Daily WHUFC News - 7th August 2016

Preview - Juventus
WHUFC.com

Hammers to officially open London Stadium against Italian champions
Former Juve player Angelo Ogbonna could come up against old club
Hammers play second game at new home in four days

When and where?
West Ham United v Juventus
Betway Cup
London Stadium
Sunday 7 August 2016, 1pm

What's the story?
The Hammers officially start life at London Stadium on Sunday when they welcome one of the world's most successful clubs to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Juventus have won the last five Italian titles - picking up domestic doubles in the last two seasons - and possess a squad packed full of stars.

They provide fitting opposition, therefore, for the Hammers' big bow at their new home, with another 54,000 crowd expected to pack the stands.

West Ham's final game before the Premier League season gets underway comes after a summer in which they have already begun their competitive fixtures.

Slaven Bilic's side saw off NK Domzale over two legs in the UEFA Europa League, with Thursday's 3-0 win their second success by that scoreline over the last month.

Juventus' domestic season gets underway on 20 August, and they have recently returned from featuring in International Champions Cup matches in Australia and Hong Kong, where they drew with Melbourne Victory and defeated Tottenham Hotspur and South China.

Sunday's game will also feature an Opening Ceremony for the new ground, so be in your seats early to soak up the atmosphere!

Team news
Slaven Bilic will still be without Aaron Cresswell and Manuel Lanzini, who both have knee injuries, while Gokhan Tore has also spent a spell on the sidelines.

Angelo Ogbonna and James Collins could both feature with over a week of training under their belts now.

Dimitri Payet returned to Rush Green on Saturday, so the visit of Juventus comes around too soon for the Frenchman
Any links between the two?
Angelo Ogbonna gives the current link between the sides, having signed for the Hammers from the Old Lady a summer ago.

Four other men have featured for both teams - Paolo Di Canio, Liam Brady, Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino.

How do I get to the game?
The match will be West Ham's second at London Stadium - click here for directions.

Where can I watch the game?
The match will be broadcast live in the UK on BT Sport 2, while whufc.com will carry its usual live match coverage.

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The Insider
WHUFC.com

It has been a memorable 24 hours for the West Ham United following the historic first game to be played at the new Stadium and the convincing victory in the Europa League which saw the Hammers qualify for the play-off round.

There looks to be more good news for Slaven Bilic as my sources have told me that the Club are set to make a substantial signing within the next 72 hours.

The Club have been linked with a number of top forwards throughout the summer and they now look set to finally land one of their targets.

Reports in the media have also suggested that the Club were close to securing a loan move for Inter Milan defender Davide Santon.

But it is my understanding that the move has fallen through and the Club are now looking at other targets.

With Aaron Cresswell ruled out for three to four months, the Club were not prepared to take any risks over signing another left back and hope for more news on another defender in the next few days.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of West Ham United

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Ogbonna ready for Juve reunion
WHUFC.com

Ogbonna set to face Juventus for the first time since leaving last summer
The Italy international made 41 Serie A appearances for Juventus
Ogbonna set to feature in his first pre-season game

Angelo Ogbonna is relishing the chance to line up against his former club Juventus for the first time in the Betway Cup on Sunday and hopes to mark the official opening ceremony with another impressive victory.

Ogbonna enjoyed a memorable two-year spell with the Italian giants and will never forget his time playing for one of the biggest clubs in Europe.

Having played alongside a number of his former team-mates for Italy at the Euro Finals during the summer, the 28-year-old will now get the chance to meet up with them once again at the new Stadium on Sunday.

But despite his close relationships with the Juventus players and staff, Ogbonna knows there is still a job to do on the pitch and knows the importance of securing a victory in their final pre-season game before the new Premier League campaign gets underway.

Ogbonna said: "I think it is very important for the team to officially open the stadium against a team like Juventus who have big players and a big mentality.

"I am very excited about facing them because I only left them a year ago to join West Ham United.

