Daily WHUFC News -

The Insider
WHUFC.com

The players return for the start of pre-season training on Friday and excitement is now growing ahead of the historic move to the new Stadium. Slaven Bilic and his players will be heading Stateside over the weekend as they prepare for a big US Tour to Seattle and North Carolina. New signings Havard Nordtveit and Sofiane Feghouli will be travelling to America and the hard work is continuing behind the scenes as the Club look to bring in more new players. My sources have confirmed to me that one of the most promising young strikers in England is set to undergo a medical with the Club and a deal could be finalised in the near future. There have been a number of reports in the media surrounding the future of Marseille forward Michy Batshuayi. It is my understanding that the Belgium striker has been a major target throughout the summer and the Club made a substantial offer that was accepted by the French side. But the player chose to join another team as it was his dream to play for the manager of that club. Reports in Italy have suggest that West Ham could be in line to make an offer for Germany striker Mario Gomez after he failed to agree a deal with Besiktas. I have been told that he is one of ten strikers that the Club are looking at, but a deal seems unlikely at this stage. The Club are continuing to look at other big name forwards across Europe and will look to get the best possible deal for West Ham United.

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

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From the Treatment Room
WHUFC.com


Head of Medical and Sports Science Stijn Vandenbroucke issues his first update of 2016/17 - in association with Spire Roding Hospital...

Hello everybody,

On Friday, the fun begins again and we meet up at Chadwell Heath training ground, probably for the final time as the new training complex at Rush Green will be ready by August.

We will meet up for a training session, where everyone will get to know everybody again – or for the first time with our new signings – but before then we will do some screening, which is important because we have to do it to play in Europe.

We will do cardio and blood screening and a few other bits and bobs with the players to prepare them to fly to the United States on Saturday.

Friday's training session will enable the players to loosen their muscles before they make a long journey to Seattle.

We have a company coming in to measure the players for their compression socks, which will be made and delivered to us at the airport on Saturday.

As a Medical and Sports science team, we have not made any new signings over the summer, so we retain a strong and ambitious team.

We will take a very good backroom team to the United States, and the days of having different departments are gone – we are now a family, with a great atmosphere which Slaven Bilic has helped to create.

We work closely with each other at all times, whether that be the medical department, the kit man, the chef or the communications department, who will all be working hard alongside the players and coaching staff in the United States.

When we return from our pre-season trip, we will train at our newly-redeveloped facility at Rush Green.

Slaven, his staff, myself and my team have had a big role in designing the new training ground and the flow is very good for the staff and players, and an immense improvement on Chadwell Heath.

The most important thing is that the groundsmen have done an amazing job in creating and installing two new Desso Grassmaster pitches, which is composed of natural grass combined with artificial fibres.

Finally, we will travel to the United States without our players who are still in action at Euro 2016 – and we wish Dimi, Ginge and Angelo all the best – and some of those who played international matches after the end of the season.

The USA trip comes a week too soon for Josh Cullen, who will remain at Chadwell Heath and work with our experienced rehab fitness coach Eamon Swift.

Eamon will also work with Michail Antonio, whose partner is expecting a baby next week, and who may join us in the US after the birth.

We take a squad of 22 players, with some senior players, exciting new signings and young players, so it's going to be a fantastic trip.

That's all for now!
Stijn Vandenbroucke
Head of Medical and Sports Science

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Hammers gear up for first day back
WHUFC.com

Ahead of West Ham United's return to training on Friday, first team kit manager James Saban was busy preparing at the Club's training ground before the eagerly-anticipated afternoon.

After the delivery of all the Hammers' training gear and team strips, the kit team were hard at work making sure everything was ready for the first team's arrival.

Much of the squad will report to training on Friday before they jet off to the USA for their pre-season tour, however a number of members are still on international duty at UEFA Euro 2016.

West Ham TV caught up with 'Jamo' as he made his final preparations.

