WHUFC.com
Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger has become the first summer recruit
at West Ham United
05.06.2010
West Ham United are delighted to announce the major signing of German
international midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger. The 28-year-old will
officially join the club from 1 July following his departure from Italian
side SS Lazio. Fittingly nicknamed 'The Hammer' in honour of his powerful
left-foot, he is the first new recruit to arrive at the Boleyn Ground this
summer with the club fending off competition from more than a dozen clubs
interested in his services. The highly-rated Hitzlsperger passed a medical
on Saturday before putting pen to paper on a three-year contract that will
see him return to the Barclays Premier League after five seasons away. A
Bundesliga title-winner with VfB Stuttgart, he scored 20 goals in 125
top-flight appearances in Germany. Capped more than 60 times for his country
at Under-21 and senior level, he played a key role in his country's
qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup only to just miss out on a place
in a Germany squad that is expected to be one of the favourites in South
Africa this summer. West Ham United chairman David Sullivan said: "I am
delighted to welcome Thomas to the club. We had to move quickly to secure
his services when he became available, especially as there was
understandably so much interest in him from around Europe and back in
Germany. "I am especially pleased that he is excited by what we are trying
to achieve here at West Ham. Thomas is a top-quality player who I know the
fans will love - and not just because of his nickname. He is a whole-hearted
midfielder with an eye for a goal who gives everything in every match. "He
is the first of many signings this summer. We are going to sign a mixture of
exciting young talent as well as the very best senior pros who can add real
strength to the squad like Thomas. He is still a young man but has massive
experience."
Hitzlsperger began his career with Bayern Munich before joining Aston Villa
at the age of 18 in 2000. The central midfielder was a fans' favourite at
Villa Park, making 114 appearances and scoring 12 goals, before moving back
to his homeland with Stuttgart in summer 2005. The Munich-born player became
an important member of the Stuttgart squad that won the Bundesliga title in
2006/07. He moved to Lazio in January 2010, finishing his Serie A career on
a high with a goal in the 3-1 final-day win over Udinese Calcio.
A former youth international, Hitzlsperger made his full Germany debut in a
2-0 friendly victory in Iran in September 2004. The fluent English speaker
netted his first international goals in a 13-0 UEFA European Championship
qualifying win over San Marino in Serravelle in September 2006, just a few
months after appearing for Germany at the FIFA World Cup in his home
country. Hitzlsperger was a central figure in Joachim Low's squad at the
2008 European Championship, starting all three knockout fixtures as Germany
finished as runners-up to Spain.
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Behrami injury worry
WHUFC.com
Valon Behrami suffered a suspected hamstring injury as Switzerland drew 1-1
with Italy on Saturday
05.06.2010
Valon Behrami suffered a suspected hamstring injury as Switzerland completed
their FIFA 2010 World Cup preparations with a 1-1 draw with reigning
champions Italy. The West Ham United midfielder was replaced by winger
Tranquillo Barnetta after 58 minutes of the warm-up friendly in Geneva, and
his status will now be assessed ahead of Switzerland's Group H opener
against Spain on 16 June. Earlier, the 25-year-old had produced a lively
display on his return to the side after missing last week's surprised defeat
by Costa Rica with a slight ankle problem. Gianluca Zambrotta had to make a
heroic block to deny the midfielder a third international goal in 27
appearances on 16 minutes. By then Gokhan Inler's opening goal had already
been cancelled out by Italy striker Fabio Quagliarella. However, it now
remains to be seen if the Swiss No11 will be fit to take on the European
champions and World Cup favourites in Durban in eleven days time. Behrami
will be desperate to appear in South Africa, having been limited to just two
minutes of action at Germany 2006.
Elsewhere, Jonathan Spector had a watching brief as the United States
secured an impressive 3-1 friendly victory over Australia at the Roodeport
Stadium in Johannesburg. The Hammers right-back was left on the bench by US
head coach Bob Bradley, who will now have to decide between Spector and
Hannover 96 defender Steve Cherundolo when the Americans take on England in
their opening Group C fixture in Rustenburg on Saturday 12 June.
In the England camp, Matthew Upson is expected to return to training on
Sunday after missing Saturday's session due to a high temperature. Upson and
club-mate Robert Green will both hope to be involved from the start when the
Three Lions contest their final warm-up fixture against the Platinum Stars
team at the Moruleng Stadium in Rustenburg on Monday. Manager Fabio Capello
is expected to field his first-choice lineup against the local side ahead of
Saturday's vital meeting with the US. Meanwhile, Rio Ferdinand's knee injury
has led to his fellow Academy graduate Frank Lampard being named as
vice-captain for the tournament.
