Daily WHUFC News - 22nd June 2014

On this day - 22 June
WHUFC.com
A West Ham United player helped Mexico take a step towards their
continential title two years ago
22.06.2014

Anniversary
Mexico 2-0 Honduras
CONCACAF Gold Cup Semi-Finals
22 June 2011
Former Hammers winger Pablo Barrera won his 14th cap for Mexico on this day
three years ago and helped his country earn a place in the final of the
CONCACAF Gold Cup. The continental competition for North and Central
American sides had seen the Mexicans ease through the group stage with 5-0
wins over El Salvador and Cuba and a 4-1 victory over Costa Rica. A 2-1
quarter-final success over Guatemala was next before Honduras, who defeated
Costa Rica on penalties in their last-eight clash, were waiting in the
semis. Barrera started the contest, which remained at 0-0 after 90 minutes.
But two goals in the first nine minutes of extra-time, one from Aldo de
Nigris and the other from Javier Hernandez, won the game for Mexico. Barrera
would also play in the final, where his two goals helped Mexico see off
hosts USA to claim their sixth Gold Cup title.

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Reidy relishing return home
WHUFC.com
Winston Reid is looking forward to showing his West Ham United around his
home country of New Zealand
21.06.2014

Winston Reid is looking forward to showing his West Ham United around his
home country of New Zealand this summer. The Hammers travel to Reid's
homeland for the Football United Tour in July, spending eight days in the
country, during which they will face Wellington Phoenix at Eden Park,
Auckland on Wednesday 23 July and Sydney FC at Westpac Stadium in Wellington
on Saturday 26 July*. The New Zealand national team captain is naturally
excited to be heading to the southwestern Pacific Ocean nation with his
club-mates and is looking forward to putting on a show for his fellow
countrymen. "The plane is going to be a little more crowded than it usually
is!" said the centre-back, who was born in the Auckland suburb of North
Shore and played junior football for Milford School and local club Takapuna
AFC. "First and foremost, it's going to be good for the public down there to
see a couple of good quality teams, while I think it will be good for our
squad as well to get out of our normal environment. We're travelling a
little bit further abroad than usual and it will be good for the lads to see
a country they would perhaps never go to otherwise. "It is a long, long way
away on a plane, but when the players get there they will enjoy themselves."

West Ham's clash with A-League side Wellington Phoenix will take place in
Reid's native city of Auckland, with the match being played at Eden Park -
New Zealand's largest stadium with a capacity of 50,000. It will then be
onto the 34,500-capacity Westpac Stadium in Wellington, where Reid appeared
for the All Whites in an international friendly with Paraguay in 2010, and a
meeting with A-League challengers Sydney FC.

For Reid, the prospect of pulling on his Claret and Blue shirt in such
familiar surroundings is one to be relished. With excitement growing in New
Zealand ahead of the Hammers' visit, the No2 has encouraged his fellow
Kiwis to turn out in their thousands to watch the Hammers in action. "New
Zealand is a sporting nation. They like their sport down there so I am sure,
if things are done correctly, we will get a good crowd down there and
hopefully we will put on a good show when we get there. "I think the most
important thing is that it is our pre-season, so we will just have to get
our work done. We know we will be working hard down there and doing our best
to get fit and ready for the new season."

While pre-season training and matches will of course take up the vast
majority of the Hammers' time and energy while they are in New Zealand, Reid
is hoping to be able to show his team-mates - and West Ham supporters - the
sights and sounds of one of the world's most-beautiful countries. So, what
will Reid be encouraging them to do during their visit? "That's a good
question! If you are travelling that far abroad, I think you've got to see
some different things. The nature there is really nice and there are lots of
activities and sports which you can do outside. "In general the public are
very friendly so, all in all, if you are going down there then bring a
smile, I guess!"

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Potts eyes first team action
WHUFC.com
Dan Potts wants to follow in the footsteps of the Hammers' Academy graduates
this season
21.06.2014

Dan Potts has his eyes on more first team action in 2014/15 after putting
pen-to-paper on a new deal with the Club. The 20-year-old defender has made
12 first team appearances for the Hammers since making his debut in 2011,
but now sees this as his time to push on. With Mark Noble and James Tomkins
firmly established in the first team, Potts has the perfect examples to
follow and he says their experience is a vital tool for him to use. "I
definitely take inspiration from those players who have come through the
ranks to become established in the first team," he explained. "Nobes and
Tonks especially proved last year how good they are. "They've done it,
they've come through the Academy and are regular Premier League players.
Last year they were two of our best players and you can only be inspired by
that. "We've got an experienced bunch of players and when you're around them
you pick up little things - as a young player you can only learn, get better
and grow as a player."

