Daily WHUFC News - 10th June 2017

West Ham United's band of internationals set for a busy weekend of action
WHUFC.com

West Ham United's international players will have no time to rest this
weekend, with nine Hammers in action across the globe.

Friday kicks-off with Manuel Lanzini set to make his Argentina debut when
the South Americans tackle old rivals Brazil at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
in Australia on Friday morning. Kick-off in Australia is at 11.05am BST and
Hammers fans will likely be able to find live coverage of the game online.

Later on Friday, Jose Fonte and Edimilson Fernandes will continue their
quest to reach the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in European qualifying Group B
with Portugal and Switzerland respectively.

UEFA Euro 2016 winner Fonte travels to Latvia, while Switzerland are also
away from home in the Faroe Islands, with both ties kicking off at 7.45pm
BST. The Swiss top the group with a perfect five wins out of five, while
Portugal sit second with 12 points from a possible 15 – their only defeat
coming in Switzerland last September.

Moving on to Saturday and two more Hammers will be in direct competition at
Hampden Park in Glasgow, where Scotland host England in a vital Group F
qualifier at 5pm BST.

Aaron Cresswell's England top the group with 13 points, six more than the
fourth-placed Scots after five rounds of matches, but a home win for Robert
Snodgrass and company on home turf would open the group up.

Farther afield, Havard Nordtveit's Norway also need a win when they host the
Czech Republic in Oslo. With Germany and Northern Ireland setting the pace
in Group C, both sides need to win, with the struggling Norwegians already
all but eliminated from the qualification race.

After helping England U20s to reach the final of the Toulon Tournament in
France on Friday, young winger Dan Kemp and the Young Lions take on Ivory
Coast for the trophy in Aubagne on Saturday at 4.30pm BST.

Heading back to senior level, Darren Randolph's Republic of Ireland continue
their own World Cup qualifying campaign when Austria visit the Aviva Stadium
in Group D on Sunday afternoon.

Victory in the 5pm kick-off in Dublin will strengthen the second-place Boys
in Green's position and could even see them leapfrog Serbia and go top of
their group.

Finally, Andre Ayew's Ghana host Ethiopia in their opening 2019 Africa Cup
of Nations Group F qualifier in Kumasi on Sunday at 4.30pm.

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West Ham United star Manuel Lanzini makes Argentina debut
WHUFC.com

Manuel Lanzini has become West Ham United's 157th senior international after
making his Argentina debut. The Hammers No10 was introduced as a second-half
substitute as La Albiceleste recorded a 1-0 friendly win over Brazil in
front of a 90,000-strong crowd in Australia. Lanzini replaced Internazionale
midfielder Ever Banega with ten minutes at Melbourne Cricket Ground and
helped Argentina complete victory over their South American rivals. The late
cameo saw the 24-year-old become West Ham's fourth full Argentina
international after full-back Lionel Scaloni, midfielder Javier Mascherano
and forward Carlos Tevez, who all featured back in 2006.
Friday's fixture was settled by a goal from defender Gabriel Mercado, who
Lanzini played alongside for two seasons at Argentinian giants River Plate
between 2012 and 2014. Jorge Sampaoli's squad will now fly to Singapore,
where they will square-off against the Southeast Asian nation in a friendly
on Tuesday 13 June at 1pm BST.

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West Ham trying to sign £17million Chelsea forward Bertrand Traore
The Irons are big admirers of the 21-year-old who reached the Europa League
final with Ajax and want to secure a loan deal
The Mirror
BYDARREN LEWIS
18:09, 9 JUN 2017

West Ham want to sign £17million Chelsea forward Bertrand Traore. The Irons
are big admirers of the 21-year-old who reached the Europa League final with
Ajax and want to secure a loan deal. They are prepared, however, to sign him
permanently if the Champions are open to allowing him to leave. The interest
could be scuppered by Everton who are keen on Traore as part of any deal to
take Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea. Traore scored 14 times from 43 appearances in
all competition over the past season.

