Daily WHUFC News - 29th July 2017

Werder Bremen v West Ham: All you need to know
WHUFC.com

West Ham United play the first of three pre-season matches in Germany when they take on Werder Bremen in the opening half of a Betway Cup double-header on Friday evening. The Hammers will tackle their Bundesliga opponents at the Osterwald-Stadion in Schneverdingen - a town situated in the countryside 50 miles east of the city of Bremen, before moving on to Lohne to play them again on Saturday

Here, we let you know where to watch, who will be in action and much more about West Ham's third and fourth pre-season fixtures...

Where and when?

Werder Bremen v West Ham United, Friday 28 July 2017, 5.30pm BST, Osterwald-Stadion, Im Osterwald 1, 29640 Schneverdingen, Germany

Werder Bremen v West Ham United, Saturday 28 July 2017, 2.30pm BST, Heinz-Dettmer-Stadion, Steinfelder Str. 5, 49393 Südlohne, Germany

Where to watch?

Fans can follow the game on Twitter at @westhamutd. A full report, reaction and highlights will be available on whufc.com. Friday's match will also be shown live by Premier Sports from 5.30pm, and Saturday's from 2.30pm.

Matchday squads

Werder Bremen: Pavlenka, Zetterer, Drobny, Caldriola, Bauer, Augustinsson, Moisander, Garcia, Gebre Selassie, Sane, Delaney, Kainz, Gondorf, Johansson, Veljkovic, Hajrovic, Junuzovic, Bartels, Petsos, Yatabare, Eggestein, Bargfrede, Johannsson, Kruse, Zhang, Eggestein

West Ham United: Adrian, Hart, Anang, Matrevics, Byram, Zabaleta, Cresswell, Masuaku, Collins, Ogbonna, Fonte, Reid, Burke, Rice, Makasi, Lanzini, Snodgrass, Obiang, Noble, Fernandes, Cullen, Holland, Arnautovic, Ayew, Martinez

Team news

West Ham United and their hosts Werder Bremen have agreed that both clubs will field their players in 60-30 minute splits, meaning eleven players will play for an hour on Friday, with the eleven who replace them then playing for an hour on Saturday afternoon. Slaven Bilic has confirmed that Friday's game has come too early for Chicharito, who only arrived in Germany on Thursday. Sofiane Feghouli is also ruled out through injury, while Andy Carroll (hip) and Michail Antonio (hamstring) are back in England. Marko Arnautovic could make his first appearance in Claret and Blue against the club he represented between 2010-13.

Meet the opposition

SV Werder Bremen are one of the traditional giants of German football, having won the Bundesliga on four occasions - the last coming in 2004 - and lifted the German Cup on seven occasions. They also, like the Hammers, have won the European Cup Winners' Cup once, back in 1992.

However, the Die Werderaner have endured leaner times in recent seasons, not finishing above eighth since the 2009/10 season, when they were third. Now coached by former Werder youth-team player and reserve-team coach Alexander Nouri, Bremen finished eighth last season after overcoming an indifferent start.

The club's cosmopolitan squad contains players from 15 different nations, including Germany striker Max Kruse and highly-rated Danish midfielder Thomas Delaney.

Player to watch

Versatile attacker Marko Arnautovic is set to make his first appearance in a West Ham United shirt after completing his Club-record move from Premier League rivals Stoke City last weekend.

The 28-year-old will be appearing against one of his former clubs in German Bundesliga outfit Werder Bremen, with whom he spent three seasons between 2010-13, scoring 16 goals in 84 appearances in all competitions.

The Austria international left Werder for Stoke four years ago and continued to create and score goals on a regular basis. Now, he will attempt to do so in a Claret and Blue kit.

Previous visit

West Ham United have never visited Schneverdingen or Lohne before, but they have taken on Werder Bremen previously.

The first previous meeting came on 14 August 1984, when the Hammers were edged out 2-1 in a friendly played at Werder's Weser Stadion in Bremen. In July 2009, the pair were scheduled to meet again in a friendly in Austria, but the fixture was postponed due to torrential rain in the village of Bad Waltersdorf.

Finally, Werder became the final team to visit West Ham's Boleyn Ground for a pre-season friendly on 2 August 2015, overcoming Diafra Sakho's goal to win the Betway Cup courtesy of a 2-1 victory.