Potts made just two senior appearances in claret and blue last season, but
turned out on six occasions during a loan spell at Portsmouth - a spell that
he says helped him learn about the rigours of first team football. He added:
"I want to be pushing on and playing first team football this season, so
hopefully I can and hopefully I will. "When I went on loan to Portsmouth
last year, I definitely reaped the benefits from playing in front of crowds,
in a first team environment with older players. "It benefitted me as a
player and more first team football is definitely the aim."

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WILL THE HAMMERS SIGN MARCO PAROLO AND ARE SCHALKE INTERESTED IN WINSTON
REID?
By S J Chandos 21 Jun 2014 at 17:00
West Ham Till I Die

Various Italian media outlets have recently reported that West Ham have
joined the race to sign Parma midfielder Marco Parolo. The 29-year-old
Italian is presently with the national team at the World Cup Finals and that
inevitably means any transfer move cannot be progressed until his return
from Brazil. Parma initially set an asking price of c.£7m, but may attempt
to generate an auction if interest increases as a result of his World Cup
performances. The Hammers are looking to steal a march on Lazio, who are
reportedly unwilling to meet Parma's likely current transfer valuation.
Parolo made 36 appearances in Serie A last season and WHTID readers may have
noticed that he made a second half substitutes appearance in the England Vs
Italy match last Saturday.

It is hardly a surprise that West Ham are seeking to strengthen central
midfield with the recent exit of Jole Cole, Jack Collison and Matt Taylor;
plus the continuing uncertainty over the futures of Ravel Morrison and Mo
Diame. Will this be a good potential signing? Well, he has a pedigree, but
as we saw last season, with Antonio Nocerino, not all players easily make
the transition from Serie A to Premier League. If there is serious West Ham
interest then we need to hope that he does not perform too well for Italy at
the World Cup or the asking price could rise steeply.

Elsewhere, there have been one or two recent reports that German club,
Schalke, may be lining up a bid for Winston Reid. Apparently, they are
looking to strengthen their central defence and have drawn up a list of
possible PL based signings. And they will be acutely aware that Reid is
entering the final year of his current contract and this could very well be
reflected in the asking price for his services. Whether they will meet
Reid's reported wage demands of c.£75,000 a week is another matter.

It would be good to see the club move swiftly to seal new deals for Winston
Reid and Ravel Morrison. Both players can play key roles in moving West Ham
forward over the next few seasons. Reid is a bulwark in central defence and
Morrison has all the skills/technique necessary to develop in to a top
quality attacking midfielder. I would also welcome a new deal for Mo Diame,
if he buckles down and commits to the project at West Ham. Unfortunately,
Diame is also entering the final year of his current deal and, in those
specific circumstances, it is virtually guaranteed that no one will invoke
the £3.5m release clause. Far more likely, the player will run down his
contract and this will result in a Bosman move next summer. If Diame does
not agree a new contract this pre-season, then that is arguably the most
likely scenerio.

SJ. Chandos.

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FORMER BOLTON AND REAL MADRID LEFT BACK IS TARGETED
By Sean Whetstone 21 Jun 2014 at 12:43
West Ham Till I Die

Former Bolton and Real Madrid defender Marcos Alonso wants to leave
Fiorentina to rejoin the premier league. West Ham are competing with Swansea
and Sunderland to sign him on a permanent deal. He is thought to have been
added to West Ham's ever expanding list of left back targets which include
Raphaël Guerreiro, Urby Emanuelson Martin Olssen and Timothee Kolodziejczak


A transfer fee of £1.5m doesn't seem to be the issue but his wage demands
might be. It was claimed he earned £40k per week at Bolton and is rumoured
to have received a pay rise in his move to Fiorentina.They loaned him out
last season to Sunderland and his demands are thought to be in excess of
£40k per week.

