West Ham told to pay £10million if they want Red Bull Salzburg winger Sadio
Mane
By SIMON JONES
Daily Mail
West Ham will have to up their off to £10million if they want to sign Sadio
Mane. Manager Sam Allardyce is keen on the Senegal winger who has also been
watched by Newcastle and Manchester City but they may struggle to match his
club Red Bull Salzburg's valuation. West Ham have offered £5.2m with add-ons
but Salzburg want more if they are to lose the 22-year-old who scored 17
goals last season.
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West Ham should be first in the queue if Ashley Cole leaves Chelsea
Sunday 8 Jun 2014 6:12 pm
Metro.co.uk
Whist the summer departures of Joe Cole and Jack Collison may have left a
hole in the affections of many fans where two of their favourite players
used to be, George McCartney's exit is more significant because it leaves a
whole in the team, and a big decision over who should fill it. But West Ham
could save themselves a lot of time – and airmiles – by going for someone
not too far away, who may well be available, and who is definitely world
class. Chelsea's Ashley Cole.
Few players in football provoke quite such strong opinions from fans as
Cole. Whatever you say about the former Arsenal defender – a lot of people
do, and a lot of it is not nice – unquestionably, he has been one of the
world's best defenders for the last decade, and at 33 he has plenty of
football left in him.
At Bolton, Sam Allardyce had a habit of enticing unlikely big name signings
– most famously World Cup winner Youri Djorkaeff – and squeezing the last
drops of class from them. He has yet to do this at West Ham, but Cole could
be the perfect opportunity.
Perhaps wisely, considering the own goals he scored in his autobiography,
Cole lets his feet do the talking, and how; 107 England caps, a record seven
FA Cup winner's medals, a member of Arsenal's Invincibles before his
controversial switch to Chelsea, where he played a key role in the club's
rise to Europe's elite – few players in the Premier League era can hold a
candle to him. With his Chelsea career seemingly - although not definitely
– over, all this experience may be up for grabs.
In recent years left-back has been a patched-up position for West Ham –
before McCartney there was Herita Ilunga. He replaced McCartney (in his
first spell), who came after Paul Konchesky, with Jonathan Spector and Wayne
Bridge also being given a try. In fixing the hole left by McCartney, West
Ham can go one of two ways – youth, or experience.
Youth is highly-rated 22-year-old Nice defender Timothee Kolodziejczak - a
consistent pick for France's age group national teams with Champions League
experience, who has been watched by Southampton and Manchester United. But
whilst any new signing is obviously a gamble, few players are as near a cert
as Cole.
He's been everywhere, won everything and as a result, not only is he –
obviously – extremely good, he's the kind of player whose presence would
lift those around him, and inspire younger team-mates. Should Cole leave
Chelsea, he will have his pick of clubs at home and abroad. A Londoner all
his life, a return to Arsenal is highly unlikely, and Tottenham even less so
– so West Ham might be tempting.
Cole may not be the youngest player around, but he is unquestionably one of
the best. West Ham have a space that needs filling, and Cole can do it
better than almost everyone. Someone's going to benefit from all that
experience. Why not the Irons?
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Two more Hammers targets named
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on June 8, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
ClaretandHugh has identified the remaining left backs on West Ham's s four
player wish list. We revealed last week that a quartet are being targeted in
that position and that both Martin Olssen and Timothee Kolodziejczak's
representatives Urbyhave talked to the club. However, the remaining two have
been a mystery until now but we are told that Milan's 27-year- old Urby
Emanuelson (below right) is on the Irons radar along with Frenchman Raphael
Guerreiro (above). Kolodziejczak remains at the top of the shopping list
but the latest names to be revealed are both decent players. Emanuelson is a
product of Ajax's youth system and spent part of the 2013-14 season at
Fulham making 14 appearances whilst Guerreiro is currently with French
League 1 outfit Lorient.
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Monday, June 9
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