"I have a lot of happy memories from my time at Juventus and playing in Italy.

"I grew up there, learned all my tactics and grew into the player that I have become today. I have to say a big thank you to the clubs I played for in Italy.

"But now everything has changed and I am happy now to be in England and I want to improve myself even more at West Ham United.

"We know it will be an extremely hard game and both teams will want to win ahead of the new season. We cannot think about all the good players they have and need to focus on what we can do."

As well as facing well known faces such as Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, Ogbonna is also interested to see how new signing Gonzalo Higuain will settle into his new surroundings.

The Argentine forward became the world's third most expensive player when he joined the club from Napoli for £75.3million last week.

Ogbonna has no doubts he could be the key in helping Juventus to challenge the big guns in the Champions League once again and also feels the arrival of Miralem Pjanic could also be another big addition to the squad.

Ogbonna added: "I think they have made a really good signing getting Higuain because they are still improving.

"It is not just the strikers they have brought in, but Pjanic is also a very good signing and I think it will be very important for them to have these good players when they are playing in the Champions League."

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Randolph ready for familiar foes
WHUFC.com

Darren Randolph helped Hammers to defeat NK Domzale in London Stadium opener
Irish stopper ready for the visit of Juventus to Stratford on Sunday
Goalkeeper faced many of Juve's stars at Euro 2016 just a few weeks ago

Darren Randolph will not need much introduction to many of the Juventus players he comes face-to-face with on Sunday afternoon.

The West Ham United goalkeeper lined up against no fewer than four Juve stars in Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, Stefano Sturaro, Simone Zaza - and Hammers teammate Angelo Ogbonna - when Republic of Ireland upset Italy at Euro 2016 on 22 June.

Four days later, Randolph was back between the sticks as the Boys in Green came up just short against a France side including the Serie A champions' Patrice Evra and Paul Pogba, as well as West Ham's Dimitri Payet.

"We're playing against some of the players I came up against just a couple of months ago!" he confirmed. "It's a team full of top European players and it's a big game and another great occasion for us in front of another packed house.

"I don't know if I'll be playing, as I was concentrating on Thursday's game and just getting through [against NK Domzale], but we were back in training on Friday and will start looking forward to it," he said.

"I think everyone looks forward to these last friendly matches when you play against the bigger teams. It's why everyone wants to play football, to play in these games against top players continuing on from the summer."

Reflecting on Thursday's victory over NK Domzale, Randolph was delighted to play his part as West Ham overcame a potential banana skin to defeat the Slovenians.

The 4-2 aggregate success took the Hammers through to a UEFA Europa League Play-off round clash with Astra Giurgiu - the Romanian side which knocked Randolph and the Hammers out of the same competition a year ago.

"It was the perfect start with three goals and a win and a clean sheet - you can't ask for much more than that from the first game at the new Stadium," Randolph said. "We knew we'd have to keep tight defensively to be in with a chance and we did that.

"Two-nil is a dangerous scoreline as if they had scored it would have been level in the tie and we might have got nervy. As it was, we had a lot of chances and it could have been five or six in the end."

It has been a good week for the 29-year-old, who signed a new long-term contract with the Club on Sunday before kicking-off the new campaign with a flawless display against Domzale.

For Randolph, the future is bright for everyone in Claret and Blue.

"If you want to look to push forward as a Club, then you have to move stadiums or make your stadium bigger and I think, with how we performed and where we finished last year with the players we have managed to get in, we want to be playing in front of big crowds in big stadiums," he concluded. "That will lure more big names to the Club and that can only be a positive.

"Part of the reason why I wanted to stay is because we have a good group of lads and are moving into a new Stadium and a new training ground and it's exciting.

"If we continue to perform like we did last year, who knows? Another finish near the top of the table finish and European football is what everybody wants."

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Pixie Lott leads celeb support
WHUFC.com

Pixie Lott was just one of the many celebrity West Ham fans who showed their support for the Hammers this week following their first game in the new Stadium.