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EXWHUEMPLOYEE EXCLUSIVE COLUMN: TRANSFER ROUND UP
BY EXWHUEMPLOYEE ON 29 JUNE 2016 AT 10:41PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk

As I am writing this late I am going to be very quick with my points so that I can try and get it out before 11pm.

Batshuayi situation: Both the Crystal Palace bids and the Chelsea bids were true. Palace made the first move and we were confident that he wouldn't go there and made our move yesterday evening. Our bid was accepted and it looked like we had actually landed the player. Chelsea made a late move for the player having not really been involved in the initial negotiations and it looks like they have landed the player with a very substantial wage offer. Lacazette was always our first choice but when he looked unlikely to join we did move for Bathuayi but Chelsea's offer in terms of wages for the player is way above our evaluation.

Forward Situation: The club has moved very quickly and spoken to many players making their interest very clear. The delay in making concrete offers is partially down to Bilic. Bilic has been weighing up many options that are available to him. We may well still visit the Lacazette situation again and we have a decent period to continue to discuss his transfer and will continue to do so. This player is certainly Bilic's and the chairman's first choice. We have offers in for at least five forwards (as I have reported before) all of which would be great signings. One of these targets does include the German forward Gomez who would be a great signing and a lot cheaper in terms of price. His actual wages will be very large but he is another target that we are considering.

Player Loans: Kyle Knoyle is set to leave the club tomorrow on a season loan following fellow defender George Dobson out on a similar deal. There is also a strong suggestion that Reece Burke could join Wigan on a season loan too. Other players from the youth team could be offered similar loan deals too.

USA on Monday: The players are due back with the squad on Monday to fly to the USA for their preseason tour. Of course there will be notable players not joining the team including those that have represented their country at the Euros.

Ashley Fletcher to join from Manchester United: According to Jinxed on KUMB, the Manchester United youngster will be joining the club. His contract situation is up next week and a number of clubs including Leeds had been keen. He is a player that the club are aware of and one that had been monitoring along with Campbell from Manchester City and an Arsenal winger named Robinson. This policy of signing young players from other clubs continues to be something that we will look to do. If Fletcher does indeed join tomorrow, Jinxed can rightly lay claim to breaking that story.

Tore Deal: The club were still trying to go down the loan route with Tore and have offered a large loan payment which would be deducted off a transfer next year. The Turkish club want a permanent deal and either way I am confident a deal will be concluded.

Byram to Arsenal-Rubbish. No more needed to be said.

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West Ham to remember fans whose ashes were scattered at Boleyn Ground
19:34, 30 JUN 2016 UPDATED 20:16, 30 JUN 2016
BY MATT LAWLESS
The Hammers insist families will be able to visit Upton Park to continue paying their respects long after they leave
The Mirror

West Ham have offered reassurance to the families of supporters whose ashes are posthumously scattered at the Boleyn Ground that they will be remembered.

The Premier League club have already taken their first steps towards their new Olympic Stadium home after the opening of their club megastore and coffee shop.

But before the Hammers' current ownership regime, an assortment of urns carrying the ashes of late fans' had been cumulatively stored inside Upton Park.

With bulldozers set to demolish their former home soon, concern had been expressed that the memories of late fans' would go with it.
Respecting the families involved, West Ham investigated all areas of the stadium - including underneath the playing surface, which was rebuilt in 1998 and 2002 and has been relaid in every season since.

The club were assured that no urns remain intact, having disintegrated or fragmented over the years.

The Hammers insist families will be able to visit the Boleyn Ground to continue paying their respects long after they leave, however.

The Galliard Group, who now own the site, plan to preserve the West Ham Memorial Garden at the entrance of the stadium.

At the Olympic Stadium, meanwhile, the first commemorative stone was laid this week in the Champions Place, where hundreds of fans have already purchased places to honour their dearly departed.