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West Ham sign German midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger
BBC.co.uk
German midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger has become new West Ham manager Avram
Grant's first recruit after signing a three-year deal with the Hammers. The
28-year-old joins on a free transfer after his contract expired at Lazio,
where he played only five times after moving from Stuttgart in January.
"Thomas is a top-quality player who I know the fans will love," said West
Ham chairman David Sullivan. Hitzlsperger had five years in England with
Aston Villa from 2000 to 2005. He had joined the Villans, then managed by
John Gregory, as an 18-year-old from Bayern Munich. It was at Villa Park
where Hitzlsperger, capped 51 times for his country, earned the nickname
'The Hammer', owing to his rasping long-range efforts. But despite
establishing himself as a fans' favourite, he struggled for first-team
football during boss David O'Leary's reign, and in August 2005 departed on a
Bosman free transfer to Stuttgart, where he won the Bundesliga in the
2006-07 season and scored 20 goals in 125 appearances. After he was stripped
of the team's captaincy by manager Marcus Babbel at the end of 2009,
Hitzlsperger left for his, ultimately, fruitless spell with Rome side Lazio.
And his miserable season was completed when he was omitted from his
country's squad for the World Cup finals despite playing in all but one of
the Germans' qualifiers. Gold, meanwhile, has promised more arrivals at
Upton Park during the summer. "We are going to sign a mixture of exciting
young talent as well as the very best senior pros who can add real strength
to the squad like Thomas," he said.
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Grant lands first signing
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 5th June 2010
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United are understood to have landed German international Thomas
Hitzlsperger. The 28-year-old midfielder has signed a three-year contract
with the Hammers, according to reports. News of the German's impending
arrival follows a brief statement posted on whufc.com this lunchtime which
stated that the club 'hope to announce a major signing in the next 12
hours'. Hitzelsperger - who has been heavily linked with a move to Tottenham
in recent weeks - began his career at Aston Villa where he made 99 first
team appearances between 2001 and 2005. After leaving Villa on a Bosman free
in the summer of 2005, the left-footed Hitzlsperger joined VfB Stuttgart
whom he helped to win the Bundesliga in his second season at the club.
Following the departure of Fernando Meira in 2008, Hitzlsperger - who is
rather appropriately nicknamed 'Der Hammer' - was made club captain having
extended his contract with Die Schwaben. He parted company with Stuttgart in
January of this year when moving to Lazio for a knock-down fee of around
£800,000, having been stripped of the club captaincy the month before. After
a disappointing four months in Italy - where he managed to make just four
starts - the fluent-English speaker is returning to the Premier League after
a five-year absence. The cost of signing Hitzlsperer is likely to remain
undisclosed although KUMB.com understands a nominal fee is involved.
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Sullivan delight at Hammer deal
Hammers chairman insists midfielder is first of many signings
Last updated: 5th June 2010
SSN
West Ham United chairman David Sullivan has revealed the club had to 'move
quickly' to secure the signing of Thomas Hitzlsperger. Former Aston Villa
midfielder Hitzlsperger has become new manager Avram Grant's first signing
at Upton Park after agreeing a three-year contract to join from Lazio.
Hitzlsperger had only been at Lazio for six months after signing from
Stuttgart and Sullivan confirmed there was plenty of interest in the
28-year-old. Sullivan is delighted to have landed a player nicknamed 'The
Hammer' and is confident the supporters will take to the club's newest
recruit. "I am delighted to welcome Thomas to the club," Sullivan told the
club's official website. "We had to move quickly to secure his services
when he became available, especially as there was understandably so much
interest in him from around Europe and back in Germany. "I am especially
pleased that he is excited by what we are trying to achieve here at West
Ham. "Thomas is a top-quality player who I know the fans will love - and
not just because of his nickname. He is a whole-hearted midfielder with an
eye for a goal who gives everything in every match. "He is the first of many
signings this summer. "We are going to sign a mixture of exciting young
talent as well as the very best senior pros who can add real strength to the
squad like Thomas. He is still a young man, but has massive experience."
