Daily WHUFC News - 7th July 2014

Hammers snap up Cresswell
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are delighted to announce the signing of highly-rated
left-back Aaron Cresswell
03.07.2014

West Ham United are delighted to announce the signing of highly-rated
left-back Aaron Cresswell. The 24-year-old has joined the Hammers from
Championship side Ipswich Town on a five-year contract for an undisclosed
fee. Born in Liverpool, Cresswell began his career with Tranmere Rovers
before moving to Portman Road in 2011. He has enjoyed three outstanding
seasons with the Tractor Boys, making nearly 150 appearances and earning
Player of the Year honours in 2012. A consistently impressive performer who
has long been linked with a move to the Barclays Premier League, Cresswell
joined Tranmere as a schoolboy before making his first-team debut at 18 in
November 2008. The 5'7" full-back played 80 times for the Super White Army
over three seasons, scoring six goals, before moving up a division to
Ipswich in summer 2011. An outstanding debut season for the Suffolk club saw
Cresswell voted Ipswich's Player of the Year for 2011/12. He has followed
that with two further impressive campaigns during which he has missed just
four league matches - two of those through suspension and two through
injury. Last term, his outstanding all-round displays saw Cresswell voted
into the Championship Team of the Year by his fellow professionals.

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Cresswell capture endorsed
WHUFc.com
Football writer Chris Brammer has praised West Ham United's signing of
left-back Aaron Cresswell
04.07.2014

West Ham United have pulled off a transfer coup by signing left-back Aaron
Cresswell from Ipswich Town. That is the view of Ipswich Star and East
Anglian Daily Times football writer Chris Brammer, who has kept close tabs
on the defender's progress since he arrived at Portman Road in summer 2011.
The 24-year-old enjoyed an outstanding three-year spell in Suffolk, chalking
up seven goals and 25 assists in 137 appearances for the Tractor Boys,
earning Player of the Year honours in 2012 and being voted into the 2013/14
Championship Team of the Season by his fellow professionals. "Aaron is a
very attack-minded full-back who has created more than 20 goals over his
three seasons at Ipswich Town," Brammer confirmed. "He has an excellent left
foot and scores the odd goal too, more often than not of the spectacular
variety. The one he scored against Crystal Palace in April 2013 is worth
West Ham fans looking up on the internet, for sure! "He was very popular at
Ipswich Town. When he first arrived at the club, the team was struggling a
bit, but under Mick McCarthy he has been part of a defence that has been
rock solid for most of the time Mick has been at the club. "Aaron has been a
permanent fixture and has hardly missed a game in the last three seasons."

Cresswell has missed just a handful of games since joining Ipswich from
first club Tranmere in 2011, and has already chalked up well over 200 senior
appearances despite his relatively tender age. Quick, committed and blessed
with a fantastic left foot, Brammer says West Ham's new left-back could be a
real star in the making. "Aaron is a very capable defender at Championship
level, so this is very much the next logical step for him. I cannot see any
reason why he cannot go on and be a success in the Premier League. He is a
consummate professional and if he keeps his head down he has every chance.
"He's quite quick, good in the tackle and offers quite a bit going forward.
He can certainly find people in the box and is very much the modern-day
full-back. "When players never miss a game, sometimes you don't notice them,
but that certainly wasn't the case with Aaron. He was very much a crowd
favourite and the fans expected something to happen whenever he went
forward. While some players are not welcomed back to their former club,
Brammer says Cresswell can expect a warm reception when West Ham travel to
Ipswich for a pre-season match on Saturday 16 July. "Ipswich fans are really
good towards their ex-players, except sometimes if a player comes back to
play at Portman Road for Norwich City! "Aaron has left on good terms. He
never asked to leave the club and the fans half-expected it would happen
eventually, such was the standard of his performances. I expect him to get a
really warm welcome."