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Hammers look at German cut price 28 goal striker
Posted by Sean Whetstone on June 30, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

CNN news in Turkey claim that West Ham have made contact with Fiorentina about signing Germany international Mario Gomez. The striker, who has scored twice at the Euros, impressed on loan at Besiktas last season, and it is claimed that a confident Slaven Bilic has already contacted Gomez's parent club Fiorentina about recruiting the forward. Besiktas want to sign Mario Gomez to permanent deal. The German striker failed to live up to expectations during his two year spell with Fiorentina though he has recovered his best form while out on loan to Besiktas where he netted 28 goals in all competitions, helping his side to win the Super Lig title for the first time since 2009. RR HighFiorentina sporting director Pantaleo Corvino is said to be looking for a cut-price € 5 million (£4.1m) to allow the 30-year old's departure. Signing the former Bayern Munich star for that fee would definitely be a bargain for West Ham given that Gomez has already scored two goals during the European Championships in recent weeks. It would certainly deliver on Sullivan's promise to deliver a twenty plus goal scorer at least in the short term without breaking the bank. We think this story has some legs so give it a high rumour rating.

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Slav's Euro target watch well underway
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on June 30, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic – having become the nation's favourite TV pundit at Euro 2016- has also been busy watching his main summer targets. ClaretandHugh reported prior to the tournament there would be no movement on strikers ahead of it as the boss was on a spying mission in France. It has since emerged that one target is Mario Gomez who starred when on loan for Bilic's former club Beskitas in the Turkish Super Lig last season. He scored 26 goals in 31 matches as the club won the Turkish title. He has now scored twice at the tournament and with a year left on his contract the 30 year old would be available at around £6-7 million. Bilic is also watching various other targets and a Hammers source told us: "As we explained to you there was never going to be a lot of activity before the tournament but we can expect to start seeing things happen far more quicky as we head into July. "Slaven always wanted the opportunity of taking in the Euros before making his decisions. He's a deeply thoughtful man and considers all his options before coming to a decision."
However, as we reported earlier it is firmly undestood the Hammers have now been in touch with Gomez's parent club Fiorentina with a view to doing a deal.

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Hammers Pre-season starts tomorrow
Posted by Sean Whetstone on June 30, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

We are just five days away from our first pre-season friendly match in the US and players not on International duty will report for training tomorrow at Chadwell Heath. Chairman's son Jack Sullivan confirmed last night that our first two signing have already started training early along side a few others from our existing squad. Jack tweeted out "Just been told that the 2 new players have come in with a few others, for early training!! Great news, great attitude."
Pre-season officially starts tomorrow on the 1st July with one of training in the UK before the squad fly out to the US over the weekend. In both Seattle and North Carolina they will train for a week either side of their game against the Sounders and the Railhawks. Their first training base will be at VMAC (Virginia Mason Athletic Center), which are the facilities of the NFL's Seattle Seahawks. For the second part of their trip they will borrow the training facilities at WakeMed Soccer Park

Pre-Season Schedule

5th July v Seattle Sounders (CenturyLink Field, Washington)

12th July v Carolina RailHawks (WakeMed Soccer Park, North Carolina)

28th July UEFA Europa League third qualifying round first leg

4th August UEFA Europa League third qualifying round second leg

7th August v Juventus, London Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

13th August Premier League Start Chelsea v West Ham

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Former West Ham manager sacked
Posted by Sean Whetstone on June 30, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Gianfranco Zola has been sacked by Al-Arabi. The former West Ham manager has been in charge of the Qatari side for just one season and signed a two-year contract with the club last July. However, Al-Arabi failed to make much progress under his stewardship, finishing in the same position (eighth) and with the same number of points (35) in the 14-team league as the previous season. "Our president has said he is going to change the coach," confirmed a spokesman for Al-Arabi. Zola has be replaced by veteran Uruguayan coach Gerardo Pelusso after the club installed a new president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Jabr Al-Thani. Earlier this month, Zola was odds-on favourite with the bookies to be named next Nottingham Forest manager, with his odds, at one stage, being slashed from 20-1 to 1-4. However, Nottingham Forest have since appointed Philippe Montanier as head coach on a two-year contract. The question remains whether Zola will make a return to English football in some management position.