As the star of West End show Breakfast at Tiffany's, Lott could not attend the Club's first game in their new Stadium, though she proudly donned the Claret and Blue in support for the Hammers.

Actor and West Ham fan Danny Dyer was delighted with the first ever match at London Stadium.

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Young defender delighted with summer experience
WHUFC.com

Academy defender Declan Rice says it was an amazing experience to be part of the senior squad's pre-season tours
The youngster travelled to the USA and Austria with Slaven Bilic's side
He returned to take his place in the Dev Squad on Friday against Chelsea

Young Hammer Declan Rice said it was an amazing experience to be around the first team this pre-season in both the USA and Austria.

The centre-back, who was in action for the Dev Squad on Friday against Chelsea, played a number of times for Slaven Bilic's side as they prepared for the 2016/17 season.

And Rice, who was awarded the prestigious Dylan Tombides Award for his season in the Academy last campaign, explained it has helped him improve as a player.

He said: "It was an amazing experience going on the pre-season tours with the first team and it has definitely helped with my progression as a defender.

"Just being around those sort of players for a month - Nobes, Reidy and Carroll - you learn plenty of things. They are top players and they really talked to you and helped you.

"The manager as well as his backroom staff were also great, giving you plenty of pointers to become a better player.

"You also have to be yourself with them. You can't go into a shell, you have to act like you usually would. That's how you talk to them and you become your own person."

Back in Academy action on Friday after the period spent with the senior squad, Rice could not help the Hammers to a victory over Chelsea as they were beaten 3-0.

However, at this stage of the season, the youngster insisted the result is not the most important thing.

"It is all about building fitness still for us at the moment, definitely," he continued. "We have Stoke City next weekend so we need to build towards that.

"That was my first 90 minutes of pre-season, as I've been away with the first team where I got two 75s, a 30 and a 45, so it was good to get 90 minutes today, it was just a shame about the result.

"I think the scoreline flattered Chelsea a bit. In the first half, we had a number of chances as well as penalty shout, but it wasn't to be. It's encouraging that we are creating chances, though. That's the important thing.

"We have to learn to convert them though. If you don't do that you won't win games, so we need to improve in front of goal."

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Westley - Pre-season has been a challenge
WHUFC.com

Dev Squad manager Terry Westley said his side have been really challenged this pre-season
The side were beaten 3-0 by Chelsea on Friday in their final summer game
They take on Stoke City next Saturday in their first Premier League 2 fixture

The Hammers' Development Squad have endured an incredibly challenging pre-season campaign, according to Academy boss Terry Westley.

The U23s - in Premier League 2 Division 2 next season - faced a Chelsea side on Friday who play in the tier above them in a final friendly fixture, and were beaten 3-0.

But Westley insisted it was a positive test for his players and explained just how helpful pre-season has been for his youngsters.

He said: "I think if you go right across all of our pre-season games, we've played men, we've played Football League teams, non-league sides, foreign sides and then finally a top, top academy side. There have been some real different challenges.

"Chelsea were a high-quality, technical team who moved the ball around the pitch and were physically very good. It has certainly been a very challenging pre-season. There have been some high points, and today helped in terms of a reality check.

"If you want to get in Slaven's group, you need to be reliable and think about things you need to improve on. We had some really good opportunities today, but nothing happened.

"We made some wrong decisions. We turned the ball over a bit too quickly and they were good enough to punish us."

Many of the squad have ambitions of going on loan, playing regularly for the Dev Squad and even making an impression in the Club's first team this season.

And Westley believes his players are realising what it takes to step up and catch the eye of the Hammers' Croatian boss.

"Against Domzale, we had a player from this age group, who is 17, playing in front of 54,000 people in Reece Oxford," Westley continued. "You might think you're there, but talking about it and actually doing it are two different things.

