Daily WHUFC News - 24th April 2016

Dev Squad aiming to emulate Academy ace
WHUFC.com

Earlier this season, one of West Ham United's most popular sons returned to
the place where it all began, the Club's Academy of Football at Rush Green.

The former England star will never forget his breakthrough into first-team
action and the chance he was given by Tony Carr when he made his way through
the Club's famous Academy alongside the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Michael
Carrick and Frank Lampard.

Cole, who played an integral part of the Hammers' 1998/99 Youth Cup
victorious team, spent the majority of this season at Coventry City was back
in east London and faced the final assessment when he coached the Academy's
Under 15/16's.

The 34-year-old impressed as he put the youngsters through their paces and
relished the chance to pass on his vast knowledge of the game.

Cole said: "It is nerve-wracking because it is not something I am used to. I
really enjoyed coaching and it has sparked something inside of me. I want to
stay in the game when I finish eventually and you need to get these badges.

"Once you play for West Ham you are always part of the family and I'm sure I
will be back one day in some capacity.

"It was great to see all the old faces and seeing some old friends. All the
top clubs bring players through and West Ham have a good tradition of doing
it and they need to keep improving.

"West Ham need to keep producing players and everyone here is doing well."

Cole, an avid West Ham fan himself, will be hoping the current Development
Squad can emulate his cup triumph from 17 years ago when they face Hull City
in the BU21PL cup final at the Boleyn Ground, kick off on Monday 25 April is
7pm.

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Dobson - The fans will be important
WHUFC.com

Young Hammer George Dobson hopes the supporters turn out in their droves at
the Development Squad's Barclays U21 Premier League Cup final at the Boleyn
Ground.

Terry Westley's side, who have beaten Exeter City, Fulham, Blackburn Rovers
and Liverpool in the previous rounds, take on Hull City in the Boleyn's
final final at 7pm on Monday 25 April.

And a big crowd can drive the side to a positive result according to Dobson,
who is a West Ham supporter himself.

He said: "The fans were vital [against Liverpool]. It was something I
haven't felt at Rush Green before. You normally get good support there, but
a lot of fans felt closed in and it felt like a proper Cup tie in a way.

"The fans will be very important again in the final, for sure. We definitely
go into the game feeling as though we can win it.

"The games we've played have all been very tough games and we've played very
different oppositions. Hull will be different again, but we're all very
confident and we're just going to go into that game thinking we can beat
them."

The 18-year-old has been an ever present for the U21s in the competition
this season, playing a key role at the base of midfield in all four ties.

Looking back on what have been Cup classics for the Development side, Dobson
said the quality of the team has shone through.

"They have all been tough games, but our quality has paid off. Exeter was a
tough start and it was a proper League Two [style] game, and it was hard,
but we scored two goals in the first ten minutes, which in a way, killed
them off early.

"We got ourselves another win [against Fulham] and went into the next round
against Blackburn. They came and were a big, strong physical side.

"Again, we scored early twice and held on for the 2-1 win which saw us
through to the semi-final.

"We go into every game thinking we can win. We went on a 13-match unbeaten
run in the league and Cup together, and then it's just paid off in the Cup.

"We feel like we can beat anyone. By doing that we've essentially just
beaten everyone we've had to so far and hopefully we can take that into the
final against Hull."

Tickets are now on sale for the Development Squad's Barclays U21 Premier
League Cup final with Hull City on Monday 25 April, kick off 7pm at the
Boleyn Ground.

You can buy tickets at whufcboxoffice.com, over the telephone on 0871 529
1966* and in person from the Betway Stand Ticket Office, for just £3 Season
Ticket Holders and £5 Non-Season Ticket Holders.

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West Ham set for DOUBLE transfer victory over Arsenal for La Liga and
Bundesliga midfield stars
22:30, 23 APR 2016 UPDATED 22:42, 23 APR 2016
BY STEVE BATES
The Gunners' scouts have also been checking out Celta Vigo's Spain
international Nolito and Havard Nordveidt of Borussia Monchengladbach
The Mirror

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic is lining up a double swoop for Celta Vigo star
Manuel "Nolito" Duran and Norwegian ace Havard Nordtveit, writes Steve Bates
in the Sunday People. And that could be a double blow to Arsenal, who have
also been checking out both players. Bilic is keen to land former Barcelona
and Benfica star Nolito, who played in Spain's friendly win over England in
November, for his Olympic Stadium-bound Hammers.
The talented attacking midfielder has scored 11 goals in 25 La Liga games
this season. He is also attracting interest from Liverpool as well as
Arsenal scouts, who have been at several recent Celta games. The Spanish
club are asking around £18million for the 29-year-old, who has designs on
the Premier League. The Hammers are also in pole position to sign former
Arsenal defensive midfielder Nordtveit who has had a great season at
Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga.