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Leroy welcomes striker hopes but sees little value
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on June 30, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

I've been watching events closely at West Ham during the summer and back the board's position in trying to bring in a top striker. So far they have missed out on Lacaeztte and Batshuayi – both were well over priced – and in this market place you are never gonna get value for money anyway given the TV money loating around and the inflationary demands.
However, I have no problem with the club paying out the sort of money they are talking about as although we would be okay with what we have – Valencia excepted – ok just isn't good enough!
Having attracted Dimitri Payet to the club he will be looking for other top players to join him and I'm sure that was in the script when he was signed. Currently Mario Gomez is being touted as a likely arrival and at around £8m – £9m he wouldn't be a gambe. Scores goals and is big and awkward – he'd be a decent signing. Eden Dzeko has always been a favourite of mine and if the club could get him at around £15 million that would be good business too. Benteke? No not for me. I think he'd probably give you 10-12 goals a season and as we know hsn't torn up any trees at Liverpool. One decent season at Aston Villa isn't enough to make a massive investment. I think Jamie Vardy would have been a decent shout but it's clear he was never going to leave Leicester so that was never going to happen.
Whoever they get, Valencia has to go. He just hasn't done enough. But I'd love to see Diafra Sakho stay. All of you know how highly I rate him. On the pitch he will go through the middle or out wide, get in behnd players and make life so much easier for the likes of Dimi Payet who clearly loves playing for him. However, it's very clear for me he has a temperament and if he can't sort that out and it becomes a problem to the dressing room he will need to leave. I don't know exactly what is going on but the manager needs to sort it out unless he finds the player isn't rewarding his efforts. In which case, sadly, it will need to be a parting of the ways. He needs to knuckle down and get on with it. This lad has it all for me and I really hope he sorts his stuff out and shows what he's about again.

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France star Dimitri Payet is 'happy' in London and is unlikely to leave West Ham this summer, says agent
VAISHALI BHARDWAJ
Evening Standard

Dimitri Payet's agent has insisted the France forward is 'happy' at West Ham and is unlikely to complete a transfer away from the club this summer. Payet's scintillating form for the Hammers in his debut season in England last term led to the 29-year-old being nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award while his performances for Slaven Bilic's side earned him a call-up to France's squad for Euro 2016. There he has impressed with crucial goals in Les Bleus' group stage wins over Romania and Albania, which led to Payet - who only signed a new long-term contract at West Ham in February - being linked with a summer move to Real Madrid, PSG and Inter Milan. Despite former Nerazzurri president Massimo Moratti saying he "would love to see Payet in an Inter shirt", his agent Jacques-Olivier Auguste has said there is little chance of the Frenchman leaving West Ham this summer.
"He has a great contract with West Ham so I cannot see him leaving," Auguste told The Guardian. "Dimitri is happy in London. Of course you never know in football. "But only West Ham know what price they want if they decide to sell him." Payet is expected to start when France take on Iceland in the quarter-finals of the European Championships in Paris on Sunday.

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France's Dimitri Payet happy to stay at West Ham next season, insists agent
• Forward has been linked with Real Madrid among others
• 'He has a great contract with West Ham so I cannot see him leaving'
Ed Aarons
@ed_aarons
Thursday 30 June 2016 13.07 BST Last modified on Thursday 30 June 2016 13.10 BST
The Guardian