Did you know?

Slaven Bilic spent two-and-a-half years in Germany with Karlsruher SC. During that time, he played against Werder Bremen on four occasions, winning twice and losing twice

Marko Arnautovic and Werder Bremen captain Zlatko Junuzovic are Austria international teammates and appeared together at UEFA Euro 2016. Junuzovic is also the last player other than David Alaba to be named Austrian Footballer of the Year, doing so back in 2010!

Werder Bremen legend Horst-Dieter Höttges started for West Germany in the 1966 FIFA World Cup final defeat by England at Wembley. Here he is putting in a challenge on Geoff Hurst in that game!

How to get there

By car, from the centre of Bremen it is a fairly simple 50-mile (85-kilometre) drive eastwards. Supporters should take the A1 motorway to exit 50 at Stuckenborstel, then follow the B75 toward Stuckenborstel/Ottersberg/Rotenburg/Sottrum. After 27 kilometres, turn right onto the K224, then left onto the K211. The road then changes name a number of times, from Alte Dorfstraße to Steinkampsweg to Lünzener Straße to Pappelallee, Alte Landstraße, Rotenburger Straße/L170 and finally Harburger Straße. By now, you have arrived in Schneverdingen, so turn right onto Oststraße, then almost immediately left into Osterwaldweg, and the ground will appear on the left-hand side!

If you'd rather take a train, it is a two-hour journey from Bremen via either Buchholz or Soltau. For timetable and ticket price details, click here.

How to buy tickets

Tickets for Friday night's game are priced at €15 for Adults and €10 for Concessions and will be available on the night at the Osterwald-Stadion. Alternatively, you can order your tickets online and print them out by ordering here.

It's a similar process for Saturday, with tickets for that match priced at €25 Adults and €15 Children in the seats, and €15 Adults and €5 Children for standing.

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Andre Ayew: Full pre-season will help me reach top form
WHUFC.com

Andre Ayew is hoping a full pre-season will help him pick up where he left off when the Premier Legaue campaign begins. West Ham United's Ghana international forward ended 2016/17 in fine form, scoring five goals in the 13 appearances he made after returning from the Africa Cup of Nations in mid-February. Indeed, Ayew admits he would rather the season had not ended when it did, with his winning goal in a 2-1 victory at Burnley in May. Now, after a summer virtually free of international commitments, the 27-year-old believes spending the whole of July with his club-mates will stand him in good stead come 13 August. "I'm feeling good and working hard. We had long days in Austria and now we're just at the beginning in Germany and we have a few games to come," he told West Ham TV. "We're working hard here, trying to get fit, working together and getting to know each other, so it's sweet." "Pre-season is something which is very, very important and, for me, I've not been able to have a real pre-season for a long time because of the international games. "I have always been coming back later, so to start the pre-season with the squad is quite good. I think I'm going to have a month or more with the squad before the pre-season starts so it's a good opportunity for me to get myself back together and to feel good before the season."

Ayew's form over the closing months of last season marked him out as, arguably, West Ham's most-effective attacking player. However, the No20 sets high standards for himself and believes there is even more to come should he avoid the misfortune of an injury like the groin problem he suffered at Chelsea on the opening day of last term. "I think I was getting there [to my best form]," he confirmed. "It was not my optimum, but I was getting there bit by bit by playing games. For me, it was a shame the season came to an end because I was starting to feel better after my injury." With a decade of experience at the highest level behind him, Ayew is savvy enough not to be drawn into setting exact targets for himself or for the team, instead urging the Hammers to 'stay humble' and approach a testing Premier League campaign one game at a time. However, it would certainly be fair to say that he is feeling optimistic. "We have another season coming up and we have a lot of objectives ahead of us that we want to achieve as a squad," he concluded. "So, I need to continue working hard and doing what we were doing at the end of last season and I'm sure I will get back to my best physically and everything will be OK."

