Daily WHUFC News - 21st June 2015

On this day - 21 June
WHUFC.com

Anniversary

Name: Stuart Pearson
Born: Cottingham, 21 June 1949
Clubs: Hull City, Manchester United, West Ham United
International: England - 15 caps, five goals

Former England international and West Ham United forward Stuart Pearson was
born on this day 66 years ago. A skilful forward who played in three FA Cup
finals - two for Manchester United and one for the Hammers - he started his
career in his home county of Yorkshire with Hull City. After 44 goals in 129
league games, Manchester United signed him for a £200,000 fee in 1974 and he
was instrumental in getting them promoted back to the top flight, notching
17 times in his first season. He was in the Red Devils side that lost the
1976 FA Cup final to Southampton, but helped them make up for it the
following year when they beat Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley. Pearson moved on to
the Hammers in 1979 and his cross-shot set up Trevor Brooking's winning goal
in the 1980 FA Cup final victory over Arsenal. He notched six goals in 34
league appearances for West Ham before being forced to retire in 1982 due to
a knee injury.

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Obiang's European ambitions
WHUFC.com

West Ham United new boy Pedro Obiang will be a keen observer when the Europa
League draw is made on Monday, in the hope that the Hammers will be showing
off the newly-launched Boleyn Kit across the continent this season. The
23-year-old Spaniard is already a fan of the Hammers' final season home kit
and wants his new Club to do it justice in the final season at the Boleyn
Ground. Obiang is understandably keen to get started in Claret and Blue and
says anticipation is growing as pre-season draws nearer. "I'm looking to
forward to living in London and having that first experience of English
football when we start training," he confirmed. "That's obviously going to
be my first opportunity to meet the manager and my new colleagues as well.
"I'll be keeping a close eye on the Europa League draw on Monday. As I've
said previously, I came here to try to achieve big things with this Club and
the UEFA Europa League is the first chance to do just that. "The new kit's
great and I think it suits me too! I really like the colours and hopefully
we can show them off across Europe this season. "The fact that this year's
shirt is based on the first [Boleyn Ground] kit is a very nice way to say
goodbye to the Boleyn Ground. I am definitely looking forward to wearing it
for the first time. Just talking about it makes the prospect even more
exciting."

There is also the small matter of a Barclays Premier League curtain raiser
at Arsenal to contemplate and Obiang reckons a stern examination first up is
no bad thing. He continued: "I think it's great to start against a big club,
it's the perfect way to test the team early on in the season. But for now,
I'm just thinking about trying to get ready and work my way into the first
eleven for this game."

That trip to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday 8 August could well mark
Obiang's Premier League bow and the former Sampdoria midfielder could
scarcely hide his excitement. "Seeing the fixtures the other day really
brought it home to me. It was like a dream thinking about all the teams
we'll be up against. I've seen these teams on television and now I have the
chance to play against them. It is very exciting for me."

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Hammers snap up highly-rated youngster
WHUFC.com

West Ham United are delighted to announce the signing of highly rated
striker Martin Samuelsen on a two year deal. The Norwegian 18-year-old joins
from Manchester City, where he was a member of their Elite Development
Squad. Samuelsen said: "I'm very pleased to have signed for West Ham United.
I'm just really looking forward to getting started next season. "I can't
wait to pull on the new shirt and get playing in it."

Having impressed coaches at the West Ham United Academy while on trial at
the back end of last season, Samuelsen has signed a contract keeping him in
east London until June 2017, with an option to extend for a further two
years. The talented forward had been at City since 2012, and has
represented his native Norway at U16, U17 and U18 level. He continued to
say, "When I was on trial here at the end of last season, I was amazed at
the individual planning for each player. They have a great plan for each
player. The atmosphere there is very good. "After many conversations with
Terry Westley and the other coaches at the Academy, they convinced me that
West Ham was the right place to be. "I like to get physical and I like the
direct way of playing so in that way the English style of play suits me. I
really like watching Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, of course but my
main role model is Michael Laudrup." "First of all I want to play well for
the U21s and get goals and assists. Overall I want to help the team do well
and maybe lift the league title. "It would be great to make my first team
debut here at the Boleyn Ground. I've seen the plans for the new Stadium and
they look amazing, it's a very exciting time to join West Ham."