"We have talked about going on loan; these players want to be able to go on loan, but there are also scouts and managers here watching the Chelsea youngsters.

"At our level, you have to be as good as Venlo and Peterborough and Southend and compete against Chelsea.

"All round against Chelsea, it was a good test. Next week we start, and we prepare for the Stoke City game, and we're all looking forward to that."


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Andre Ayew: West Ham agree £20m fee with Swansea City
By Owen Rawlings
BBC Wales Sport

West Ham United have agreed a fee of about £20m to sign Ghana striker Andre Ayew from Swansea City. The 26-year-old was the Swans' top scorer with 12 last season after signing on a free transfer from Marseille in 2015. Ayew is now discussing personal terms with the Hammers. Swansea hope to complete the signing of Atletico Madrid striker Borja Baston to add to the arrival of Spain forward Fernando Llorente from Sevilla. The Welsh club have also enquired about Leicester City's Argentine striker Leonardo Ulloa. Forwards Alberto Paloschi, Eder and Bafetimbi Gomis have already left Swansea this summer. Manager Francesco Guidolin admitted in July he was unsure about Ayew's future, but hoped he would stay. Ayew did not score between 2 February and 1 May which coincided with a run of two wins in 10 matches, but finished the season with four goals in three matches as Swansea finished in 12th place. West Ham have signed striker Ashley Fletcher, midfielder Havard Nordtveit, and wingers Sofiane Feghouli and Gokhan Tore this summer.

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West Ham agree Andre Ayew fee but must wait for Swansea to sign Borja Baston - Sky sources
By Sky Sports News HQ
Last Updated: 06/08/16 11:27am
SSN

West Ham have reached a £20m agreement with Swansea to sign Andre Ayew, but must wait for the Welsh club to sign Borja Baston, according to Sky sources.
It is understood that 26-year-old Ghana international Ayew will have a medical with the Hammers this weekend. Swansea confirmed the signing of experienced forward Fernando Llorente on Friday, but Sky Sports News HQ understands they will only sanction Ayew's departure when they sign another striker. And it is understood that striker is Atletico Madrid's Baston, who spent last season on loan at Eibar, with the Swans in talks to bring him to the Liberty Stadium. he 23-year-old has been on loan at a string of Spanish clubs including Murcia, Huesca, Deportivo La Coruna and Real Zaragoza, for whom he scored 23 in 39 games. The former Spain U19 international starred as Eibar finished 14th last season, scoring 18 goals in 36 La Liga appearances. Ayew, meanwhile, only joined Swansea from Marseille last summer and was the subject of a £20m bid from West Ham last week, Sky sources reported. Ayew, brother of Aston Villa striker Jordan, scored 12 goals in 35 appearances for the Swansea. West Ham agree Andre Ayew fee but must wait for Swansea to sign West Ham have reached a £20m agreement with Swansea to sign Andre Ayew, but must wait for the Welsh club to sign Borja Baston, according to Sky sources. It is understood that 26-year-old Ghana international Ayew will have a medical with the Hammers this weekend. Swansea confirmed the signing of experienced forward Fernando Llorente on Friday, but Sky Sports News HQ understands they will only sanction Ayew's departure when they sign another striker. And it is understood that striker is Atletico Madrid's Baston, who spent last season on loan at Eibar, with the Swans in talks to bring him to the Liberty Stadium. The 23-year-old has been on loan at a string of Spanish clubs including Murcia, Huesca, Deportivo La Coruna and Real Zaragoza, for whom he scored 23 in 39 games. The former Spain U19 international starred as Eibar finished 14th last season, scoring 18 goals in 36 La Liga appearances. Ayew, meanwhile, only joined Swansea from Marseille last summer and was the subject of a £20m bid from West Ham last week, Sky sources reported. Ayew, brother of Aston Villa striker Jordan, scored 12 goals in 35 appearances for the Swansea.