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Ashley Fletcher moves to Middlesbrough
WHUFC.com

West Ham United can confirm that striker Ashley Fletcher has completed a move to Championship side Middlesbrough for a fee of £6.5m. The 21-year-old Yorkshireman spent a season with the Hammers after joining from Manchester United in summer 2016, scoring once in 20 first team appearances. That goal came back at his first club, Manchester United, in an EFL Cup quarter-final defeat, while he played 16 times in the Premier League, with 14 of those outings coming from the bench. He also scored three goals and provided two assists in ten Premier League 2 games, helping the Club's U23 side gain promotion to Premier League 2 Division 1. Fletcher joins another former Hammer, Darren Randolph, on Teesside and manager Slaven Bilic said: "We got a fantastic offer for Ashley and ideally I wanted to help him with a different kind of scenario, but at the end of the day the offer was so good for the Club and for him personally. "I spoke to him on Wednesday night and I told him to be proud of the step that he made since coming to West Ham last year to being a player that a lot of clubs from the Championship are asking for. "To make such a big step is a big bonus for him and a big thing for him. He's very young, very promising, a great lad and a great trainer, so he can improve a lot."

Everyone at West Ham United would like to wish Ashley a happy and successful future with Middlesbrough FC.

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Team news: Academy stars given opportunity to shine in Germany
WHUFC.com

West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic has handed starts to a host of promising Academy prospects in tonight's Betway Cup clash with Werder Bremen.

Bilic has picked no fewer than six players aged 21 or under for the Hammers' third pre-season fixture, which will kick-off in the German town of Schneverdingen at 5.30pm BST. For full details of how to follow the action live, click here.

Adrian starts in goal, with a back four of Sam Byram, Reece Burke, James Collins and Aaron Cresswell.

Eighteen-year-old Declan Rice anchors the midfielder behind captain Mark Noble and fellow Academy of Football graduate Josh Cullen, with the exciting Nathan Holland and Moses Makasi supporting centre forward Toni Martinez.

The substitutes, who are expected to be introduced after 60 minutes and to start Saturday afternoon's second Betway Cup fixture with Werder Bremen in Lohne include summer signings Joe Hart and Marko Arnautovic, both of whom will make their debuts.

Pablo Zabaleta and Arthur Masuaku will replace the full-backs, while Jose Fonte and Angelo Ogbonna are set to come in at the heart of the defence.

Further forward, Pedro Obiang and Edimilson Fernandes will be introduced in midfield, with Robert Snodgrass, Arnautovic and Andre Ayew set to appear in the four forward positions.

Slaven Bilic will be without Manuel Lanzini, who has a minor knee injury which is being monitored, and Sofiane Feghouli, who has returned for England to receive treatment for a hamstring problem.

Three other absentees, Winston Reid, Diafra Sakho and Chicharito, are all working their way back to full fitness.

Michail Antonio (hamstring) and Andy Carroll (hip) are continuing their own rehab work at Rush Green.

West Ham United: Adrian, Byram, Burke, Collins, Cresswell, Rice, Noble ©, Cullen, Holland, Makasi, Martinez

Subs: Hart (GK), Zabaleta, Masuaku, Fonte, Ogbonna, Obiang, Snodgrass, Arnautovic, Fernandes, Ayew

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The long and the short of the transfer circus
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 28th July 2017
By: Paul Walker

Short-termism is the new buzz word, and even our gloriously stocky leader David Sullivan admits it's not the way he would want to do business.

My equally gloriously named colleague here on KUMB, Head Hammer Shark produced a near suicidal and very personal view this week on the state of the club he--and me too--have devoted our lives too.

And then Sullivan admits on his TalkSport interview that short-termism is not the way he would wish to work in the transfer market, but it's what Slaven Bilic, quiet rightly in my view, wants to give us--a mid-table Premier League side with airy fairy delusions of grandeur --the best chance of survival in an industry that if you get it wrong means you end up like Blackburn, Portsmouth, Coventry, Nottingham Forest, Charlton or QPR--financially shafted with no way back to the big time.

Our old friend Jacob Steinberg on the Guardian picked up on Sullivan's comments, and his genuine doubts about the long term aspects of our summer of rebuilding. And no doubt he had seen, as the true West Ham fan he is, HHS's piece and the statistics he based his hugely depressing blog on.

Sullivan's radio interviewing was an interesting assessment of how we are, and who we are. He is not my favourite club owner, as one or two of you might have noticed. Personally I dislike the way he made his money, but that's probably my ageing prudishness. And I don't like too much the ferocious way the move from the Boleyn was driven from Sully and our board.

But equally, I see no point now in dwelling on something we cannot do anything about. The old ground has gone, we are lumbered with the new one and folk have had to decide whether they are West Ham fans whatever, or they are not any longer.