With clubs across Europe interested in Samuelsen's signature, Academy
manager and head of coaching and player development Terry Westley spoke of
his delight at the capture: "Martin is a very interesting character. He can
play as a No9 or No10. As a young prodigy at 14, Real Madrid, Chelsea and
Manchester City were all trying to sign him. "He's gone through a real
growth and development recently. We see the potential in this boy and we're
so pleased that we managed to persuade him to come. He had a number of
Italian and German clubs interested in him yet he decided to join us. "He
massively impressed us when he came on trial late last year, he's got great
professionalism and he's a very bright boy. He has to set his sights on
impressing the new manager during pre-season and the Europa League."

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Valencia scores in Ecuador win
WHUFC.com

Enner Valencia scored his second goal of Ecuador's Copa America campaign to
help his side defeat Mexico 2-1 in their final Group A fixture. La Tri must
now wait for the conclusion of the other two groups to see if they will
progress as one of the two best third-placed teams. Ecuador needed the
victory to give themselves any chance of reaching the quarter-finals and
Valencia's 13th goal for his country played a big part in keeping their
hopes alive. Mexico were also winless in their campaign going into the game
in Rancagua and Miller Bolanos' 26th minute goal for Ecuador did not help
their cause. Valencia doubled the advantage with 57 minutes played and
although Raul Jimenez pulled one back from the spot, Ecuador held firm for
the three points. In Friday's other Group A fixture, Chile thrashed Bolivia
5-0 to ensure they would finish top of the standings.

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Roy Hodgson: Andy Carroll can regain his England place
Last Updated: 21/06/15 1:19am
SSN

England boss Roy Hodgson has told Andy Carroll that he can win his place
back in the national side if the striker can start the upcoming Premier
League campaign with a bang. The West Ham forward's name came back into
Hodgson's mind after his side's 3-2 win over Slovenia in their European
Championship qualifier last weekend when asked whether Jack Wilshere's
second stunning goal was the best of his England tenure. Hodgson said he
remembered Carroll's header in England's second European Championship group
game in 2012 against Sweden when the big striker rose to beat his marker in
the centre of the box and nodded in Steven Gerrard's pin-point cross to set
his side on their way to a 3-2 victory. Since that tournament, however,
Carroll has played just 62 minutes of international football and, despite
repeated calls from then-Hammers boss Sam Allardyce, he was left out of
Hodsgon's World Cup squad last year, with the manager opting for Rickie
Lambert instead. However, despite another injury-plagued season last year,
Hodgson would welcome the towering forward back into the fold, and dismissed
fears England would revert to long-ball tactics with the former Newcastle
man in the starting 11. "I don't close doors," Hodgson said when asked about
the possibility of a recall for Carroll. "Rickie did a very good job for us,
Charlie Austin has been with us and I am not going to be so hung up where I
say: 'unless you are a certain type of footballer there is no chance for
you'. "If Andy can recapture his form, you know how much of a handful he is
as a player, so who knows? He could quite easily become a player we look at.
"That is up to him. He has been very unfortunate with injuries, I can only
hope he can recover from his injuries in the same way that Phil Jones and
Jack Wilshere have."