Dimitri Payet's agent expects the France forward to stay at West Ham next season despite rumours linking him with a transfer to Real Madrid and Internazionale among others. Payet, who is preparing for France's Euro 2016 quarter-final against Iceland on Sunday, signed a new contract in February worth an estimated £125,000 a week which is due to expire in 2021 after an impressive first six months in England. He moved to West Ham last summer from Marseille for £10.7m and was nominated for the PFA Player of the Award after scoring nine Premier League goals. Payet has continued that form into Euro 2016, having scored crucial goals in both of France's opening fixtures against Romania and Albania. That led to reports in Spain that Real Madrid could target the 29-year-old this summer, with Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona also rumoured to be interested. However, Payet's long-term advisor Jacques-Olivier Auguste told the Guardian that it is unlikely his client will be on the move this summer. "He has a great contract with West Ham so I cannot see him leaving. Dimitri is happy in London," he said. "Of course you never know in football. But only West Ham know what price they want if they decide to sell him."
Inter became the latest club to express an interest in Payet on Wednesday after the Italin club were taken over by Chinese conglomerate Suning Commerce Group. "As a fan, I would love to see Payet in an Inter shirt," said honorary president Massimo Moratti. "However, the great champions are currently elusive, you have to be lucky enough to find the right opportunity. "We are missing 2-3 players to be competitive. The important thing is to have solid players that ensure continuity."

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Watford join race for Nigerian youngster Agor Chukwudi
HITC
Tom Coleman

Chukwudi had seemed poised to join West Ham united but Watford have now made a rival offer. The CEO of ASJ Academy has confirmed to All Nigeria Soccer that Watford have joined the race for Nigerian teenager Chukwudi Agor. The website had previously claimed that fellow Premier League side West Ham United were in pole position to sign the midfielder, having reportedly made a €200,000 (£155,000) bid last month. However, ASJ's CEO, Emeka Amajiriaku, has now confirmed that the Hornets are also in contention to bring the youngster to Vicarage Road, adding that they have already opened talks with his representatives. He told All Nigeria Soccer: "We are studying offers from West Ham and Watford, we want a team that can develop the player. "So we are not after his transfer fees or wages, we don't want a situation where he is signed and he is dumped soon after. "We have documents from Watford, we believe we can broker a better deal apart from these two teams in England. So many teams have been calling us that they want Chukwudi." Primarily used as a central midfielder, Chukwudi was part of the Nigerian squad that won the 2015 Under-17 World Cup, and is one of several of the team's players to be attracting attention. News of interest from Watford, who are looking to progress under new boss Walter Mazzarri, will come as a blow to West Ham, particularly after the Hammers had seemingly warded off the advances of Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon. Chukwudi becomes eligible to sign a professional contract with any of his suitors when he turns 18 on November 26.

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West Ham's Olympic Stadium move receives royal seal of approval from Prince Albert of Monaco
SAM LONG 1 hour ago0 comments
Evening Standard

West Ham's Olympic Stadium move will help take the club onto "another level", according to Prince Albert of Monaco. The Hammers said farewell to the Boleyn Ground in May and will begin life at their new home in Stratford at the start of next season. Over 50,000 season tickets have already been sold at the stadium and it is hoped exploring new avenues of revenue will help the club compete with England's elite. Slaven Bilic's side achieved a seventh place finish in the Premier League last term and Prince Albert has paid testament to the club's progress during a recent visit to est London. "It was a great honour to be invited here. The way this club is developing is very encouraging," he told West Ham's official website. "I am sure the the big move will help take them onto another level. I am sure it will have an incredible impact on the players. "The West Ham fans will create a very special atmosphere there and I wish them a lot of successful seasons to come."

The Prince has followed the progress of Dimitri Payet closely since he joined West Ham last summer and is proud of the manner in which the 29-year-old has developed under Bilic.
"He has certainly made his mark already. He is an incredible player and very versatile. "He is very powerful and I hope he will have many more successful seasons here. "People in France are very aware of his impact and the way he has been adopted by the fans. Everybody is very proud of that," he added. Payet has also made his mark on Euro 2016, having scored two goals in four games to help Didier Deschamps' side reach the quarter-finals, where they will face Iceland.