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Teddy ready for Hammers duty
WHUFC.com
Teddy Sheringham is excited about his new role as West Ham United's
attacking coach
04.07.2014

Teddy Sheringham is hoping to impart his considerable experience after
starting his role as West Ham United's new attacking coach. The former
Hammers and England forward was at Chadwell Heath as the squad returned for
pre-season training on Thursday, casting his eye over the players as they
took to the training pitch for the first time in seven weeks. The
48-year-old, who still looks easily fit enough to turn out himself in the
Barclays Premier League, will work on a part-time basis with the likes of
Andy Carroll, Carlton Cole and new signing Mauro Zarate to increase West
Ham's potency in front of goal. After five years out of the game, Sheringham
revealed that he could not turn down Sam Allardyce's offer to join the
Hammers backroom staff. "I'm really excited," he confirmed. "If you had
asked me a year ago if I was going to get back into football, I wouldn't
have believed you. "For the last five years, I've been enjoying my life, but
this just seemed the right time and when Sam made the phone call, it was the
perfect situation for me - a couple of days a week and matchdays as well.
"The experience will be invaluable and the offer was too good to turn down."

Sheringham has known Big Sam for more than 30 years, having initially got to
know the West Ham boss during their respective playing careers at Millwall
in the early 1980s. "I knew of Sam at Millwall and he obviously knew of me,
and I have played against his teams over the last however so many years,"
Sheringham confirmed. "We have met each other out over the last few years
and chatted about the old days and where I started and he finished up. "We
have an understanding and when he made that phone call, it was a lovely call
to get. "I played a bit of poker and a bit of golf, but I wasn't really
getting great at either of them, so I thought 'What am I good at? What have
I done throughout my life?' and it was football. It seemed a good idea to
get back in now - the right time in my life."

Capped 51 times by England and a Premier League and UEFA Champions League
winner with Manchester United, Sheringham's challenge is now to translate
his own ability into improved attacking performances from West Ham's current
attackers. "There are a lot of players over the years who have collected a
lot of knowledge and it's all about getting that knowledge over to the
players so that they understand it and respect it," he said. "Everybody is
different, so there is a lot of psychology that goes into how you speak to
players and the way you listen to players as well. I'll be trying to my
utmost to get into their heads, as well as improving their technical ability
and physical attributes. "I'll be trying to nurture them to get them to
perform the best that they can, scoring goals and doing their stuff for West
Ham."

Sheringham will work with a variety of forwards, with Carroll and Cole of
the taller, physical variety and Zarate and youngster Elliot Lee being
shorter, more mobile operators. "Even when I was coming to the end of my own
career, I enjoyed playing with younger players who did different things to
me," he explained. "In shooting practice, I watched the younger ones as well
as the older players, as you are always learning something in this game. "If
Mauro can add something to Carlton's game, who can add something to Andy's
game, plus the youngsters who are here to work with us as well, that's what
it's all about - getting that little bit more of an armoury so you have all
the tools on a Saturday afternoon to help the team score goals and win games
for West Ham."
After a playing career with the Club that included promotion via the
Play-Offs, an FA Cup final and a 'Great Escape' from Premier League
relegation, how does Sheringham see the 2014/15 season panning out for the
Hammers? "I see that the Premier League is a tough league now. Obviously
you've got the top teams challenging for the honours, but anyone from
perhaps 12-14 teams can get relegated, while any of those 12-14 could push
for the top six as well. "It's the latter that we want to be involved in."

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Tonka's feeling fresh for 2014/15
WHUFC.com
James Tomkins is ready and raring to go as the Hammers build towards the new
campaign
06.07.2014

James Tomkins says it's good to be back after the Hammers returned from
their summer break this week to begin their preparations for the new
campaign.
Immediately after reporting for duty at Chadwell Heath, the squad flew out
to France for a week-long training camp which will see them undertake double
and triple training sessions daily as they build their sharpness up. The
trip to France is the ideal opportunity for new signings Cheikhou Kouyate,
Mauro Zarate and Aaron Cresswell to blend into a tight-knit team group and
Tomkins says they are integrating well. "It's been a good trip so far," he
explained. "We've had a bit of a work-out the last few days, training in the
morning and some core work in the afternoon. "The facilities here are really
good, everyone's enjoying themselves and we're starting to feel the good
team spirit for the season ahead. "The legs aren't feeling too bad, they're
probably taking it a little easy on us at the moment! Things are going to
get harder, but it has been nice to see the lads back together after the
summer and seeing how they're doing. "The new boys have just got here, so
all the lads have been helping them settle in. They seem like a good bunch
and that's what it is about at the minute, being all together."

