Daily WHUFC News - 30th January 2017

Fee agreed for Payet sale
WHUFC.com

West Ham United can confirm that the Club has today agreed a fee of £25m for the transfer of Dimitri Payet to Olympique de Marseille.

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Stat's A Fact - Top Tackler Obiang
WHUFC.com

An unsung hero in the West Ham United squad this year, Pedro Obiang has at times been a colossus in the heart of the Hammers' midfield. The Spaniard, who has featured 15 times this current league campaign, has made 45 tackles so far – 10 more than his nearest challenger at the club, Cheikhou Kouyate. Pedro wins the ball off of Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-ChamberlainWhilst he sits tied-33rd in total tackles made in the Premier League by midfielders, his 91% tackle success-rate is among the best in the league – above the likes of Chelsea's N'Golo Kante and Liverpool captain, Jordan Henderson. Out of 45 attempted tackles, Obiang has completed an impressive 41. His performances have been consistently solid this campaign, but his displays against Middlesbrough, Crystal Palace both home and away, and in our 1-1 draw with Stoke City were nothing short of exceptional. After missing the opening weeks of the season, Pedro's first league start was against Middlesbrough at London Stadium on 1 October where he produced a near-man-of-the-match display to help us to a 1-1 draw. Against Stoke, Obiang completed all six of his attempted tackles, on top of two vital blocks and 58 passes at success rate of 84%. It is the consistency of his displays which is also impressive and he currently ranks 7th in the Premier League for average tackles per game by midfielders, with 3.0 tpg. Pedro's tackle success rate is at an impressive 91 percentHis form has made him a key figure in the spine of Slaven Bilic's team: a spine which is now bolstered by the form of Andy Carroll and new signing José Fonte. Pedro's adaptability has been lauded as well and he has shown the ability to seamlessly transition between playing in a two or a three-man central midfield as and when Bilic makes the changes. Faced with the daunting visit of a star-studded Manchester City midfield on Wednesday, Bilic and the Hammers supporters will now hope that Pedro can continue his top tackling form in to the game.

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Carroll welcomes new arrival
WHUFC.com

Andy Carroll is dominating the headlines for West Ham United and rightly so following his wonder goal against Crystal Palace and an impressive brace against Middlesbrough last weekend. The Hammers striker may have suffered a frustrating start to the campaign but he has come back with a point to prove and is producing his best form with three goals in the last two games. There is no question of Carroll's importance to the team as West Ham have won five of the seven games he has started this season. The talented striker is also enjoying life away from the pitch as he spends quality time with his fiancé Billi and son Arlo. Carroll has relished the opportunity to become a father again and loves nothing more than to spend time at home with his family. The 28-year-old also welcomed another new addition to the Carroll household last week when he brought home a cane carso dog to add to his two little ones – a miniature pinscher and Russian toy terrier. With the pressures of the modern day game, the West Ham forward loves nothing more than to clear his mind and hopes the latest arrival will help him relax even more.
Carroll said: "I got a new dog called Blu last week and have been busy taking him out at night and first thing in the morning. "It is good to get out and I spent about an hour taking him for a walk. It definitely helps clear my head and I take him out with the missus and the little one. "We have a coffee and watch the world go by. It is just nice to chill out and get away from everything."

Carroll is certainly a busy man and puts in as much effort away from the training ground as he does on the pitch! But the Hammers strikers says he would not change it for anything and knows the three main groups of people he has to please in his life. "I am trying my best for the team, the fans and my family. That is who I am doing it for. I can have a laugh at home and with the lads, but when I get on the pitch I work hard. "My missus keeps me busy at home! There was one morning last week when I took the dog out at 7am, came back and fed the other animals in the house. "She went off to the gym and I fed Arlo and got him changed before heading off to training. I am the stay at home dad, without staying at home! "People can call it Mrs Doubtfire but I would rather say Mary Poppins!"