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West Ham beat off competition from Premier League rivals to sign Portuguese
starlet Domingos Quina
09:30, 23 APR 2016 UPDATED 10:47, 23 APR 2016
BY JOHN CROSS
Teenage midfielder Quina, 16, will sign today after West Ham beat off
competition from Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United
The Mirror

West Ham have won the race to sign Portuguese starlet Domingos Quina.
Teenage midfielder Quina, 16, will sign today after West Ham beat off
competition from Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United. Quina is regarded
as one of Portugal's best prospects and is tipped to become a regular full
international in the future. But Quina took the unusual step of quitting
Chelsea because he feared he would not be given the opportunity to break
into the first team. It has been a problem Chelsea are trying to address but
West Ham have an outstanding record of bringing through youngsters. Quina
knows he will get a chance at West Ham under Slaven Bilic and it is a major
coup for them to beat off strong competition. He is a skilful attacking
midfielder who can play in the No10 role and has been outstanding for
Portugal's under-17s. The news comes after the Hammers confirmed the signing
of 18-year-old striker Toni Martinez from Valencia. As revealed by Mirror
Football last month, the promising youngster has completed his move to the
East End ahead of next season. Starlet Martinez has scored over 100 goals in
Valencia's youth ranks but has had his head turned by West Ham's interest
and will earn over five times as much in London as he did in Spain. The
teenager has signed for an initial fee of just £750,000 but in a complex
deal involving a 20% sell-on clause for the Spanish giants and a raft of
bonuses and clauses. Valencia have included in the deal an option to have
first refusal on the starlet should they match any future offer accepted by
West Ham to sell the forward. His three-year contract with the Hammers will
begin on July 1, but the Mestalla club have allowed him to begin training
with his new teammates immediately to help him settle in England. "For me,
it's a great opportunity to be here and I hope to make the most of being at
such a big club," said Martinez. "I joined West Ham because of the progress
that the club is making. The decision to come here was made because it is a
brilliant opportunity to join an interesting club in the Premier League."

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Newcastle and Man Utd do Hammers a favour
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 23, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Newcastle's fight to stay in the Premier League did the Hammers a favor
today after the Magpies came back from two nil down at half time to take
Liverpool to a 2-2 draw at full time.

Liverpool had a game in hand on West Ham before today and they were just two
points behind us before kick off. A win over struggling Newcastle would have
leap-frogged them into sixth place with the Hammers dropping down the
seventh spot.

However, two goals in the second half from Cisse and Colback meant Liverpool
had to settle for a single point and they remain in seventh place just one
point and one goal difference away from West Ham. Both the Hammers and
Liverpool

Both the Hammers and Liverpool UEFA LEaguenow have four games remaining.
Liverpool must still face Swansea, Watford, Chelsea and West Brom while West
Ham face West Brom, Swansea, Manchester United and Stoke. We might be hoping
that Chelsea do us a favor too!

Meanwhile, Manchester United progressed to through to the FA Cup final at
Wembley after a dramatic last-second winner by Martial against Everton.
Should they go on to win the FA Cup and finish above West Ham in the league,
the Europa league places are likely to go down to seventh place. While we
hope to qualify for Europe in fifth or sixth position in the Premier League
it would be good to know that seventh place is there if needed. Let's hope
Manchester United win the cup!

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Irons make their minds up on 'The Ox'
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 23, 2016 in Fans Forum, News, Whispers
C and H

Exclusive

West Ham will not be making a move for Arsenal winger Alex
Oxlade-Chamberlain.

A story emerged this morning that the Irons had been offered the former
England international but we have had it confirmed that there is very little
interest from our side.

With Arsene Wenger planning a clear out in the summer, the 22 year old as
surplus to requirements and could be on his way with the Olympic Stadium his
next stop.

However, our top source at the club has made it clear that there is ittle
interest in a player who has been unable to hold down a place in the Gunners
first team.

Our insider made it crystal clear there was unlikely to be any follow up
from the club making it clear there were more cons than pros.