The chance of a short term answer, with a newly built, sparkling supposed state of the art stadium was the blindingly obvious way forward for the chuckle brothers and ' four jobs' Karren.(sure you can all work that one out!)

But in terms of the transfer market, he's damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't. His quotes from TalkSport spelt out exactly the problem. He said: "We had a policy up to now to buy players for tomorrow not today. But we made a decision with the manager to buy players proven in the Premier League.

"Players have been here before, and who are of an age where they're not being bought for tomorrow--but today.

"Long term is not a great strategy, but short term it is. Hopefully we'll buy one or two more players , investments for the future, while at the same time doing what is best for the club."

The choice is one I have been banging on about for some time. We cannot buy top-of-the range talent at £50m or so because they won't come to us while we are not in Europe and giving them a clear path to the riches of Champions League participation.

The very best young talent will always look higher than us. It's also not the best idea, as last summer proved, to risk big money on foreign players who end up being overwhelmed by the intensity and physicality of the Premier League.

You have Sullivan now admitting that Simone Zaza seemed indifferent. That Jonathan Calleri was out of his depth. The others he bought last summer were just not up to standard. That policy almost saw us relegated and the great master plan of our owners going the way of Tony Fernandes' money at QPR.

We are trapped now in short-termism. We have to survive, season after season, in the top flight to keep the Sky money pouring in. Anything else will be a disaster of Leeds proportions.

But even now we have made four signings that are all gambles. We are being told that we should be grateful for Sullivan's work, that we have signed top players. That he is some sort of a hero.

Now my heroes are Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters, Johnny Byrne, Tony Cottee, Trevor Brooking, Billy Bonds, Alan Devonshire. You get the point, club owners need not apply, just do your job properly with dignity and acquired respect.

I am more relieved than grateful, because we have signed players I know are good professionals. That they are all on the downward slope from the very peak of their careers is another matter.

That is the consequences of who we are. Even with a fraud of a new stadium, one that was not fit for purpose last season in reality, we are still forced into a market that means we have to take risks. We are not able to spend £150m on three full-backs, one of whom can't cross a ball to save his life!

All the new boys are an improvement on what we had previously. Pablo Zabaleta has been one of the best left-backs in the world. We will see whether his legs have gone like Alvaro Arbeloa. I don't think so, however.

He may not have been quick enough for Pep Guardiola's idealistic approach to the game, but he'll do OK for us.

Much the same applies to Joe Hart. I hope we see the 'keeper of two years ago, but one who had his confidence shot to pieces when Guardiolo told him he could not play sweeper and had to go. If Joe wants to go to the World Cup he has to hit the ground running with us, be commanding and keep clean sheets. His situation should have cleared his mind for the challenge ahead.

Then we have the maverick Marko Arnautovic. He has been good enough to play for Inter Milan under Jose Mourinho, who described him as a fine player but with the attitude of a child. He should get on well with Andy Carroll then!

There is great talent there but he has a 'crime sheet' that would shock even Neil Ruddock, and that says something.

Up front we now have Javier Hernandez, a lovely finisher in the Jermain Defoe category, but who struggled to head the line at Manchester United when strength and power were the bye-word for top flight strikers.

So all gambles and all with something to prove. It should be fun, and I genuinely respect the work done by Sullivan and his transfer team in getting players like this to the London Stadium. They are the best of the bracket we are dealing in.

And at their age, they are for the short term. We need to survive, season on season. We need to establish ourselves in the top half like Everton have done. We need to put clear water between ourselves and Southampton, Stoke, West Brom,Swansea and now Newcastle.

That's why short-termism is the only way for Sullivan and Bilic to go. Anything else leaves us wide-open to constant battles with relegation. Experience goes a long way, and as David Gold says..you don't win anything with kids.

Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be attributed to, KUMB.com.