Carroll, who scored five goals in 16 appearances last term is said to be on
the radar of a number of clubs this summer, including former side Newcastle.
But, as Hodgson pointed out, he faces stiff competition to regain his
England place. A couple of years ago, the Three Lions boss was bemoaning the
lack of strikers available to him, but now he is blessed with several
options. Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge are all
certainties when fully fit. Theo Walcott is doing his chances no harm as a
striker with his form for Arsenal, and there are three goal scorers who are
ready to step up from the U21 squad. Saido Berahino and Danny Ings scored 25
Premier League goals between them last season and Hodgson confirmed Harry
Kane would have been in the senior squad for the games against Slovenia and
the Republic of Ireland had he not gone to the European U21 Championship.
Austin also appears to have a future with England despite failing to make
his debut this month. "Charlie has shown us in training that he has
qualities, but I can't guarantee players a game when they get called up,"
Hodgson said. The England boss said he cannot guarantee a call up to any
youngster who impresses in the Czech Republic either. "The field is open as
long as they realise this group here is doing pretty well so it's not just a
question of: 'well you have played well for the U21s, you had a good
tournament you will automatically be there' because it's going to be hard
for me to throw some of these out to make way for them," the England manager
said. John Stones, Luke Shaw and Kane will be called up for the next
double-header against San Marino and Switzerland, provided they avoid injury
this summer, Hodgson added.

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West Ham backed to sign QPR striker Charlie Austin
Last Updated: 20/06/15 9:42pm
SSN

West Ham have been cut to odds-on to sign Charlie Austin this summer, with
Sky Bet reporting a surge of interest in the QPR striker's future. The
bookmaker have cut the Hammers from 5/1 to just 1/5 to land the striker,
with former favourites Chelsea and Newcastle drifting to 5/1 apiece. Where
will Charlie Austin head this summer? Find Sky Bet's odds on the striker's
future here. Southampton and Liverpool have also previously been linked with
Austin but are no longer considered to be in contention at 8/1 and 12/1
respectively, while he is 20/1 to still be a QPR player come the close of
the summer transfer window. The 25-year-old was called up to Roy Hodgson's
latest England squad but failed to make his international debut, left as an
unused substitute for the 0-0 friendly draw with Ireland and 3-2 European
Championships qualifying win in Slovenia. Sky Bet's Chris Spicer said:
"Chelsea and Newcastle had been attracting the majority of the interest to
sign Austin but all the money is now going on West Ham, prompting us to
slash their odds."

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Alex Song being tracked by Chelsea and Manchester City
Last Updated: 21/06/15 8:44am
SSN

Chelsea and Manchester City have held talks about signing Alex Song from
Barcelona, according to Sky sources. The two Premier League heavyweights are
particularly interested in Song because he qualifies as a home-grown player
even though he played for Cameroon. Song, who spent last year on loan at
West Ham United, has two years left on his Barcelona contract. West Ham are
still hopeful of turning their loan agreement into a permanent transfer but
Sky sources understand there is interest from several other clubs –
including Chelsea and City. The 27-year-old, who spent six seasons with
Arsenal before moving to Catalonia three years ago, made 28 Premier League
appearances for the Hammers last season. Barcelona, who paid £15m for the
player, are believed to be looking for a fee of around £5m from any
transfer. His contract at the Nou Camp is believed to be worth
£70,000-per-week.

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West Ham sign ex-Manchester City striker Martin Samuelsen
Last Updated: 20/06/15 1:42pm
SSN

West Ham have given a two-year contract to former Manchester City trainee
Martin Samuelsen. The Norway youth striker spent three years at City's
academy and impressed during a trial at West Ham at the end of last season.
His contract runs until 2017 with the option of a further two years. "I'm
very pleased to have signed for West Ham United," Samuelsen, 18, told the
club website. "I'm just really looking forward to getting started next
season. "When I was on trial here at the end of last season, I was amazed at
the individual planning for each player. They have a great plan for each
player. The atmosphere there is very good. "First of all I want to play well
for the U21s and get goals and assists. Overall I want to help the team do
well and maybe lift the league title. It would be great to make my first
team debut here at the Boleyn Ground. I've seen the plans for the new
Stadium and they look amazing, it's a very exciting time to join West Ham."