Tomkins is keen to hit the ground running in 2014/15 and he knows how
important pre-season will be to achieve that aim. He said: "The aim for this
part of pre-season is to get the legs going again after that break over the
summer. You do lose a bit of fitness and it can take a bit of time to get
back in the swing of things, so that's what we're trying to do. "Training
has been good so far. It's nice to have the ball involved, the lads
appreciate that, and we're doing our core and strength in the afternoon so
it's a good set-up. "It's important to get that fitness back as quickly as
you can and obviously be ready for the games when we get back home. "We've
got a good schedule planned and everyone wants to show what they can do in
pre-season."

Tomkins enjoyed a strong 2013/14 campaign on a personal level, featuring in
30 league games for a defence which kept 14 top flight clean sheets, and he
sees that as a good base to build from this year. He added: "For me it was
nice to have a good run of games last year. I played about 30-odd games
which was good for my experience, playing that number of games in the
Premier League. "I want to build on that again and start well next season.
That's the most important thing now, to concentrate on working hard in
pre-season and being fresh and ready to go on 16 August."

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Cresswell thrilled with Hammers switch
WHUFC.com
24-year-old defender Aaron Cresswell is delighted to have signed for West
Ham United
05.07.2014

Aaron Cresswell did not need to think twice before putting pen-to-paper on
his transfer to West Ham United this week. The 24-year-old left back, who
arrives at the Boleyn Ground from Ipswich Town, jetted out to France on
Saturday morning to link up with his new teammates at their training camp in
south-east France. He admitted that the last couple of days had been a
whirlwind experience, but he cannot wait to make the step up to the Barclays
Premier League.
"I'm very excited to have signed here," he beamed. "It's a massive club and
I can't wait to get ready for the season ahead. "When I knew West Ham were
interested it was an easy decision to make! Everyone knows it's a massive
club and a couple of years down the line they'll have the new stadium too.
"It's been a pretty hectic couple of days, but we got there in the end. I
signed late on the Thursday night, so I didn't get back to Ipswich until
late on. "The team flew out on Friday morning and I arrived at lunchtime on
Saturday. The boys trained in the morning and now I'll be joining them in
the gym for their second session of the day."

Having started off at League One side Tranmere Rovers, Cresswell has risen
up through the divisions since making his debut at 18 and the Scouser is now
looking forward to testing himself at the highest level. He continued: "If
you ask any player in the Football League, they want to play in the Premier
League. Some people have to gradually go through the leagues and fortunately
for me that's the way it's worked out so I can't wait to get going.
"Hopefully I can hit the ground running. When I started off I was at
Tranmere and was there for three years, then I had three years at Ipswich,
so I'm looking forward to starting here. "It was nice to be voted into the
Championship team of the year last year - those kind of things are a nice
bonus at the end of a season. Hopefully that will stand me in good stead for
the coming season. "It's everyone's ambition to play in the Premier League,
and to play in front of 35,000 week in week out is a dream come true for me.
"I know we've got Spurs, Man City and Liverpool at home early on and there's
no such thing as an easy game in the Premier League, but I'm going to relish
every one and hopefully I can play a big part in it."