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Dimitri Payet: West Ham agree £25m fee to sell France international to Marseille
BBC.co.uk

West Ham forward Dimitri Payet is set to rejoin former club Marseille after the clubs agreed a £25m fee. Hammers manager Slaven Bilic said earlier this month that Payet did not want to play for the club, but added the 29-year-old would not be sold. But, after rejecting two bids from Marseille and signing Robert Snodgrass, West Ham have decided to sell the France international. Payet joined West Ham from Marseille for £10.7m in June 2015. He excelled in his first season with the London club, scoring 12 goals and earning a nomination for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award. In February 2016 he signed a new contract to tie him to the Hammers to the summer of 2021. He then helped France reach the final of Euro 2016, where the hosts were beaten by Portugal. However, Payet has scored just three goals for the Hammers this season.

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Payet heading home as deal struck
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 29th January 2017
By: Staff Writer

Dimitri Payet is on his way back to Marseille after the Ligue 1 club reached agreement on a £25million deal. The 29-year-old winger flew out of London this afternoon for the final time before sealing a return to former club Marseille - as confirmed by the player himself via social media.

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Dimitri Payet ✔ @dimpayet17
On rentre à la maison
2:37 PM - 29 Jan 2017
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The transfer was confirmed by a brief statement on the club's website, which read simply: "West Ham United can confirm that the Club has today agreed a fee of £25m for the transfer of Dimitri Payet to Olympique de Marseille."

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Dimitri Payet passes Marseille medical after flying in to complete £25m move from West Ham
By Lyall Thomas
Last Updated: 29/01/17 7:51pm
SSN

Dimitri Payet has passed a medical at Marseille after flying in to complete his £25m move from West Ham. The France international smiled as he was met at the airport by fans, who took pictures with the attacker before he made his way to his new club. Payet signalled his exit from English football by posting on Twitter a photo of the plane that would take him to France, complete with the caption "on rentre a la maison", which translates as "we're going home" (below).

Payet has been determined to return to the club he left for the Hammers in 2015, and Sky Sports News HQ understands he will take a £25,000-a-week pay-cut to make it happen. The clubs had been rutted in a stand-off over the transfer fee, but West Ham finally agreed to the £25m offered by the Ligue 1 club on Sunday
Sky sources understand one of the conditions for accepting the fee was the insertion of a 25 per cent sell-on clause.

It is understood the fee is being paid in instalments and the proceeds will be made available to manager Slaven Bilic for strengthening the squad when required.
Payet is set to end a bitter period in which he refused to play and was made to train with the Under-23s. The 29-year-old leaves the London Stadium having scored 15 goals in 60 appearances for West Ham.

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West Ham interested in summer deal for Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart
By Kaveh Solhekol & Lyall Thomas
Last Updated: 29/01/17 7:23pm
SSN

West Ham are interested in signing Joe Hart but not until the summer, Sky sources understand. The England No 1 is currently on loan in Serie A with Torino, having been told he was not the right fit in goal for Manchester City in the summer. Hart admitted to Sky Sports in December that he sees his long-term future away from the Etihad and there is expected to be a scramble for his permanent signature once his season-long loan at Torino is over. However, Sky sources have ruled out Liverpool signing the 29-year-old, who has won two Premier League titles with City. Pep Guardiola wanted more of a sweeper-keeper for his City system, and opted to sign Claudio Bravo from former club Barcelona. Hart joined Torino on August 31 last year and has made 20 appearances for the club, keeping five clean sheets.

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Slaven Bilic will decide whether West Ham move to complete deal for Brentford's Scott Hogan
By Lyall Thomas
Last Updated: 29/01/17 7:40pm
SSN

Slaven Bilic will make the ultimate decision on whether West Ham will make their final move for Brentford striker Scott Hogan, according to Sky sources. Bilic is currently sitting on the fence about the 24-year-old, whom the Hammers already negotiated a principle agreement for earlier this month. Sky Sports News HQ understands the two clubs have agreed to a £9m payment up-front but disagree on added bonuses. Brentford want a further £6m to meet their £15m valuation of the player, but West Ham have so far only offered a further £3m. Hogan himself is keen on the move and has missed three Brentford games this month against Eastleigh in the FA Cup, and Newcastle and Wigan in the Championship. He came on as a second-half substitute in the 4-0 FA Cup fourth-round defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. A number of clubs have been interested in the striker, who has scored 14 goals this season and 21 since joining from Rochdale for just £750,000 in 2014.