Academy boss Terry Westley said: "Martin is a very interesting character. He
can play as a No 9 or No 10. As a young prodigy at 14, Real Madrid, Chelsea
and Manchester City were all trying to sign him. "He's gone through a real
growth and development recently. We see the potential in this boy and we're
so pleased that we managed to persuade him to come. He had a number of
Italian and German clubs interested in him yet he decided to join us."

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BILIC – THE RIGHT APPOINTMENT OR DRIVEN BY SENTIMENT?
By Iain Dale 21 Jun 2015 at 08:00
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by Ben Smith

The job of any football manager is to ensure that he leaves the club in a
better position than he found it. Whatever your personal thoughts and
opinions of Sam Allardyce no body can deny that he achieved this. After
taking over a team newly relegated to the Championship he got West Ham back
in to the Premier League at the first attempt admittedly not with the style
and panache the majority of us would like. However there is no doubt that
this achievement helped starve off financial Armageddon. When you bear in
mind the problems the likes of former Premier League sides such as
Portsmouth, Blackburn Rovers, Leeds United and Leicester City have
encountered then this achievement is not to be sniffed at.

After a very creditable 10th place finish on their return to the Premier
League he consolidated West Ham's Premier League status with 13th and 12th
place finishes, again achievements not to be glossed over. To the outsider
many would call that success for a club of our size. I wouldn't necessarily
endorse that view as although I am not privy to the playing or staffing
budget at the club I would imagine West Ham would have run a top 8/10 budget
last season. If we assume that is the case and, even if that isn't true, I
think the majority of us would agree that West Ham are carrying a bigger
payroll than the likes of Swansea City and Southampton.

However, that debate is for another day. As Sam Allardyce so modestly stated
in The Sun a couple of weeks ago he has left the club in a decent position
to build and progress in the near future. The question I am posing is this:
Is Slaven Bilic the right man to build on these solid foundations and create
an exciting, attractive and exuberant team to take the club into the Olympic
Stadium?

If we are going to fill 54,000 seats every fortnight there is a huge
responsibility on the manager to excite the supporters and give them the
style of play they have craved so much over the last few years.

Slaven Bilic is something of a cult hero to a lot of Hammers fans during his
relatively short spell at the club. Obviously without wishing to denigrate
his achievements I'm not sure 48 Premier League appearances in 18 months
makes you a legend. However, I do appreciate that the fact he delayed his
move to Everton until we had ensured our Premier League survival will have
endeared him to our supporters.

When you initially look at his managerial career it looks pretty impressive.
He skilfully managed a very talented Croatia team to two European
Championship finals and narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 2010 World
Cup.

However the jury is out on his record as a club manager. After Croatia he
moved on to Lokomotiv Moscow where he presided over their lowest finish,
which was ninth, since the forming of the new Russian League in 1992. This
was followed up with 2 years in Turkey managing Besiktas. Similar to many
European leagues the Turkish 'Super Lig' is dominated by three teams. The
aforementioned Besiktas, Galatasary and Fenerbache. He failed to wrestle the
title from these two and also missed out on a Champions League place for the
2015/16 season.

However dig a little deeper and there were some mitigating circumstances.
During his two-year tenure not once did Bilic manage a conventional 'home'
game. Besiktas BJK Inonu Stadyumu has been renovated for the last 2 years
and they have been forced to play all home games over 300km away.

Much like the West Ham way Besiktas also managed to grasp defeat from the
jaws of victory in the 2014/15 season leading the Championship with just 5
weeks of the season remaining before capitulating to finish eight points
behind eventual champions Galatasary.

My argument is this, if West Ham appointed a foreign manager with a similar
record but no connections to the club would the supporters be as enamoured
as they are now?

Have Messrs Gold, Sullivan played to the crowd and given the people what
they want rather than what they need? Bilic is known for being very
charismatic and willing to engage with the fan base. Not a bad man to have
in charge when you are leading a huge drive to attract more people to a new
stadium.