Cresswell's first week as a Hammer will give him the perfect chance to get
to know his new teammates as they go through a week-long training camp in
France. He added: "Not really knowing anyone, apart from Stephen Henderson
who was on loan at Ipswich, being away in France for my first week at the
Club is a good chance to mingle and get to know the lads. "Being a fellow
Scouser, I think Kevin Nolan is the only one who is going to be able to
understand me! I just can't wait to get to know everyone and hopefully
settle in as quick as possible."

For supporters who have not seen Cresswell play previously, the defender
explains that he is confident of doing a job at both ends of the pitch. He
said: "I like to think I'm a modern day full back. I like to attack, try to
get balls in the box and if I get a couple of goals or assists that's a
little bonus, but as a defender it's defend first."

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West Ham youth chief Tony Carr moves as Terry Westley recruited
BBC.co.uk

West Ham's youth chief Tony Carr is moving to an ambassador role after 40
years in charge of the club's academy, which will now be led by Terry
Westley.
West Ham's youth stars Joe Cole, Frank Lampard and John Terry at Tony Carr's
testimonial in 2010 Seven recent England internationals were at one stage in
the West Ham youth set-up Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Michael
Carrick, Glen Johnson, Jermain Defoe and John Terry have earned a total of
more than 370 caps Carr, 63, guided the early careers of England
internationals such as Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand, and helped generate
around £80m in transfer fees. "I will be there as a sounding board if any
area of the club wants to call upon my experience and expertise," he said.
Westley is a former manager of Luton Town and Derby County. Currently the
Premier League's head of professional development, he previously headed
Birmingham City's academy. West Ham co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold
said in a statement: "West Ham United is famed the world over for producing
excellent young players. "Having spoken to Terry, he clearly understands how
much we, like every other West Ham fan, enjoy seeing our homegrown
youngsters break into the first team." In May, they announced Sam Allardyce
would remain as first-team manager, despite criticism from some fans, but
asked him to provide more entertaining football.

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'COYI', tweets transfer target Diego Poyet
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 5th July 2014
By: Staff Writer

West Ham transfer target Diego Poyet has given the clearest indication yet
that he is set for the Boleyn Ground - by tweeting 'COYI' on his most recent
social media message. Poyet, who is on the verge of becoming Sam Allardyce's
fourth signing of pre-season hinted that the move was almost complete this
afternoon when he added the popular Hammers hashtag to the end of a tweet,
sent shortly before 5pm this afternoon.

"Not ignoring everyone, crazy but exciting last few days," he wrote, adding:
"All will be revealed in time. Thanks for the messages #COYI"

Poyet's move is thought to be on hold whilst West Ham and Charlton attempt
to thrash out a deal that is acceptable to both parties, in order to avoid
the need for a tribunal to determine the fee involved. Despite being out of
contract, West Ham must pay Poyet's former club Brighton & Hove Albion a
development fee as he is under the age of 24.

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New role for Merv
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 4th July 2014
By: Staff Writer

Former West Ham goalkeeper and assistant manager Mervyn Day has joined West
Bromwich Albion as the club's new Head of Recruitment. Day, who kept goal
for West Ham between 1973 and 1979 has joined the midlands club after
leaving his previous post at Brighton & Hove Albion at the end of last
season.
Speaking to the Express & Star, Day - who returned to West Ham in 2006 to
work as assistant manager to Alan Curbishley - said: "This is a magnificent
opportunity for me and I'm really looking forward to it. "I've known
[technical director] Terry [Burton] and [head coach] Alan [Irvine] for a
number of years from coaching courses and being in opposition dugouts. There
is a nice feel to the club, it's an exciting challenge and the
infrastructure is here to go onto bigger and better things."

Technical Director Burton added that he was delighted to land Day due to his
"wealth of experience" in the recruitment field. "He's well-respected in the
game and scouts who have worked under him speak highly of him as a man of
integrity and trust," he said. "He comes here with a wealth of knowledge and
will undoubtedly help us identify players and improve our recruitment
processes."