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Hitz fits bill for Hammers
Grant makes first signing since taking over as manager
Last updated: 5th June 2010
SSN
West Ham United's new manager Avram Grant has made his first signing after
bringing in Thomas Hitzlsperger on a three-year contract. Hitzlsperger has
spent the past six months with Lazio, but the former Aston Villa midfielder
has agreed to return to the Premier League with West Ham. The 28-year-old
only joined Lazio in January from Stuttgart after his contract with the
Bundesliga club was cancelled to give Hitzlsperger a better chance of making
Germany's World Cup. However, despite his switch to Serie A, the ex-Bayern
Munich youngster was unable to claim a place in Germany coach Joachim Low's
23-man squad for the finals in South Africa. He will now turn his focus to
his club career after accepting the opportunity to play in England for the
second time. During five years on the books of Villa, Hitzlsperger scored 12
goals in 114 appearances before leaving for Stuttgart in 2005. Hitzlsperger
is likely to be the first of several fresh faces to arrive at Upton Park
over the summer months following Grant's appointment as manager. Grant has
been tipped to raid his former club Portsmouth for some players, while the
likes of Thierry Henry and David Beckham have also been linked with moves to
West Ham.
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Hammers sign the Hammer
The Sun
Published: 05 Jun 2010
WEST HAM have made their first signing of the summer by bringing in former
Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger on a three-year deal. The German
international — dubbed The Hammer for his long range shooting — moves to
Upton Park after a six-month spell at Italian side Lazio. The 28-year-old
was a big success in his first Premier League spell, before a 2005 move to
Bundesliga side Stuttgart. Hitzlsperger then made the switch to Italy in
January this year in order to force his way into Germany's World Cup plans.
He was unable to make Joachim Low's 23-man squad for South Africa, but
becomes Avram Grant's first signing as West Ham manager. Club chairman David
Sullivan said: "I am delighted to welcome Thomas to the club. We had to move
quickly to secure his services when he became available, especially as there
was understandably so much interest in him from around Europe and back in
Germany. "I am especially pleased that he is excited by what we are trying
to achieve here at West Ham. Thomas is a top-quality player who I know the
fans will love — and not just because of his nickname. He is a whole-hearted
midfielder with an eye for a goal who gives everything in every match. "He
is the first of many signings this summer. We are going to sign a mixture of
exciting young talent as well as the very best senior pros who can add real
strength to the squad like Thomas. "He is still a young man but has massive
experience."
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West Ham sign Hitzlsperger and target Everton striker
Published 23:00 05/06/10 By Paul Smith
The Mirror
West Ham made their first signing of the summer yesterday, snapping up
Thomas Hitzlsperger from Italian club Lazio. The 28-year-old German
international met new Hammers boss Avram Grant and negotiations to seal the
deal ahead of growing competition for his signature were held in London on
Friday. Hitzlsperger had five offers on the table from Premier League
clubs. Tottenham's pursuit began in February when they discovered he was
out of contract in the summer. Everton, Birmingham and Stoke all made
tempting offers to the player and his representative. His original desire
was to join a side playing in Europe, but he refused to rule out making a
move to a club with ambitions that met his own. The former Aston Villa
midfielder yesterday ended all speculation by signing a three-year deal.
West Ham are also close to sealing a deal for Everton striker Aiyegbeni
Yakubu. The Hammers have tabled a £4million bid for the Nigerian, while the
Merseyside club are refusing to do business for less than £6m. Yakubu cost
£11.25m from Middlesbrough in 2007. But in the last two seasons he has
suffered injuries and scored just nine goals in 35 league appearances.
West Ham are expected to up their offer this week in a bid to stop Yakubu
demanding a move.
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Spurs set to offer O'Hara in exchange for Scott Parker
Published 23:00 05/06/10 By Steve Stammers
The Mirror
Tottenham could be prepared to let new West Ham boss Avram Grant sign Jamie
O'Hara - but only if Scott Parker moves the other way. Harry Redknapp has
put the midfielder up for sale, and Grant, his manager while on loan at
Portsmouth, is ready to make a £5million bid. However, the Spurs boss is
considering using O'Hara as the makeweight if he pursues his interest in
West Ham's Parker, who only just missed out on going to the World Cup with
England.
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Lampard inspired by West Ham's World Cup Winners
Published 23:00 05/06/10 By Simon Mullock
The Mirror
During his formative years at West Ham, Frank Lampard would look at a
picture of England's most glorious moment every time he walked into the
club's Chadwell Heath training ground. It showed Bobby Moore lifting the
Jules Rimet Trophy. Either side of him stood Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters.