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West Ham want Dimitri Payet to REPAY loyalty bonus before agreeing winger's Marseille return
An initial deal for the playmaker has been agreed at £25m but will total around £30million with bonuses but the Hammers want him to repay the £1m made after he returned from Euro 2016
The Mirror
BYDARREN LEWIS
12:43, 29 JAN 2017UPDATED14:46, 29 JAN 2017

West Ham want Dimitri Payet to repay a £1million loyalty bonus from the club before they rubber-stamp his departure to Marseille. An initial deal for the playmaker has been agreed at £25m but will total around £30million with bonuses. The Hammers first want Payet - who has insisted his desire to leave is not about money - to prove as much by giving back the cash he was handed back in September. Should that happen he could to be presented as a Marseille player as quickly as tomorrow in France. The payment was made in October in a bid to appease Payet after he returned from his Euro2016 commitments with France unsettled and wanting to leave. But he made it clear earlier this month that he no longer wanted to play or train with the Hammers. Boss Slaven Bilic went public on the row after Payet refused to budge on his stance. Defending the Frenchman's, his camp are insistent that he only wants to leave for family reasons and that he is not motivated by finance. Payet is set to earn £100,000-a-week at Marseille, £25,000-a-week less than his West Ham salary. But the Irons want him to prove money really isn't his motivating factor by giving back the cash they believed would convince him to stay.

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LEEDS EXPECT TO SIGN ASHLEY FLETCHER ON LOAN
STE HOARE @Stehoare
ReadWestHam

Leeds United expect to sign West Ham forward Ashley Fletcher on loan until the end of the season, as per a report from Simon Jones of the Mail.

According to Jones, the deal to send the youngster to the Championship club will be signed off once the Hammers complete a deal for a new striker.

That striker is expected to be Brentford's Scott Hogan, who looks set to make a £15million move to the London Stadium before the transfer window closes.

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Ghana reach semis again thanks to Ayew brothers' double
REUTERS/Mike Blake

Ghana reached the African Nations Cup semi-finals for the sixth time in a row after brothers Jordan and Andre Ayew secured a 2-1 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo in a rough-and-tumble match on Sunday. The goals came in a 15-minute second-half spell as Jordan Ayew put the Black Stars in front in the 63rd minute, Paul-Jose Mpoku equalised with a stunning long-range strike five minutes later before Andre Ayew's penalty settled the match. Ghana, who won the last of their four titles in 1982, will face Cameroon in the semi-finals on Thursday. The match was punctuated by 46 fouls and Ghana defender Daniel Amartey was lucky to escape with a yellow card for a reckless challenge which sent an opponent flying into the air just before the decisive goal. Ghana, missing injured captain Asamoah Gyan, barely mustered a shot on goal in the first half and nearly fell behind in the seventh minute when Dieumerci Mbokani pounced on a mistake but hit the post from a difficult angle.
Mbokani also had another effort saved by Brimah Razak late in the half as DR Congo threatened an upset. Ghana showed much more purpose after the break and DR Congo goalkeeper Ley Matampi made his first difficult save in the 51st minute when Mubarak Wakaso's free kick bounced awkwardly in front of him.

Wakaso set up the first goal when he won possession in DR Congo's half and slipped the ball to 25-year-old Aston Villa forward Jordan Ayew who held off his marker and curled the ball past Matampi from the edge of the area.

DR Congo hit back five minutes later when they caught Ghana napping with a quickly-taken free kick. The ball was passed to Mpoku who scored with a 30-metre shot which swerved away from Razak.

With the game on a knife-edge, Christian Atsu burst into the Congolese area and went down under a clumsy challenge by Joyce Lomalisa. Ghana's West Ham United striker Andre Ayew, 27, made no mistake from the spot as he sent Matampi the wrong way. Ghana never looked comfortable at the back and still had to survive some nervy moments. Substitute Cedric Bakambu gave the DR Congo attack added bite and forced a fine save from Razak with a shot from the edge of the area, but also wasted two other chances when he failed to hit the target.

(Writing by Brian Homewood; editing by Ken Ferris)

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