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Robert Snodgrass brushes off transfer talk as he vows to make a success of
faltering West Ham career
JAMES BENGE
Evening Standard

West Ham midfielder Robert Snodgrass is determined to make a success of his
career at the London Stadium after a slow start under Slaven Bilic. The
Scotland international joined in a £10.2million deal from Hull in January
but struggled to make an immediate impact under Slaven Bilic and started
only one of West Ham's final five league games of the season. With Bilic
eager to revamp an attack that faltered throughout much of the season
Snodgrass' place in the West Ham squad could be in doubt and Brighton are
among the clubs being linked with a move. However the 29-year-old, who
scored nine goals before leaving Hull midway through the season, is
convinced he has a great deal to offer the Hammers. "It's not easy moving
to a new club in the middle of the season but I chose to join West Ham above
other teams because of their great tradition and fanbase and I'm determined
to make it a success," Snodgrass said. "There were some factors that made
things difficult last season. I was living away from my family because we
didn't want to interrupt schooling but next season I'll have my wife and
three kids with me. "I was also asked to play on the left to fill the gap
vacated by Dmitri Payet but it's never been my position. I've scored nearly
a hundred goals as a mainly right-sided player and I've said to the manager
that's where I think I'm most effective. "We've had a very good discussion
and hopefully I'll be given a run of games where I'm comfortable. If it
doesn't happen right away, I will have to wait for my chance. "I'm really
looking forward to meeting up with the West Ham boys for pre-season and
starting again."

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West Ham star Manuel Lanzini makes Argentina debut in Albiceleste's 1-0 win
over Brazil
JAMES BENGE
Evening Standard

West Ham midfielder Manuel Lanzini made his debut for Argentina this
afternoon as the Albiceleste defeated great rivals Brazil 1-0 in a friendly
in Australia.
Lanzini replaced Inter Milan midfielder Even Banega for the final ten
minutes of the match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, fulfilling his dream
of lining up alongside Lionel Messi. "He is the best player in the world and
we are lucky as he is Argentinian. We need to take advantage of this,"
Lanzini told the club website earlier this week. It was an assessment echoed
by Argentina's new head coach Jorge Sampaoli, who said after the win: "When
it comes to Messi, he is and will continue to be the best player in the
world until he retires. "That is simply the way I feel about Leo."

Argentina's win had already been secured in the first half of the friendly
match, centre-back Gerardo Mercado tapping home the rebound when Nicolas
Otamendi's flicked header hit the post. The win was Argentina's first in six
meetings with Brazil, a winless run dating back to 2012. Lanzini will remain
with Sampaoli's squad for Tuesday's friendly in Singapore.

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Forget Daniel Sturridge and Jack Wilshere – West Ham need the pace of Jurgen
Damm and Kelechi Iheanacho
JOHN DILLON
London Standard

Last season couldn't end quickly enough for the Hammers - even though they
won on the final day at Burnley and surprised even themselves by finishing
11th. The first priority for Slaven Bilic now must to be sort out a
recruitment policy which was a calamity last summer. Pablo Zabaleta's
arrival has been greeted warmly by supporters who feel he can provide the
team with some leadership and strength of character. This could be critical
as the side must play at least their first three games away from home while
the London Stadium is re-configured following the summer's World Athletics
Championships there. A reported bid for the high-speed Mexican winger Jurgen
Damm of Tigres would address another fundamental problem for the side - a
lack of pace. Many fans are also enthused about the idea of landing
Manchester City youngster Kelechi Iheanacho. But most are not so keen on the
injury prone Daniel Sturridge or midfielder Jack Wilshere - having been
frustrated for long enough by Andy Carroll's regular absences. However,
Bilic does need to get more creativity and energy into the side. And he must
address the defensive problems which saw the team concede three or more 12
times last season. James Collins, a fans favourite, will be 34 soon. Jose
Fonte didn't live up to expectation after his mid-season arrival from
Southampton. So things need to improve at the back. And perhaps a move for
Joe Hart in goal might convince the fans that the owners are as ambitious as
they say they are.
In truth, most would like to hear a little less from David Sullivan and
David Gold for a while. There was genuine concern when manager Bilic's
position appeared rocky last season and most wondered if the boardroom had
become a little too leaky. The initial traumas of the move to the London
Stadium have been endured now. It will never match Upton Park. But West Ham
are there to stay and now it needs to feel a lot more like home. There's a
simple way to help that happen - for the team to perform much better on a
pitch where they were thrashed far too often last season, with the final
home game, a miserable 4-0 defeat by Liverpool, a particularly dismal
send-off. This has to change.