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West Ham determined to keep Manuel Lanzini and will resist any Liverpool approach
KEN DYER
Evening Standard

West Ham are adamant they will strongly resist any interest from Liverpool for their playmaker Manuel Lanzini. Speculation has been growing in Merseyside that Barcelona are preparing an £80million bid for Liverpool's Brazilian star Philippe Coutinho and that, should he go, Lanzini would be in the frame as a replacement.
Liverpool want to keep Coutinho but if he leaves, the money received would give them the opportunity to move for Lanzini. However, West Ham are determined to keep the 24-year-old, who is called 'The Jewel', particularly because they have signed players of the quality of Javier Hernandez, Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta and Marko Arnautovic in this transfer window. Selling Lanzini would send out the wrong message after the club worked to strengthen their squad. Lanzini has become a firm favourite of the West Ham fans since he arrived, initially on loan, from UAE Arabian Gulf team Al Jazira two years ago and his profile has risen even more, following the departure of Dimitri Payet in January.

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WHY LOSING LANZINI WOULD RUIN OUR TRANSFER WINDOW
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 27 JULY 2017 AT 10:18PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by FrankieLevin @frankWHUFC

It has been an interesting transfer window for most West Ham fans so far to say the least, but the uncertainty surrounding Manuel Lanzini has left a few fans on edge.

We have already managed to capture a prolific goal scorer in Javier Hernandez, who has experienced success in three different leagues, and with his proven track record in the premier league; it is definitely a time to get excited if you are a hammer.

The additions of Joe Hart, Marko Arnautovic and Pablo Zabaleta have also significantly bolstered our starting XI, again giving us as fans more reason to be optimistic going into the season.

Although all of these signings have felt like a dream come true, if we were to let our best player in Lanzini go, it would, in my opinion, ruin everything we have done so far.

The Argentine has established himself as our main man since the departure of a certain someone, and he has handled the pressure that this adds with real confidence, managing to score 8 goals and grab 2 assists last season.

This window has brought a lot of faith to many hammers, but again, losing Lanzini would completely disassemble the point of our project;, which of course is to gradually progress as a side and develop our team from strength to strength.

I cannot speak for every fan, but to even think about selling such an exciting project would confuse me, especially with Slaven Bilic wanting to build a team around the argentine.

It does appear that Lanzini is very happy at the club, but the longer we don't offer him a new contract, the more chance he has of changing his mind. In my opinion, keeping Lanzini and making a statement to other clubs that we are not interested in selling our best players would have a bigger impact on our club than most people realise. What is the point of getting these players in if we are just going to sell?

To put it into simple terms, Lanzini is literally 'priceless' and should not be sold for any figure. Keeping him and tying him down to a new contract would be one of the best deals we have done this summer transfer window, and that is saying something because is has been remarkable!

As to what we can do as a team next season, that question remains an intriguing one, as it all depends on how well our new signings do, especially Chicharito. We have improved every position that needed improving the most, which is what has delighted the fans the most, and as to what we should be targeting this season, it would be pushing for Europa League.

It would take some season to break into the top 7, but all of this ambition and excitement would be worthless if we lost Lanzini.

He is something we have lacked at West Ham for years, so we need to keep hold of him, prove to him that we are a club progressing, and make him feel as if he has a big part to play in the future of this football club.

COYI

Frankie Levin, @FrankWHUFC

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West Ham's impressive transfer drive brings steel as club lean on experience to rival Premier League elite
JOHN DILLON
Evening Standard

There is a renewed sense of optimism among West Ham fans this pre-season and it's easy to see why. Yes, you've guessed it. For the first time in three summers, they don't have to play Astra Giurgiu, the tiny Romanian club who knocked the Hammers out of the Europa League's qualifying rounds, not just once but twice in succession. Now that's what you call a bogey team. Tottenham fans talk about things being "Spursy," as a way of suggesting they have their own unique way of messing things up. They don't know the half of it. Not when compared to West Ham, the club who, for just one haphazard example among many, knocked themselves out of the League Cup in 1999 for fielding an ineligible substitute, Manny Ominyinmi, in a quarter-final they won against Aston Villa – only to lose the replay which was subsequently ordered. Beat that, Spurs.
Actually, the real cause for optimism around the club as they prepare to face Werder Bremen on Friday and again on Saturday is the fact that undeniably, they have enjoyed a very good transfer window so far.

Jose Mourinho, the Manchester United boss, has even suggested there might be a title challenge stirring in east London after the arrivals of Javier Hernandez, Marko Arnautovic, Joe Hart and Pablo Zabaleta. To which you have to say – steady on Special One, even if the compliment does underline the point that David Sullivan has done good business this summer.

A key point about these four major signings is that Slaven Bilic's side have added a healthy dose of muscularity to their side, particularly in the form of the powerful Arnautovic and the wizened old Argentine full-back Zabaleta.