Some may argue the Bilic was the best candidate for the manager's job. There
were a lot of names being mentioned which were, in my opinion, unrealistic.
I don't think anyone really thought Rafa Benitez (although I wouldn't have
personally wanted him), Carlo Ancellotti or Jurgen Klopp would come to West
Ham.

When you take away these names Bilic was arguably as good as any and
definitely the most marketable. My preference would have been Marcelo Bielsa
although probably not recognisable enough to the layman this is a man who
has built up a reputation over a number of years of playing aggressive,
attractive and intelligent football a perfect fit for the Hammers. He is
also Pep Guardiolas mentor, which is not a bad endorsement.

A good alternative for me would have been Gus Poyet. He created an excellent
footballing side at Brighton although didn't quite have the same success at
Sunderland. Although bearing in mind his playing history I am not sure how
much sympathy there would have been for him if results suffered.

All of this is not to say that I cannot see the thought behind this
appointment. I hope as much as the next man that Slaven goes on to have a
very successful career at West Ham and gets the team playing the type of
fluid exciting football the club has craved.

I would just argue that if you took away those 48 Premier League appearances
in the mid 1990's I'm not sure his CV would have got him anywhere near the
job.

Time will tell….

*Ben Smith is a West Ham fan and played professional football for Crawley,
Yeovil, Hereford and many other lower league teams. He currently coaches at
Brighton and has written a bestselling book called JOURNEYMAN: One Man's
Odyssey Through the Lower Leagues of English Football. You can buy it for
only £8.99 HERE

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THE START OF OUR SEASON IS ONLY 12 DAYS AWAY
By Iain Dale 20 Jun 2015 at 09:19
West Ham Till I Die

It's incredible to think that our season starts in less than a fortnight
with the first qualifying round of the Europa League. We will discover the
identity of our opponents on Monday in a live televised draw. I am praying
that the first leg is at home, but I fear that as we are top seeds that
won't be the case. The reason is that because my LBC radio show runs from
4-8pm I can never go to evening matches at Upton Park, but it just so
happens that I'm covering the Breakfast Show that week. Fingers crossed.

I suspect the team that Bilic puts out will be very different to the one
which plays at Arsenal on the first day of the Premier League season. One
question is whether Enner Valencia will be available to play. Equador have
been elimnated from the Copa America despite a 2-1 win over Mexico in which
Valencia scored. However, one assumes he will need a break before returning
to England. So we only have one striker – Diafra Sakho, who has presumably
recovered from his injury. Elliot Lee is the only other striker on our books
at the moment who is fit to play.

So this is the team which Bilic will probably pick…

Adrian
O'Brien
Cressell
Reid
Tomkins
Kouyate
Noble
Obiang
Downing
Amalfitano
Sakho

Or do you think Nolan might play instead of Obiang?

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Charlie Austin transfer: West Ham set to beat Newcastle to QPR hitman's
signature
22:30, 20 JUNE 2015
BY NEIL MOXLEY
The Geordies made a £10m bid and Southampton are keen too but Slaven Bilic
is bookies' favourite to land striker who scored 18 goals for a struggling
side last season
The Mirror

West Ham are closing in on Charlie Austin of Queens Park Rangers, writes
Neil Moxley in the Sunday People. The Hammers are hot favourites to sign the
striker as new boss Slaven Bilic's spending plan clicks into gear. On
Saturday afternoon, bookmakers even suspended betting on him moving to Upton
Park. Newcastle made a £10million opening offer and Southampton are also
keen on Austin, 25, who scored 18 Premier League goals last term for a QPR
side that ended up getting relegated. The Irons' co-owner David Sullivan is
desperate to guarantee top-flight football in what will be West Ham's first
season at London's Olympic Stadium in 2016-17. Former bricklayer Austin was
plying his trade in the ninth tier of English football as recently as 2009.
His meteoric rise through the divisions with Swindon, Burnley and now QPR
culminated in a call-up to the England squad to face the Republic of Ireland
and Slovenia earlier this month.