Chelmsford-born Day, who started his career under Tony Carr in 1973 was the
youngest ever goalkeeper to appear in an FA Cup Final when he represented
West Ham in the 2-0 win over Fulham in 1975. He went on to make in excess
of 750 career appearances for West Ham, Orient, Aston Villa, Leeds and
Carlisle before hanging up his boots in 1994.

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Taylor completes Clarets switch
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 4th July 2014
By: Staff Writer

Midfielder Matt Taylor has completed a move to Premier League new boys
Burnley. Taylor, who spent three years at West Ham was offered a contract
extention by the Hammers at the end of last season but failed to agree
terms, leading to his free transfer. The 32-year-old has signed a two-year
deal with the clarets, who were promoted from the Championship last season.
Burnley - who finished runners-up behind Champions Leicester City last
season - have also swooped to sign Bolton's Marvin Sordell for an
undisclosed fee.

And in other transfer news today...

* West Ham are one of a number of clubs linked today with former Barcelona
star Sameul Eto'o. The vastly experienced goalscorer, released on a free by
Chelsea at the end of last season is said to have received three firm offers
so far - one from Turkey and two more from unnamed Premier League clubs, one
of which is believed to be QUeens Park Rangers.

* Despite having signed Aaron Cresswell from Ipswich KUMB understands Sam
Allardyce is still keeping tabs on Norwich City's Martin Olsson. The
26-year-old Swede, who joined the Canaries from Blackburn last season was
reported to have been the subject of a failed bid by West Ham shortly before
the Cresswell signing was confirmed.

* Slightly belated, but young Hammer Ben Sheaf has snubbed West Ham in order
to join London rivals Arsenal. |The highly-rated 16-year-old debuted for
England's Under 16s last season and was thought to have a promising future
ahead of him (before signing for the Gunners, of course).

* Sporting Lisbon have put off a number of potential suitors by slapping a
£10million price tage of Algerian striker Islam Slimani, The 26-year-old
goal scorer, who enjoyed a successful World Cup campaign is high on West
Ham's list of targets but the Hammers are unlikely to commit to such a high
valuation.

* Salomon Kalou, long linked with a move to West Ham could be on his way to
Germany says French radio station RMC. The 28-year-old Ivory Coast
international is likely to leave current club Lille this summer and has also
been linked with West Ham's Premier League rivals Arsenal.

* Marco Borriello, who spent the latter half of last season on loan at West
Ham could be joining Serie A new boys Cesena, who returned to the Italian
top flight after a 4-2 play-off win against Latina last month. The
Bianconeri have been linked with a season-long loan move for the 32-year-old
forward.

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Charlton's Diego Poyet is having a medical with West Ham United
Last Updated: 05/07/14 5:43pm
SSN

Charlton Athletic teenager Diego Poyet is having a medical with West Ham
United, according to Sky sources. The 19-year-old midfielder, son of
Sunderland manager Gus, is a graduate of the Charlton academy and was voted
Player of the Year last season despite only making his debut in January. He
turned down the offer of a new contract with the Championship side earlier
this summer amid widespread interest in his services. Charlton will be due
compensation for Poyet as he is the under age of 24, with a tribunal
settling the fee. West Ham have already signed Mauro Zarate, Cheikhou
Kouyate and Aaron Cresswell this summer.

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Former Charlton midfielder Diego Poyet hints at West Ham deal
Last Updated: 06/07/14 6:34pm
SSN

Former Charlton midfielder Diego Poyet has hinted he is on the verge of
completing a move to West Ham. The 19-year-old, son of Sunderland manager
Gus Poyet, is a free agent after his contract with the Addicks expired.
Poyet has reportedly also attracted interest from Chelsea, Manchester City
and the Black Cats.
However, he has already had a medical with the Hammers - according to Sky
sources - and now appears set to sign a deal at Upton Park. He wrote on
Twitter: "Not ignoring everyone, crazy but exciting last few days. All will
be revealed in time. Thanks for the messages #COYI."
The initials at the end of his message stand for 'Come On You Irons', a
reference to West Ham. Poyet only broke into the Charlton team in January
but his performances saw him named the Championship club's player of the
year. However, he turned down the chance to stay at The Valley and is now
poised to follow in the footsteps of his father, who represented Chelsea and
Tottenham, by playing in the Premier League. Charlton will be due
compensation for Poyet as he is the under age of 24, with a tribunal
settling the fee. Once the move is complete he will become West Ham boss
Sam Allardyce's fourth summer signing, following Cheikhou Kayoute, Mauro
Zarate and Aaron Cresswell.