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Davide Santon fails medical ahead of West Ham move - Sky sources
By Sky Sports News HQ
Last Updated: 05/08/16 8:27pm
SSN

West Ham have scrapped a loan move for Davide Santon after the Inter Milan defender failed the second part of a medical, according to Sky sources. Santon travelled to England earlier this week to undergo a medical after the Hammers had agreed to pay £460,000 to take him on loan for the season, with the option of making the move permanent next summer for £5m. However, Sky sources understand West Ham have now ended their interest in the 25-year-old after he failed to pass a medical ahead of a move to London Stadium. West Ham are looking for cover at left-back after first-choice Aaron Cresswell was ruled out for up to four months in July after suffering a knee ligament injury. Sky sources understand West Ham have had bids for Norwich's Martin Olsson and Hull's Andrew Robertson turned down. West Ham also have a £20m bid on the table for Swansea forward Andre Ayew, according to Sky sources.

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West Ham want Europa League revenge after Astra Giurgiu draw as Mark Noble warns about new stadium
22:30, 5 AUG 2016
BY NEIL MCLEMAN
The Hammers are on a European revenge mission after being drawn against Romanian side Astra, and skipper Mark Noble says they're a scalp in their new home
The Mirror

West Ham want Europa League revenge on the Romanian side which knocked them out at the same stage last year. But Slaven Bilic's side face a hectic start to the new season as they visit Astra Giurgiu in the playoff round just three days after playing Chelsea. Astra, who were knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers by Copenhagen, beat the Hammers 4-3 on aggregate last season after drawing 2-2 in the last European match at Upton Park. West Ham start their Premier League match on Monday 15 August at Stamford Bridge with the first leg in Romania on August 18 and the the return at their new London Stadium on 25 August.
The Hammers beat Slovenian side NK Domzale 3-0 in their first match in their new home but captain Mark Noble has admitted opposition teams will be inspired by playing at the former Olympic stadium. "I think we will now be seen as a scalp - we have spoken about it," he said. You go to the Emirates, Old Trafford and the Etihad and they are great arenas to play in, you go there and think it is fantastic to play, and teams are going to come here and think that so we are going to have to be on the ball for the whole season."
Noble added his phone is "always on" after his former boss Sam Allardyce was appointed England manager. The Three Lions chief championed the midfielder for a call-up during his time at Upton Park and Noble said: "I thought he was a great manager and I loved him as a person and I think he is the right man for the job.
"I think he will do well, 100 per cent, his man-management qualities and what he expects from his teams, what he gets out of the players - I think he is the right man. " I haven't spoken to him since he got the job. We had a couple of texts at the end of last season when he kept Sunderland up and I had my testimonial.
"Sam sent me a nice message and I sent one at the end of last season just saying 'congrats on keeping them up and that you are going to have a good summer' - I didn't expect it to be quite this good but I suppose he has."

The UEFA Europa League Play-Off draw in full
Astana v BATE, FC Midtjylland v Osmanlispor, AS Trencin v Rapid Vienna, Arouca v Olympiacos, Lokomotiva Zagreb v Genk, Vojvodina v AZ, Dinamo Tbilisi v PAOK Salonika, AEK v Liberec, FK Austria Vienna v Rosenborg, Beitar Jerusalem v St Etienne, AA Gent v Shkendija, Istanbul Basaksehir v Shakhtar Donetsk, FC Astra Giurgiu v West Ham, Sonderjyske v Sparta Prague, Fenerbahce v Grasshoppers, Sassuolo v Crvena Zvezda, Brondby v Panathinaikos, IFK Goteborg v FK Karabakh, Krasnodar v Partizani Tirana, Maccabi Tel-Aviv v Hajduk Split, Slavia Prague v Anderlecht, Maribor v Gabala

Ties to be played August 18 and 25.

