England centre-back admitted in yesterday's SunSport that he is desperate for European football so he can press his claim for a spot in Fabio Capello's World Cup squad next year. His country mansion in Essex is being marketed by leading estate agents and is understood to be worth in the region of £2million. Upson insists his chances of making the final 23-man squad for South Africa 2010 will receive a significant boost by playing in the Champions League, like rivals John Terry and Rio Ferdinand. Liverpool have been long-time admirers of the tough-tackling defender, who is one of only a handful of naturally left-footed centre-backs in the Premier League. It is also understood that Upson has the same advisor as Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard - his international team-mate. Upson, 30, has two years remaining on his contract with the Hammers and manager Gianfranco Zola is keen to tie him down on a longer deal.
The Icelandic group now in control of West Ham insist funds will be made available to Zola for new players but they also admit the club must also generate its own funds by selling players. Upson is in line to take over the captaincy from defender Lucas Neill whose contract has expired after the Australian refused offers of a new deal with reduced wages. Neill is on international duty with the Aussies but Manchester City are heading the queue to sign the full-back when he returns to England.
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Harry Sparks a Jimi Riddle
The Sun
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: Today
TOTTENHAM boss Harry Redknapp aims to pip West Ham in the chase for Inter Milan's Luis Jimenez. Spurs hope their superior financial clout will lure the £10million-rated Chilean forward to White Hart Lane rather than the East End. Hammers technical director Gianluca Nani has travelled to Italy to lodge the club's interest in the 24-year-old, who can also play at wing-back. But Upton Park insiders are aware Tottenham boss Redknapp is also interested as he looks to reshuffle his forward line. Strikers Roman Pavlyuchenko and Darren Bent are set to make way in the summer. And while they are after ex-Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, there is also space for a skilful player like Jimenez.
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West Ham's Noble set to be named England U21 captain
10.06.09 | tribalfootball.com
England U21 boss Stuart Pearce is set to name West Ham United midfielder Mark Noble as captain for their U21 European Championships campaign. "Mark has been outstanding," said the U21 coach. "He's a chirpy character. We've lost [Newcastle United's] Steven Taylor which is a blow to this squad but Mark has done extremely well. I think he bounces off the players extremely well. "With that in mind he captained the side (against Azerbaijan) and I think his performance was very good."
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Duxbury insists West Ham will maintain youth policy
10.06.09 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United chief Scott Duxbury says the club will maintain a youth policy going into next season. "The short-term and the long-term goals are the same," he said. "We want to achieve success and it's through progression and progression of the young players. "We have a clear vision of how we are going to achieve success. I work very closely with Gianluca (Nani, director of football) and Gianfranco and Gianfranco's ideology is to bring the young players through. "You have seen the development on the pitch this season and Gianfranco hasn't even had a pre-season with the team yet. You will see the team improve. "So the short and long-term are the same goal, achieve success."
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West Ham striker Sears could end up at Sheffield Wednesday
10.06.09 | Andrew Slevison
West Ham striker Freddie Sears may end up with Sheffiel Wednesday according to club manager Brian Laws. After a loan move to Peterborough was blocked by the Hammers, the Owls have emerged as a potential home for the 19-year old. "We are in with a shout of signing Freddie, but there are other clubs interested in him too," Laws told the BBC. "Freddie is currently on holiday, but we will meet up again when he gets back."
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West Ham closing in on Rennes fullback Fanni
09.06.09 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United boss Gianfranco Zola is lining up a bid for Rennes fullback Rod Fanni. The Mirror says French international defender Fanni has been in the mind of the Hammers even before Lucas Neill decided to reject a new one-year deal at reduced wages. Neill was one of the highest earners at the club, but many believed he did little to justify it. Fanni's agent, Dominique Six, said: "We have been in talks with several clubs including West Ham, which is interesting to Rod."
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