Born in Madrid, Alonso joined Real Madrid's youth academy at nine years old,
going on to appear for every youth side in the following years,
In 2009 Alonso was first summoned by the first team – coached by Manuel
Pellegrini – for a La Liga match at Valencia CF although he didn't play. His
debut arrived on in 2010 as he replaced Gonzalo Higuaín in the 90th minute
of the side's 2–0 away win against Racing de Santander. This was his only
and very brief appearance for Real Madrid first team. Alonso joined Bolton
Wanderers in 2010 for a fee around £2m. In May 2013, Alonso signed for
Italian side ACF Fiorentina on a three-year deal, despite being offered a
new contract by Bolton manager Dougie Freedman. In December 2013, after the
player had made nine official appearances for Fiorentina Sunderland
announced that he would join them on 1at January 2014, on loan until the end
of the season.Alonso played his first game with the Black Cats on 7th
January 2014, featuring the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 home win over
Manchester United for the League Cup semifinals' first leg and was given the
Man of the match award by Sky Sports

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West Ham plot transfer of Colombian Eder Balanta from River Plate
Jun 21, 2014 23:00 By Alan Nixon
The young defender is being watched by a number of European clubs after only
making his senior debut last year
The Mirror

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce is chasing Colombian World Cup star Eder
Balanta, writes Alan Nixon in the Sunday People. Hammers have sent top spies
to Brazil to check out the 21-year-old defender ahead of a possible
£6million bid. Balanta, who plays in Argentina for River Plate, is tipped to
make a move to Europe after the tournament. And Hammers intend to be first
in the queue to land him. Balanta made his debut for Colombia as recently as
March and has only a handful of international caps so is still operating
largely under the radar of Premier League clubs. But West Ham have been on
his trail for some time and will try to do a deal once the South Americans
are out of the World Cup.

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Irons 50 players a day "nightmare"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on June 21, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham are being offered up to 50 players a day by agents looking to cash
in on the summer transfer window . The club has been linked with various
players almost every day since the summer window opened with agents aware
the club wants to bring in another three or four players. Co owner David
Sullivan has admitted that's the aim co owner David Gold told ClaretandHugh:
"It's a torturous time of the year. "We just want to get our business done
and close the door. It's never easy and every day we are wading through any
amount of player offers – sometimes as many as 50. It becomes a real
nightmare."

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Hammer-in-waiting Henry's six month hell
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on June 21, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Sunderland's decision to ensure that chief scout – and Hammers head of
Recruitment-in waiting, Tony Henry- serves out a six month notice period is
normal, understandable… but intensely irritating to all Hammers!
ClaretandHugh revealed yesterday that Henry would be unable to take up his
new Upton Park role until November after resigning from Sunderland. We can
understand that the long wait will be hell for Henry but he's a top face in
the game and it's well worth us all sweating it out! As is the case in any
competitive business where deals are being done and some are in the
pipeline, the firm – or in this case – club concerned has the right to
protect its interests under a six month notice period. Should the employee
resign as is the case here the club send the employee on to what is known
as 'gardening leave' where he or she does nothing whilst picking up full
pay for six months. Work cannot be carried out on behalf of any other club
and it would become pretty obvious if that were to happen anyway as club
bosses would know exactly what was being worked on at the point of the
employee's departure.' Henry will therefore be unable to 'deal' on behalf of
West Ham until November but will have a big start on the rest in the January
transfer window as he no doubt keeps a careful eye on things. He's a much
sought after individual and the Hammers have done well to get him.

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Meireles offered to the Irons
Claret & Hugh

ClaretandHugh understands that former Liverpool and Chelsea midfielder Raul
Merieles has been offered to West Ham. Currently at Fenerbache, the
Portuguese star, 31, who is with his national squad in Brazil, is available
at a knockdown three million euros. However, he is currently on around £2.5
million a year wages with Fenerbache which is likely to be too rich for the
Irons blood. ClaretandHugh was told exclusively : "The player has definitely
been put into the club but we expect the wages to be a problem even though
the fee is very cheap for a player of his quality." Merieles had an
impressive season at Anfield in 2010-11 and won the national Fans Player of
the Year before moving onto Chelsea where he picked up Premier and Champions
League winners medals.
However, he was again on the move after a season heading for Turkey and
Fenerbache where he has found plenty of trouble. He was was handed an
eleven-match ban by the Turkish Football Federation for spitting at a
referee. The alleged actions following accusations of homophobic remarks
after he received a second yellow card in the second half of a 2–1 away
defeat to rivals Galatasaray. A Hammers source explained to CandH: "His
wages would be very big and he also falls outside of the 'no over 27s' rule
put in place buy the board.

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