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West Ham's pre-season starts MONDAY as players report before Europa League
clash in two weeks
22:30, 20 JUNE 2015
BY DEAN JONES
The Hammers qualified via the Fair Play League and could play up to SIX
qualifiers before the Premier League season kicks off on August 8
The Mirror

West Ham will begin preparations for the Europa League when players return
for pre-season training on Monday. Their domestic season ended just 28 days
ago, but after qualifying for European football via the Fair Play League,
Upton Park chiefs want to make sure they hit the ground running. New boss
Slaven Bilic will get the chance to cast his eye over a selection of
players, who will check-in at their Chadwell Heath training base in the
morning in preparation for the Europa League campaign – which gets underway
on July 2. The draw will take place on Monday lunchtime in Switzerland. It
is expected that the Hammers will largely use their best youngsters as well
as fringe players for the first few matches. The second leg of the first
qualifying round will be on July 9, with subsequent two-leg rounds set for
July 16/23, July 30/August 6 and August 20/27, before group-stage play
begins in mid-September. Some senior players will be given a longer break
before joining up. It is possible that West Ham will play six matches in
Europe before the new Premier League season starts with a trip to Arsenal.

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Aston Villa, West Ham and West Brom plot transfer of Stoke's Steven N'Zonzi
22:30, 20 JUNE 2015
BY FOOTBALL SPY
Potters have turned down a ''derisory'' Sevilla bid for midfielder whose
contract expires next June but three Prem rivals WILL meet their £6m
valuation
The Mirror

Steven N'Zonzi will be the target for three Premier League clubs in the next
two weeks. The 26-year-old Stoke midfield player was the subject of a
£3million bid from Spanish club Sevilla last week – an offer that was
rejected outright. Stoke value the player at twice that amount and West
Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa and West Ham will all meet the asking price.
N'Zonzi has one year left on his contract at the Britannia and has rejected
a new deal. Stoke will need to sell now to avoid losing the former France
Under-21 international on a free transfer next June. Albion manager Tony
Pulis was the man who brought N'Zonzi from Blackburn for £3m during his time
at the Potteries and would welcome the chance to be re-united with the
player he once described as a certainty to play Champions League football.
But he will face competition from beaten FA Cup finalists Aston Villa. Their
manager, Tim Sherwood, is looking for a powerful presence to complement his
energetic midfield line-up. And new West Ham manager Slaven Bilic will be
looking to strengthen his squad as the club go into their last season at
Upton Park with the crucial priority to still be in the Premier League at
the start of the 2016-17 season, when they move to the re-vamped Olympic
Stadium.

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Bookmakers suspend betting on Charlie Austin moving to West Ham this summer
17:09, 20 JUNE 2015
BY JAMES WHALING
The QPR hitman struck 18 Premier League goals for the Hoops last term, but
couldn't prevent them from being relegated back to the Championship
The Mirror

Bookmakers Betfair have suspended the betting on Charlie Austin's proposed
move from QPR to West Ham going through. A flurry of bets saw the odds cut
significantly, before the market was closed altogether. Austin struck 18
Premier League goals for Rangers last term, but couldn't prevent them from
being relegated back to the Championship. He was rewarded with an England
call-up for the games against the Republic of Ireland and Slovenia, but
didn't feature in either fixture. Newcastle were initially the favourites to
secure his services, before Chelsea emerged as a surprise front-runner, but
it seems he may be heading across London to Upton Park. Sky Bet also
reported a surge of bets, and slashed their odds on the move from 8/1 to
1/4. Chris Spicer, who works for the bookies, said: "The betting on Austin's
future remains wide open, with West Ham the latest club to attract interest.
"Newcastle and Chelsea have also been well backed to secure his services, so
we're trying not to overreact from the latest swing, but it has seen
Southampton (8/1) and Liverpool (12/1) drift out in the market."