The club made 13 signings in the previous pre-season, including the £20 million then record purchase of Andre Ayew – and the recruitment spree actually weakened the squad after the seventh place finish in 2015/16, the last campaign at Upton Park.

The team looked feeble going forward, both physically and mentally – the presence of Michail Antonio apart. The perpetual injury troubles of Andy Carroll, a hugely imposing figure at his best, stood as a metaphor for this strange, vague sense of vapidity which infected the side so often.

The muted atmosphere of the London Stadium added to this sense, too. And after humiliating home defeats by Arsenal and Manchester City – twice – the campaign ended at home with an utterly enfeebled and humiliating 4-0 thrashing by Liverpool, with the place half-empty long before the end.

So it's vital that West Ham are stronger in body and mind next season.

That is why the robustness of players like Arnautovic and Zabaleta should be particularly welcomed by Hammers fans.

Meanwhile, Hart is hugely experienced and a proven winner. And Hernandez's goal-scoring record is impressively metronomical. In purely league terms, he scored 37 times in 54 appearances at Manchester United, 28 in 45 at his most recent club, Bayer Leverkusen, and seven in 16 while on loan at Real Madrid. That is devastating form.

Some say that at 29, the Mexican "Chicharito," is symbolic of the fact that West Ham have bought "old," this time around, with Arnautovic 28, Hart, 30, and Zabaleta aged 32.

Forget that.

The age of long-term thinking in the Premier League is more or less over for most clubs. Team-building is all about buying experience and seasoning for the here and now. It's the only realistic way clubs like West Ham can even think about competing against the financial might of the elite.

It is why the Hammers have let Ashley Fletcher leave for Middlesbrough and sent Reece Oxford on loan to Borussia Moenchengladbach while admitting that from now, its going to be extremely difficult for any youngsters to break into the side.

Another thing that might help the club now, too, is a period of silence from the boardroom – when the club can let its impressive transfer work do the talking, so to speak.

The move into the new ground last season was a difficult one. It wasn't helped by the fact that there several pronouncements from the club hierarchy which infuriated the supporters.

There has been a potential spat with Stoke City following the signing of Arnuatovic, with his former club's owner, Peter Coates accusing him of disloyalty after his career was resurrected in the Potteries.

Thankfully, West Ham's talkative owners didn't respond – perhaps surmising that Aranuatovic's departure from Stoke mirrored that of Dimitri Payet from West Ham last season in the way that it simply reflected the ways of modern football.

Of course, there is one twist to the beginning of the new campaign which fits in with the Hammers' long-standing capacity for hampering themselves with unique forms of bother.

Because the World Athletics Championships take place at the London Stadium in August, the first three Premier League games will have to be played away from home while the arena is reconfigured.

If they had reached the current Europa League qualifying rounds again, they presumably wouldn't even have been able to play at home at all.

It may be a handicap that the first three competitive games are all on the road. It may not.

But things could be worse.

After all, West Ham could be playing Astra Giurgiu once again. And that really would be something to worry about.

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Manuel Lanzini out of West Ham's Werder Bremen friendlies
Last Updated: 28/07/17 10:31am
SSN

Manuel Lanzini will sit out West Ham's friendly double-header against Werder Bremen with a knee injury. The Argentine is currently restricted to gym work on the club's pre-season tour of Germany but is expected back in training after the weekend. Sofiane Feghouli has returned to London for treatment on an unspecified problem, while the first of the two Bremen games on Friday night comes too soon for new signing Javier Hernandez. The £16m striker did not join up with the squad until Thursday, but £25m signing Marko Arnautovic is ready to play and Angelo Ogbonna is back in training. West Ham play Bremen on Friday and Saturday before taking on Altona 93 on Tuesday.