A decade ago, just after Lampard had made his England debut he was
photographed alongside young Hammers Joe Cole and Michael Carrick. This
was West Ham's next golden generation. The boys who would become men as they
did themselves proud for club and country. Time, and the players
themselves, have moved on. Lampard and Cole are champions at Chelsea;
Carrick has lifted both the Premier League and European Cup with
Manchester United. Moore, Hurst and Peters never got close to honours like
that during their club careers. Yet Lampard still accepts that it was a
little presumptuous for the trio to be compared with West Ham's holy
trinity of 1966. "Yeah, we haven't quite achieved what they did," said
Lampard with a smile and more than a hint of irony after being named
vice-captain following Steven Gerrard's promotion to skipper. "But that
picture of the three of us was just the start of everything and hopefully
we can do something in the next month or so. "I remember that photograph of
Bobby Moore with Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters at West Ham. "It's the
romance of it all. You know how they are held in people's memories; how
everyone still looks at them and still respects them. "When you see Geoff
Hurst now. It's amazing how everyone holds him in such regard — and quite
rightly so. There's a magic to that. Those men deserved it. Hopefully we can
get somewhere near them."
Lampard added: "There would be nothing better as a group than to be
acknowledged as a great team. "We all know the names of '66 and it's been a
very long time. "There has been a lot of great English players that haven't
won the World Cup or even a European Championship since then. "They'll still
go down in history, of course, but if you want to be revered as a team then
you have to win something. "I wouldn't say England have underachieved since
then because every international tournament is difficult to win. "I don't
think the 1990 side, for example, underachieved because they got to the
semis and lost on a penalty kick so they came back with a lot of respect.
But there have been times when we've been knocked out in the early stages
or haven't even qualified for the finals, when you would certainly say
we've underachieved. "It would be wrong to say we have underachieved for
40-odd years when there have been times when we just haven't had the luck -
a penalty or whatever. "But to really achieve, a team has to win
something."
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Hammers sign German ace Hitzlsperger
Published 15:10 05/06/10 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror
West Ham have signed former Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger on a
three-year deal. The 28-year-old German international exercised his right
under freedom of contract to leave Italian side Lazio and met with new
Hammers boss Avram Grant in London yesterday. Hitzlsperger reportedly had
five offers on the table from Premier League clubs - thought to include
long-time admirers Tottenham, Everton, Birmingham and Stoke - but opted to
become the first signing of Avram Grant's reign. West Ham co-owner David
Sullivan expressed his satisfaction with the direction the club is taking.
"I am delighted to welcome Thomas to the club," Sullivan said on
www.whufc.com. "We had to move quickly to secure his services when he became
available, especially as there was understandably so much interest in him
from around Europe and back in Germany.
"I am especially pleased that he is excited by what we are trying to achieve
here at West Ham. "He is the first of many signings this summer. We are
going to sign a mixture of exciting young talent as well as the very best
senior pros who can add real strength to the squad like Thomas. "He is still
a young man but has massive experience."
Nicknamed 'The Hammer' due to his powerful left foot, Hitzlsperger should
find favour among the West Ham fans, and Sullivan expects great things from
the former Bayern Munich youth player. "Thomas is a top-quality player who I
know the fans will love - and not just because of his nickname," Sullivan
added. "He is a wholehearted midfielder with an eye for a goal who gives
everything in every match." Hitzlsperger began his career at Bayern before
joining Villa at the age of 18. He made his debut for the club in 2001 and
went on to make 114 appearances for the midlands outfit, scoring 12 goals.
He returned to Germany with Stuttgart in summer 2005 and went on to lift the
Bundesliga title with the club two years later. Hitzlsperger has won over 50
caps for the German national side but missed out on a place in Joachim Low's
World Cup squad this summer.