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Key Bilic/chairmen meeting next week
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on June 20, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H

David Gold expects transfer market activity to become "more intense" after
boss Slave Bilic arrives at the club next week. The new manager has been
taken a summer break with his family in Croatia but will get down to
business at Chadwell Heath on Monday. An the co chairman said: "We will all
be meeting up early in the week and looking at the priority list the manager
has put together. "Things should start moving quite quickly after that. We
know which direction we are heading in but this meeting will give things an
impetus."
He added: "We have a good track record of working with our managers. We said
to Slaven 'get your priority list and let's see what we can do'. Meanwhile,
he explained: "We know we need a right-back and will work tirelessly to
bring in Carl (Jenkinson). If that does not work out, we have other irons in
the fire.

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West Ham target to be snapped up by Watford
Posted by Sean Whetstone on June 21, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H

According to Sky Sports Italia, Genoa have an agreement with new Premier
League boys Watford over West Ham target Diego Perotti. Earlier reports in
the media suggested Genoa rejected a £5.8 million bid from the Hammers for
the 26 year old Argentine winger and wanted to hold out for more money.

"Genoa has accepted an offer from Watford for Perotti, the Pozzo club has
proposed to double his salary as they want to give new manager Quique
Sanchez Flores the first step to strengthen the squad after returning to the
Premier League," said Sky Sports Italia.

Previously the Argentine, who has two caps, has played for Sevilla in Spain
and Boca Juniors in his native Argentina. Perotti signed for Genoa last
summer but it is claimed that Bilic is a long term admirer of the Argentina
national.

Perotti does not need a work permit as he holds an EU passport.

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Irons linked with another midfielder
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on June 21, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H

West Ham are reported to be among the clubs interested in Stoke midfielder
Steven N'Zonzi who is also believed to be tracked by West Brom and Aston
Villa.

Seville bid £3 million last week and that was turned down immediately with
The Potters valuing the player at double £6 million.

N'Zonzi has one year left on his contract at the Britannia and has rejected
a new offer so Stoke need to sell but the Hammers will wait on a meeting
with new manager Slaven Bilic before deciding whether to make a move.

Bilic wants a creative midfieder rather than another attacking option in the
middle of the park and remains keen on Dimitri Payet.

West Brom are probably favouritesas Tony Pulis brought N'Zonzi from
Blackburn for £3m during his time at Stoke and would welcome the chance to
be re-united with the player he once described as a certainty to play
Champions League football

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QPR look to have Ravel field to themselves
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on June 21, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H

Ravel Morrison will be on his way back to London if Lazio release the
homesick player from the pre-contract which is due to kick in on July 1.

Lazio are expecting to formally complete the deal as scheduled but if QPR
director of football Ferdinand has anything to do with it, Morrison will be
starting in the Championship in August.

He said: "There is no question in my mind that Ravel has tremendous talent
and is a gifted player. We would love to get him to Rangers."

The Hammers are highly unlikely to get involved leaving QPR with the field
to themselves unless Slaven Bilic pulls a shock rabbit out of the hat.

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Carroll told to re-discover unplayable form
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on June 21, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H

England boss Roy Hodgson has not ruled Andy Carroll out of his England plans
but told him to rediscover the form that makes him unplayable.

And if he can do that – AND STAY FIT – then a place in the Three Lions
squad for the Euro 2016 finals awaits the Geordie hit man.

Carroll has not played for his country for three years when he got on for
the last 13 minutes of a 5-0 World Cup qualifying win over San Marino in
October 2012.

But if he can overcome his injury nightmares he could be back as the kind of
battering ram forward that can cause massive problems.
Hodgson said: "I don't close doors. We have had Rickie Lambert do a very
good job for us as that type of player, and there is Austin, too.

"I'm not going to hang myself by saying, 'Unless you are a certain type of
forward there is no chance for you' because in a squad of ­players sometimes
there is.

"And if Andy can catch up then everyone knows what a handful he is as a
player. Then who knows? He could quite easily become a player we look at.

"But that's got to be up to him and he's been very unfortunate with injuries
and I can only hope that he can recover from his injury problems in the same
way that Phil Jones has."