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Henry Onyekuru outlines demands amid Arsenal, West Ham and Newcastle
transfer links
Louis Sealey for Metro.co.uk
Friday 9 Jun 2017 8:18 am

Eupen star Henry Onyekuru says he won't accept a role as a bit-part player
amid speculation linking him with a move to the Premier League. The Nigerian
striker enjoyed a fine season, scoring 20 goals in 36 games to end the
campaign as the joint-top scorer in the Belgian top-flight. His performances
have attracted attention from a host of English clubs, with Arsenal, West
Ham and Newcastle linked with moves. And Onyekuru insists guarantees over
playing time will play a significant part as he mulls over a summer switch.
'The first and most important thing for a player is to get playing time,'
Eupen's star striker told ESPN. 'My agents are in talks with top clubs in
the Premier League, Bundesliga, French league and others. If they accept our
terms, then I'll make a decision. 'It's not just about going to a big club
and sitting on the bench. It's not good for me, or being loaned to a club
where I won't play or where I will struggle to play. 'The money can come
later but for now, I just want to play to improve, not just to play for a
big club.'
Despite Onyekuru's best efforts, Eupen finished 13th last season, only
winning eight of their 30 games. 'It was very hard for me last season in
Belgium because we just got promoted and our first objective was to stay in
the league,' he added. 'Sometimes I would score two goals and we would end
up losing the game. That was tough for me. 'So I won't like to go to a club
where I will fight again just to stay in the league. I want to win trophies
and if I can win trophies at my age, it will be good for me.'

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Brendan Rodgers the perfect man to get West Ham prodigy's career on track
HITC
Damien Lucas

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is the perfect man to get West Ham United
prodigy Reece Oxford's career on track next season. According to The Sun,
the supremely talented Oxford is set to be farmed out on a season-long loan
to German side Borussia Monchengladbach to gain more first-team experience.
Oxford shot to prominence when he made his debut with a midfield masterclass
in a 2-0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates in the opening game of the 2015/16
season aged just 16. He has found game time hard to come by since with
Slaven Bilic reluctant to use him and a loan spell at Reading failing to
work out. Speculation was rife over the 6ft 5 teenager's future for much of
last season with reports in the likes of the Mirror that Manchester United
boss Jose Mourinho was one of a clutch of managers at Europe's top clubs
keen on securing his signature. Talk was put to bed when the youngster
signed a long term deal with the Hammers which was expected to see him fast
tracked into an ageing West Ham defence. But now he is being linked with
another loan exit in what could be the most important move of his fledgling
career. And the perfect place for Oxford would be Celtic working under
Brendan Rodgers.
The former Swansea and Liverpool boss has restored his reputation with a
record-breaking treble with the Hoops in his debut season.
Rodgers has always promoted and encouraged youth from his time at Watford
and Reading right through to his current role at Celtic.
Celtic had an average age of just 25 across the entire squad last season and
Rodgers would be the ideal man to coax the best out of Oxford. Ironically
the youngster could actually gain more experience at Celtic than he would in
East London with the possibility of being involved with Champions League
football. Moussa Dembele, Scott Sinclair and Stuart Armstrong are all
examples of how Rodger's management style can get the best out of players
who were perhaps struggling to fulfil their potential elsewhere.

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