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Gareth Barry's Everton transfer in doubt with West Ham poised to take
advantage
Jul 06, 2014 12:53 By Dave Kidd
The Mirror

Gareth Barry's permanent move to Everton is on the brink of collapse – with
West Ham poised to take advantage. Barry has been caught in the middle of a
stand-off between Everton and Manchester City, who had been assured of a
£2million fee if the former England midfielder agreed to sign a contract at
Goodison after last season's loan spell. But with neither party willing to
budge, Barry – who is a free agent – could sign for West Ham or his former
club Aston Villa instead. Everton had been confident of agreeing Barry's
deal this week, knowing it was the player's preferred destination and that a
three-year offer was on the table – an unusually long contract for a
33-year-old. If Barry signs for any club other than Everton, City will not
receive any fee - yet after several rounds of talks this week, no compromise
could be reached. And it is believed that West Ham are offering the best
financial package, which could see the 33-year-old switch to Upton Park.
Barry spent 11 years at Villa before moving to City in 2009 and Villa boss
Paul Lambert is keen to take him back to the midlands club – but West Ham
are said to be leading the race, should Everton fail to agree a deal with
City.

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Arsenal has signed England U-16 internationl Ben Sheaf from West Ham. Sheaf
is regarded as one Engla
Arsenal-mania.com
By Nadji Grizzle...

Arsenal has signed England U-16 internationl Ben Sheaf from West Ham. Sheaf
is regarded as one England's hottest prospects and adds even more talent to
Arsenal's already impressive list of scholarship recipients. The signing of
Sheaf increases the number of new scholars to 13, with nine of those having
progressed through the club's Hale End system. Sheaf turned down a new
contract at West Ham to join Arsenal, and could make his debut when the U18
team travels to face Lincoln City in a friendly later this month. The
Hammers coaching staff had highlighted Sheaf as on to watch, and will sorely
miss the player.
The midfielder will take encouragement from fellow Englishmen Jack Wilshere
and Kieren Gibbs who also broke through the system before him as well as
many others including Cesc Fabregas and Fran Merida. Sheaf typically plays
as a centre midfielder but can also play on the wings if need be. He is very
comfortable on the ball and has been likened to Ross Barkley and Jordan
Henderson. Sheaf also gets to join his younger brother, who is also in
Arsenal's youth ranks and both will surely be raring to go. While gooners
will always support the next generation of players coming through, we hope
to see big additions to the first team. Still, it is exciting to see a
strong core of youngsters pushing hard to break through the first team, so
the future of the club looks promising.

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MONCUR OFF TO COLCHESTER?
By Sean Whetstone 6 Jul 2014 at 08:58
West Ham Till I Die

Colchester United is rumoured to be considering a move to sign West Ham
midfielder George Moncur on loan this season. The 20-year old central
midfielder and has made just two senior appearances for the Hammers – a sub
appearance in the League Cup and a start in the FA Cup. He has had spells on
loan at AFC Wimbledon and Partick Thistle, where he made 20 starts and two
sub appearances respectably, and had also represented England at under 18
level. Three players have joined the U's on loan from West Ham in recent
years including Daniel Potts, Elliot Lee and Blair Turgott, so it wouldn't
be a surprise if another was to sign on loan. And of course Former Hammer
Freddie Sears is there too. He's scored 19 in 67 games, and last season had
a haul of 12 in 32. George Moncur signed a new two-year deal in March 2013,
with an option for a third, with West Ham.

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