Daily WHUFC News - 13th August 2013 II

Hammers capture Downing
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are delighted to announce the signing of England
international Stewart Downing
13.08.2013

West Ham United are delighted to announce the capture of England
international winger Stewart Downing. The 29-year-old has moved to the
Boleyn Ground from Barclays Premier League rivals Liverpool on a four-year
contract for an undisclosed fee. Capped 34 times, Downing became the
Hammers' fifth summer signing following the arrivals of fellow England star
and Reds team-mate Andy Carroll, Romania captain Razvan Rat, Spanish
goalkeeper Adrian and promising midfielder Danny Whitehead. Downing, who
also played alongside West Ham stars Joe Cole with Liverpool and England and
James Collins at Aston Villa, is looking forward to making his mark for Sam
Allardyce's side as they seek to build on last season's tenth-place finish.
"I'm very excited. It's a great opportunity for me being here, it's a great
Club and I'm really excited to get going," said the Middlesbrough-born
wideman. "I'm ready and I'm fit for the first game against Cardiff City.
I've played a decent few games for Liverpool in pre-season, so there will be
no problems on that front. "It's all happened quickly, but I'm really
excited and hoping to play a part on Saturday."

Downing was one of the first players to emerge from the famed Middlesbrough
Academy, which has produced dozens of future Boro first-team players,
including internationals Adam Johnson, James Morrison and Chris Brunt The
left-sided player was still two months shy of his 18th birthday when he made
his debut for his hometown club in a Premier League defeat at Ipswich Town
on 24 April 2002 - one of three appearances he made that season. After a
successful loan spell at nearby Sunderland in late 2003, Downing returned to
the Riverside Stadium and made himself a first-team regular during the
second half of the 2003/04 season. He ended the campaign by lifting the
League Cup at the Millennium Stadium following a 2-1 win over Sam
Allardyce's Bolton Wanderers.
The following campaign, 2004/05, Downing established himself fully as a
top-flight star, scoring six goals and creating countless more in 48
appearances for Middlesbrough and earning a senior England debut against the
Netherlands at Villa Park. Downing's star continued to rise as he inspired
Middlesbrough to the 2006 UEFA Cup final under future England manager Steve
McClaren. After being named in his country's squad for the 2006 FIFA World
Cup, where he appeared three times as a substitute, he signed a new
long-term contract with Middlesbrough in early 2008. The following season,
2008/09, Downing scored against West Ham in both an initial FA Cup
fifth-round tie and replay, but Middlesbrough would ultimately be relegated
at the Boleyn Ground in May 2009. Downing would remain in the Premier
League, though, signing for Aston Villa for a £10m fee. There, he continued
to shine, scoring eleven goals in 79 appearances over two years and being
voted Player of the Season for 2010/11. That outstanding campaign saw
Liverpool spend a reported £20m to take Downing to Anfield, with the winger
capping his first season with the Reds with a man of the match display as
Liverpool defeated Cardiff City on penalties at Wembley in February 2012. In
summer of the same year, Downing was named in Roy Hodgson's England squad
for Euro 2012, earning the most-recent of his 34 caps in a 1-0 friendly win
in Norway in the build-up to the tournament. Last season, the winger netted
five goals and chalked up nine assists for Liverpool in all competitions.

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Downing is a Hammer
KUMb.com
Filed: Tuesday, 13th August 2013
By: Staff Writer

Stewart Downing has completed his move to West Ham United. As revealed by
KUMB yesterday, the 29-year-old English international put pen to paper on a
permanent four-year contract with West Ham early this morning, having
finalised the terms of his £6million move from Liverpool. "It's a great
opportunity for me being here, it's a great Club and I'm really excited to
get going," Downing told whufc.com. "It's all happened quickly, but I'm
really excited and hoping to play a part [against Cardiff] on Saturday."

Having made his name at Middlesbrough, Downing left Teeside for the first
time in his career in 2009 when he joined Aston Villa following
Middlesbrough's relegation from the Premier League in a £12million deal
(£10million + add-ons). Two years later, having become something of an
England regular, Downing was lured to Anfield for an undisclosed fee widely
thought to be worth around £20million. However it was a fee that was to
hang heavy upon his shoulders and a disappointing first season on Merseyside
saw Downing end the campaign with no goals and no assists. Despite being
criticised heavily by 'Pool fans, Downing still managed to make 45
appearances for the Reds in 2012/13 where he fared marginally better on the
goalscoring front with five to his name.

Having fallen out of favour with new Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers, his
days at Anfield have been numbered for some time. Downing now joins up once
again with former Anfield team mates Joe Cole and Andy Carroll to London,
both of whom made the move from Merseyside to London earlier in the year.
He becomes Sam Allardyce's fourth first team signing of the summer transfer
window, following the arrival of Adrian, Razvan Rat and the aforementioned
Carroll.

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Saint-Etienne weigh up move for West Ham hitman
By talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) | Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Saint-Etienne are weighing up a move for West Ham hitman Modibo Maiga. The
Ligue 1 side lost Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Borussia Dortmund earlier
this summer and are desperate to recruit a new forward to replace him as
soon as possible. Maiga had a difficult first season at Upton Park following
his switch from Sochaux last summer, but he has impressed in pre-season and
could feature prominently during the opening weeks of the new campaign as
Andy Carroll recovers from a heel injury. However, Saint-Etienne could test
Sam Allardyce's resolve after their president Roland Romeyer admitted his
interest in the Mali international. He told beIN Sport: "We are looking at
many ways to replace Aubameyang. We need a number nine to supplement
Brandao. We will play almost every three days. "We will try to find players
who will enhance our squad. Maiga is one of the ones we have looked at, but
there are other players. We will try to recruit as soon as possible."

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Manuel Fernandes on West Ham radar
Soccernews.com

Portuguese daily Record has learned that Besiktas star Manuel Fernandes
could be leaving the club in the summer transfer window. The 27-year-old is
a key member of the squad at FIYAPI Inonu Stadium and is widely regarded as
one of Super Lig's top midfielders. However, it appears that he is searching
for a new challenge, with a number of top European sides ready to pounce.
According to Record, West Ham and Fenerbahce are believed to be leading the
race for the player's signature, and they could make their interest concrete
in the coming days. Manuel Fernandes already has some Premier League
experience, having made 30 league appearances for Portsmouth and Everton.
The former Portugal international, who played for Valencia before joining
Besiktas in January 2011, has scored a total of 13 goals in 72 Turkish Super
Lig matches for the Black Eagles. Fernandes has nine Portugal caps to his
name, but he has been out of the national team squad since September 2010.

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West Ham winners as Liverpool take £34m hit on duo
Sportsdirectnews.com
by Patrick Jennings13th August 2013 10:20am BST
Exclusive

West Ham United's signing of Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing will have seen
Liverpool lose a massive £34 million on what they originally paid for the
pair.
Carroll became the most expensive British footballer of all time when he
joined Liverpool from Newcastle United in January 2011, signing for £35m.
Downing meanwhile, arrived at Anfield in July 2011 in a £20m switch from
Aston Villa. Both have since been moved on to West Ham however. The Hammers
broke their club transfer record for Carroll, spending £15m, whilst the fee
for Downing, whose arrival at the Boleyn Ground is close to being officially
confirmed, is understood to be in the region of £6m. That brings West Ham's
total spend on the pair to £21m – a whopping £34m less than the £55m
Liverpool paid for the two players.

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