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Frank Lampard: This World Cup is my last chance to follow the West Ham boys
of 1966
By Rob Draper
Last updated at 10:57 PM on 5th June 2010
Daily Mail
Frank Lampard was 22 and had only just won over sceptics in the crowd at
West Ham. Michael Carrick, at 19, was considered something of a prospect,
while Joe Cole, just a few months younger, was being hailed as the next big
thing. They were, in truth, a group of callow young men hoping to establish
themselves as major footballers, but all too well aware that young promise
can quickly dissipate into mid-career mediocrity. Still, there was enough
potential to encourage them to pose together for a picture at West Ham's
rickety old training ground at Chadwell Heath. The scene seemed not to have
changed much since 1966, when the events depicted in the famous photograph
adorning the wall behind them had been etched into the nation's collective
memory. Every day when a West Ham footballer walked into training he was
confronted by the image of the club's most illustrious players, Bobby Moore,
Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters, celebrating England's World Cup victory at
Wembley 44 years ago. At West Ham, where they still joke about being the
only club ever to have won the World Cup, it is impossible to be immune from
the idea of serving the nation, and Lampard, Carrick and Cole had that ethos
impressed upon them daily. Almost a decade on, those latter-day West Ham
heroes have between them won every single club trophy worth collecting in
the modern game, and all three are here in Rustenburg with the England squad
preparing for the World Cup finals. But for all their considerable success,
they have yet to realise football's ultimate accomplishment. 'We haven't
quite achieved that,' said Lampard, remembering the day when he posed
slightly awkwardly in front of those England heroes. He was shortly to move
to Chelsea, for what at the time was considered an overpriced £11million,
although at Stamford Bridge he would embark on a career that would win him
three Premier League titles and FA Cups, see him score in a Champions League
final and ranked alongside Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o as one of the world's
greatest players.
'That was the start of it,' he said wistfully. 'That photo at West Ham [of
Moore, Hurst and Peters], it shows you the romance of it. You know how those
players are held in people's memories, how people look at them and respect
them. 'When you see Sir Geoff Hurst now, everyone holds him in that
ultra-respect, and quite rightly so. There's a magic to that. Those men
deserved that. Hopefully we can get somewhere near that
'There'd be nothing better as a group. We all know the names of the 1966
winning team. It's been a long time. There's been many a great English
player that hasn't won a World Cup or a European Championship since then,
and they'll still go down in history. But if you want to be remembered as a
group, you have to win something.'
Lampard is 32 in two weeks' time and his extraordinary stamina is unlikely
to last another four years. Indeed, the sickening feeling of watching
another former West Ham team-mate, Rio Ferdinand, sustain the knee injury on
Friday that has forced him out of the World Cup, will have focused his mind
on the fleeting nature of a player's opportunities to shine in a World Cup.
For Lampard's generation, South Africa is the last chance. 'I think so,' he
agreed. 'Let's hope that gives us the edge. You don't get that many World
Cups in your career and this is probably my last. I want to do well in it so
I can look back and say I was part of a team that was successful.
'The idea that you won't play one again means you don't want your last
memory to be a bad one. You want to finish well and look back on a good one.
If it is the last one I play, we'll put everything in there to make sure
it's as good as it can be.' His only previous World Cup ended with a missed
penalty against Portugal four years ago. Lampard, England's nominated
penalty-taker, has squandered his last two spot-kicks, one for Chelsea in
the FA Cup final and one last Sunday in England's friendly against Japan.
But he is not a man to shirk responsibility. 'As far as I know, I'm still
the penalty-taker,' he said. 'The manager has said I am and I still have the
confidence to do the job. I've taken them regularly and it's a fact of life
that you miss occasionally. 'I missed in a friendly and it's a little
reminder to myself. I'll practise them here and go back to basics a bit. But
I have confidence in myself and I'll pick the ball up if we get a penalty.
I've never doubted myself on that. I've done that at Chelsea and I'll try to
do that for England.' Nevertheless, Germany 2006 was not English football's
finest hour and there have been precious few since that distant victory of
1966. A brief glimpse of glory by qualifying for the 1990 semi-final in
Italy has been the highlight, but Lampard rejects the notion that England
have consistently been underachievers or have unfinished business in the
competition. 'I'm not sure about that. It's football. You can't have success
everywhere you go and every year,' he said. 'That World Cup (Germany 2006)
wasn't great for me personally, and wasn't fantastic for the team, but I
wouldn't say it was unfinished business because a World Cup is very
difficult to win. 'I don't think the 1990 side underachieved because they
got to the semi-finals and when they came back, everyone held a lot of
respect for that squad and for the manager, Bobby Robson. 'There have
probably been times when we have underachieved as a nation: if you go to a
tournament and get knocked out in the qualifying stage or if you don't
qualify, as we didn't for Euro 2008, then that's certainly underachieving.
But there have been times when the team have given everything, performed
very well, but maybe through a little bit of bad luck - a penalty or
whatever - haven't quite done it. 'So, I think to cast us as underachieving
over the past 40 years would be wrong. To really achieve, though, we have to
go and match 1966 and win something.' And if he were to do that, they might
even put Lampard's picture up at Chadwell Heath.
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