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Chelsea chase Song but Irons still talking a deal
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on June 20, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H

Alex Song has reportedly become a Chelsea target!

However, Hammers insiders are convinced that after a season on loan at Upton
Park, the Barcelona midfielder is likely to settle for a move to the east
end where his chances of first time football are infinitely greater than at
Stamford Bridge.

The Hammers have put a three year deal on the table but Song would prefer a
five year contract. However, that isn't an option for Slaven Bilic who is
none the less confident he can agree terms with the midfielder.

Chelsea – according to The Telegraph – are willing to pay a fee upfront to
take him to south west London although Barca are happy to let him leave on a
free thus the ball may be left very much in Song's court.

We were told: "Alex knows he has a far greater opportunity of regular
Premier League football here and is popular in the dressing room. We are
working hard to make a deal happen."

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Hammers land Chelsea, Real Madrid target
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on June 20, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H

Former Manchester City academy youngster Martin Samuelsen has joined the
Irons on a two-year contract.

The Norwegian teenager was with the former Premier League champions for
three years and after impressing at an Upton Park trial landed a deal until
2017 with the option of a further two years.

He told the club website: 'I'm very pleased to have signed for West Ham
United.I'm j ust really looking forward to getting started next season.

'When I was on trial here at the end of last season, I was amazed at the
individual planning for each player. They have a great plan for each player.
The atmosphere there is very good.
'First of all I want to play well for the U21s and get goals and assists.
Overall I want to help the team do well and maybe lift the league title.

'It would be great to make my first team debut here at the Boleyn Ground.
I've seen the plans for the new Stadium and they look amazing, it's a very
exciting time to join West Ham.'
Academy boss Terry Westley said: 'Martin is a very interesting character. He
can play as a No 9 or No 10. As a young prodigy at 14, Real Madrid, Chelsea
and Manchester City were all trying to sign him.

'He's gone through a real growth and development recently. We see the
potential in this boy and we're so pleased that we managed to persuade him
to come. He had a number of Italian and German clubs interested in him yet
he decided to join us.'

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Gold hopes Poyet gets his chance
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on June 20, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H

David Gold insists the Europa Cup campaign looks an ideal opportunity to
give Diego Poyet some much needed match action.

The co chairman is uncomfortable with the lack of playing time given to the
midfielder under Sam Allardyce and says: "This looks a good opportunity to
him but of course it's down to the new manager."

DG explained that players were coming back to training at various stages and
that he believed Poyet would be well up to speed by July 2.

He hopes that Andy Carroll may be ready but says that is 50/50 and Gold
said: "That may see the likes of Elliott Lee come into the frame or whoever
we have brought in to replace Carlton Cole."

Gold insists these are entirely his own views and that manager Slave Bilic
may well see differently but revealed that Diafra Sakho was fit whilst Enner
Valencia would be one of the last back to Chadwell Heath after taking pat in
the Copa America.

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Valencia helps dump Mexico
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on June 20, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H

Enner Valencia helped Ecuador to a 2-1 win over Mexico.

Miller Bolanos opened the scoring for Ecuador in the 26th minute and Enner
added a second in the 57th before Mexico reduced the arrears from the spot
via Raul Jimenez's y in the 64th.

Mexico had rested many of their top players ahead of next month's Gold Cup
in the United States.

West Ham striker Enner Valencia wheels away in celebration after doubling
his side's lead in the second half
Enner Valencia wheels away in celebration after doubling his side's lead in
the second half
Ecuador have three points in three matches and a slim chance of advancing to
the quarter-finals as one of the two best third-placed teams.

Bolanos gave Ecuador a 1-0 lead, scoring on the counter-attack as Valencia's
shot was deflected toward him and he chipped it home from a sharp angle into
an open net.

Valencia gave Ecuador the cushion they needed in the second half, racing in
alone and beating Mexico keeper Jose Corona from close-range.

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