He said: "The transfer fee would be around £15 million which is too high as
would be the personal terms. Alongside that it has to be remembered the
player has had a lot of little injuries."

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Refreshing the parts of the OS other brewers cannot reach
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 23, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham will receive no share of the lucrative 'Pourage Rights' from the
former Olympic Stadium when they move in. The rental agreement of the
former Olympic Stadium published last week reveals that the stadium owners
E20 Stadium LLP "shall be entitled to retain all revenue received from any
beverage company, which is exclusively in respect of the Pourage Rights"

According to ITK, @ExWhuemployee it is Dutch brewer, Heineken that are
poised to win the pourage rights for the stadium having previously bid for
the naming rights only to be outbid by Indian based company Mahindra.

Heineken, most recently purchased the pourage rights for Rugby World Cup, of
which four matches were played at the Olympic Stadium. That deal reportedly
cost them £20 million. The deal reportedly included a clause that meant its
lager was not only the sole brand sold in the stadiums hosting the
tournament's matches, but that it was also the only one that can be marketed
within 500 metres of those venues.

heineken_1818285cHeineken UK was also the official lager supplier in the
London 2012 Olympics in a deal worth £10m. Heineken and its portfolio of
beer and cider brands, including Bulmers, Foster's and Kronenbourg, will be
offered at the sporting venues and within corporate hospitality.

Heineken will most likely copy the model of the recent Rugby World cup by
having an army of sellers serving pints on the Stadium island, as well as
pop-up bars, to fend off the local competition in Stratford.

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China may be calling this Irons striker
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 23, 2016 in Fans Forum, News, Whispers
C and H

Enner Valencia could become a Chinese takeaway once the summer transfer
window opens.

The club is ready to offload the misfiring striker and ClaretandHugh can
reveal that options in China are currently being explored.

The player has been able to recapture the form he showed when forging a
successful partnership with Diafra Sakho on his arrival and has become the
butt off the terrace boo boys over recent weeks.

Now the club has decided to allow the 26 year old to move on if the right
offer arrives despite him having a contract until 2019.

The Ecuador international has managed nine goals in 58 appearances for the
Irons and we were told this morning: "The club would expect to get something
close to what they paid for him – £12 million – despite him being to be a
bit short on confidence right now."

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Brady to meet West Ham fan Obama
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 23, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham Vice Chairman, Karren Brady is off to meet US president and West
Ham fan, Barack Obama this morning.

Tweeting this morning Brady made the ultimate name drop by posting: "Off to
see Barack Obama…."

In 2008, Obama declared his fondness for the Claret and Blues quarter of
east London. According to US reports, the President has been a fan of the
Hammers ever since a trip to England 13 years ago and watches Premier League
games whenever his busy presidential schedule allows.

The story goes like this: President Obama's sister lives in East London. She
and her family support the Hammers. On a trip to London, Obama sat down with
the family, watched a West Ham match on TV and was hooked.

Obama was once offered the chance to take an all-expenses trip to visit the
Boleyn ground in 2008. Doomed club's shirt sponsors, XL.com offered the then
presidential hopeful full hospitality and flights from Florida to London to
watch his adopted club on home turf.

Hopefully, Lady Brady will extend a similar invitation to Obama to visit the
Olympic Stadium once he leaves office. Maybe a West Ham shirt with Obama
printed on the back would be a nice touch as a gift today.

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Hammers linked with Magpie as Song replacement
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 23, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Newcastle United's Moussa Sissoko is a summer target for the Hammers
according to the Sun today. The report confirms what Claret and Hugh have
been saying for some time, namely that West Ham will not pursue a permanent
deal for on-loan midfielder Alex Song from Barcelona at the end of the
season.

The Sun suggest that the Irons have lined up Newcastle's Sissoko earmarked
as a possible alternative amongst a list of summer targets.

The 26-year-old has made 33 Premier League matches this season, scoring once
and adding a further six assists attempting to save Newcastle from
relegation.

Should Newcastle be relegated, Sissoko will be one of the first players out
of St. James' Park.

Separate reports in Italy claim that AC Milan are also interested in Sissoko
and will almost certainly attempt to sign the French international at a
knock-down price if the Magpies are relegated. Calciomercato.com also
suggest that West Ham could attempt to rival AC Milan.

It is claimed that Milan attempted to sign Sissoko in January but would not
pay the £15million-plus United were asking for.

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