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Exciting new West Ham starlet thanks fans for warm welcome after switch from Chelsea
HITC
Damien Lucas

Exciting new West Ham United starlet Domingos Quina has spoken for the first time since his switch from London rivals Chelsea. The Hammers have been busy collecting some top quality young players in the hope Slaven Bilic can fin tune their talents to benefit the first team. The Hammers beat off competition from a number of top European clubs - including London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea - to complete the signing of the highly-rated young Portuguese forward last month. The 16-year-old was signed on a two-year scholarship deal with the Hammers and will pen a professional contract when he turns 17 later this year, according to reports in the likes of the Evening Standard. Quina actually chose the Hammers after spending a month training with the club before leaving to play in the Under-17 European Championships - which he won with his home nation Portugal earlier further underlining his burgeoning potential.

A quick, skillful striker with a penchant for the spectacular, a grateful Quina has taken to social networking site Twitter to speak for the first time since his move. "Thank you West Ham fans for the warm welcome," Quina posted on Twitter.

domingos quina @domingosquina
Thank you @whufc_official fans for the warm welcome
9:14 PM - 28 Jun 2016
24 24 Retweets 125 125 likes

Prodigal crop of youngsters

Quina joins the likes of Antonio Martinez, Martin Samuelsen, Reece Oxford and Reece Burke as a crop of youngsters at the club with genuine potential to gatecrash the first team.
Whether that will be this season or not remains to be seen although their level of first team involvement could very much hinge on the club's progress in the Europa League. Bilic's side face two, two-legged ties to qualify for the competition proper which would then add a further six games to the fixture list. With the extra games, Bilic will be keen to blood his talented crop and give them vital competitive experience. Mauricio Pochettino followed a similar policy at Tottenham Hotspur last season and it helped the club stay fresh for the Premier League as they secured Champions League football.

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Lionel Messi retirement opens the door for West Ham star Manuel Lanzini
HITC
Damien Lucas

Lionel Messi's retirement from international football with Argentina shook world football and the reverberations reached as far as East London. Messi retired from international duty after missing in a penalty shootout as Argentina lost in the Copa America final against Chile - their fourth major final defeat in nine years. "For me, the national team is over," Messi told the world after that game. "I've done all I can. It hurts not to be a champion." The 29-year-old, widely regarded as the best player to ever have lived, as won everything in club football and has been awarded the Ballon d'Or five times in his career to date.

So just why would the ramifications of his shock announcement be felt as far away as East London and West Ham United?

Since the influential superstar's decision, speculation has been rife that other Argentina favourites such as Manchester City's Sergio Aguero, Paris St Germain's Angel di Maria and Barcelona's Javier Mascherano could follow suit, as reported by the Sun. That would leave the national team bereft of top players and in need of rebuilding with new, younger, hungry players. One such player who fits that bill perfectly is the Hammers' Manuel Lanzini. Lanzini was one of the surprise success stories of the Hammers' and indeed the Premier League season, taking to life in the English top flight like a duck to water. Nicknamed the Jewel back in his native Argentina, Lanzini's success is perhaps only surprising given where he had been playing his football in recent years. After starting his career at River Plate, where he was the latest diminutive Argentine to be labelled 'the new Lionel Messi', Lanzini had spent a couple of seasons playing in the footballing backwater that is the UAE Arabian Gulf League for Al Jazira.

'Little Jewel' took to Premier League like a duck to water

West Ham boss Bilic was quite open and honest when he signed Lanzini and admitted that while he had been tracking him for two years while manager of Besiktas, he had taken something of a gamble on the 23-year-old. Six goals and many more assists quickly prompted West Ham to turn his loan move into a permanent one for around £8million. And the former Argentina Under 20 star was recently selected to represent his country at the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil later this summer.

Better than Spurs' Lamela, international recognition awaits

Many Premier League fans are perplexed Lanzini has not received international recognition before now, particularly with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur's inconsistent Erik Lamela an Argentine regular with 22 caps. Lanzini scored more Premier League goals in his first season than Lamela has managed in three. But now his time may well come with a good chance he could well be the new poster boy for the senior national side in the wake of Messi and co's withdrawals

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