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Manchester United fans WERE 'in frightening crush' outside West Ham ground when team bus was attacked
17:36, 6 AUG 2016 UPDATED 17:36, 6 AUG 2016
BY CHRIS SLATER , STEPHEN JONES
Lessons from the 'potential disaster' are set to have an affect on how police will handle Chelsea and Tottenham's final games at their current stadiums in coming years
The Mirror

Manchester United fans WERE caught up in a frightening crush outside the West Ham ground the night their team bus was attacked, according to a new report.
Mirror Online reported at the time how the final ever game at Upton Park in May descended into chaos as the coach carrying the United squad was pelted with bottles and other missiles as it arrived. Kick-off was delayed by 45 minutes as police attempted to restore order and the Reds players were safely escorted inside. But it has now also emerged many Red Devils' supporters were caught up in a crush as the coach was reversed onto the car park. The "potential disaster" has been highlighted in a report by a Manchester United fans' group released last week. And the incident is set to have a direct impact on police handling of Chelsea and Tottenham 's final games at their current stadiums in coming years. On the night of the game, West Ham's last at the Boelyn Ground before moving to the Olympic Stadium, large numbers of West Ham fans had gathered on Green Street and Barking Road close to the ground to soak up the atmosphere. However police reports state that as they "became more intoxicated" they began to block the road and the arrival of the Reds' bus "caused antagonism as it was reversing into a small space".
Four police officers were injured after becoming involved in a "stand-off" with fans as they attempted to clear a path for the coach, which saw five windows damaged. However its arrival also sparked a crush in which some of the around 2,000 United fans who had travelled, as well as Hammers supporters, were caught up with many having to climb into nearby gardens to escape. One Reds fan quoted in the report says: "The police lost control and the officers on the ground froze.
"I was right beside them and they had no clue what to do. "It really was very close to being a tragedy. "I really just do not want these people to brush over what could have been another disaster in this country. "Plenty of West Ham fans there would back that up. It was really going downhill fast."

An investigation was carried out by the Metropolitan Police which found more contingency planning was needed and road closures should have been put in place.
They have vowed to put extra measures in place when Chelsea and Tottenham play their final games at their current stadiums in the upcoming years. Dale Haslam, MUST committee member for away ticketing, safety and related issues, said: "After the game we heard about both United and West Ham fans being caught up in a crush and we were shocked at how serious the crush had become. MUST worked with West Ham and the Metropolitan Police after the game to find out what had gone wrong and why the United team bus was attacked. "It is constructive they have admitted things went wrong and will ensure lessons are learned so this is not repeated."

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Dimitri Payet returns to West Ham training ahead of Premier League opener against Chelsea
Dimitri Payet returns to West Ham a week before the Premier League
Payet will complete individual sessions and join the squad on Monday
The 29-year-old was afforded extra holiday after his Euro 2016 exerts
By PHIL COSTA FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 16:37, 6 August 2016 | UPDATED: 17:24, 6 August 2016

Dimitri Payet has reported back to West Ham training a week before their Premier League opener, after being awarded extra time off following his Euro 2016 exerts. The 29-year-old midfielder starred for France throughout the tournament but was left crestfallen as Didier Deschamps' men lost 1-0 to Portugal in the final last month. Payet is set to complete two individual sessions on Saturday and Sunday, before joining up with the rest of the squad on Monday as they prepare to take on Chelsea at Stamford bridge. Former West Ham defender Tony Gale has caused some controversy after revealing that he believes Manuel Lanzini, not Dimitri Payet, was key to the club's success last season. The Hammers enjoyed a strong first season under manager Slaven Bilic as they finished seventh and secured Europa League football. 'Lanzini is a special player,' he told Sky Sports. 'For me everyone was going on about Payet last season but Lanzini was the one that made it happen. He runs between the lines and he's so important for West Ham.' It now remains to be seen if the likes of Lanzini and Payet can shine again for Slaven Bilic's side next season. Second season syndrome is something that has affected a number of players in the Premier League and it would not be surprising if the Hammers duo suffered some sort of dip in form.

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