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Ashley Fletcher completes £6.5m transfer to Middlesbrough from West Ham
VAISHALI BHARDWAJ
Evening Standard

Ashley Fletcher has completed his £6.5million move from West Ham to Championship side Middlesbrough. The striker was given permission to fly back to England from the Hammers' training camp in Germany on Thursday to undergo a medical and discuss personal terms with Garry Monk's side. After doing both of those on Friday, Fletcher put pen to paper on a four-year deal at Boro to bring an end to his single season at West Ham. Fletcher only joined the east London side last summer following the expiry of his deal at Manchester United, and went on to score one goal against his former side in the EFL Cup quarter-final. He found game time hard to come by, however, and fell further down the pecking order when West Ham signed striker Javier Hernandez from Bayer Leverkusen earlier this week and Marko Arnautovic from Stoke City in a club-record deal

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Javier Hernandez chose West Ham above Spain and Italy offers
By Stephen Turner
Last Updated: 28/07/17 1:32pm
SSN

Javier Hernandez has revealed he turned down offers from Spain and Italy to return to "the best league in the world". Hernandez this week completed a £16m move to West Ham two years since he left Manchester United for German club Bayer Leverkusen after a year on loan at Real Madrid. Both Leverkusen and Real signed the Mexico striker on deadline day, but Hernandez now has two weeks to acclimatise before facing old club United on the opening weekend, live on Sky Sports Premier League. The Mexico striker trained with his new team-mates on their pre-season tour of Germany on Friday and afterwards told Sky Sports News how West Ham's ambition lured him back to the Premier League. "It was a little bit simple really," Hernandez said. "I'm in the best league in the world and West Ham showed me a lot of confidence and trust. "West Ham is showing more ambition compared to the last seasons. They want to qualify for Europe, you can see that in the transfer window. That's why I'm here. "They're one of the most historic teams in England, very ambitious this season and hopefully we can achieve our goals. "There were other options - one in Spain and two in Italy. The last two transfers I made on the last day, this time it was more calm and easy. Thankfully I'm where I want to be."

Hernandez's goals helped United to the title in 2011 and 2013, and speaking about that Super Sunday opener he said: "I'm going back to my old club - my old house - and it's going to be very special. "But I'm defending other colours now. I want to help my team win three points and start the season on the right foot."

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Slaven Bilic hopeful Adrian will stay at West Ham amid Crystal Palace interest
KEN DYER
Evening Standard

Slaven Bilic remains hopeful of persuading goalkeeper Adrian to stay at the West Ham. The 30-year-old faces a fight for a regular starting role at the London Stadium following the arrival of Joe Hart on loan from Manchester City. Adrian is reportedly unhappy at the prospect of his game time being limited this season and Crystal Palace and Newcastle are interested in signing the 30-year-old. Bilic, though, wants the Spaniard to stay and fight for his place. The West Ham manager will start the season without Michail Antonio, who is recovering ahead of schedule from a hamstring surgery. Both Antonio and team-mate Andy Carroll, who is sidelined with a long-term injury, were left out of the squad for pre-season tours of Austria and Germany. Bilic was less optimistic about Carroll, who has featured only 12 times for the club in 2017. The 28-year-old England international struggled with groin and knee issues for the majority of last season

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WEST HAM KEEN TO KEEP LANZINI AND RESIST LIVERPOOL APPROACH
ABDULLAH MULLA @AbzMulla6
ReadWestHam

West Ham United are determined to keep hold of their star playmaker Manuel Lanzini and will strongly resist any approach from Premier League rivals Liverpool for the Argentine, according to a report on the Evening Standard. Lanzini has stepped up since the departure of Frenchman Dimitri Payet and has become the key man for the Hammers. His eye for a killer pass as well as for goal has become noticed and Liverpool have been reported to be lining him up to replace Philippe Coutinho should he leave Anfield this summer. The 24-year-old has become a fan favourite at the Hammers and with manager Slaven Bilic strengthening the squad well, there is no way that they will let Lanzini go as they prepare to challenge for a European spot this season. The attacking midfielder managed to get his name on the scoresheet eight times last season and also registered two assists but he will be hoping for a lot more in the upcoming season.
There is reason to be excited for West Ham fans as Bilic looks to have assembled a lethal attack by adding Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez to his squad to work alongside Lanzini. The London club have issued a warning to Liverpool to look elsewhere for a replacement for Coutinho as Lanzini is definitely not for sale.

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West Ham provide injury update on Manuel Lanzini for Betway Cup clashes as Javier Hernandez trains for first time
The Argentinian midfielder is likely to be out short term
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
10:34, 28 JUL 2017

Manuel Lanzini is undergoing treatment for an injury which was confirmed by West Ham today [Thursday]. The Argentine star is at the Hammers training base in Rotenburg today but is not part of the main squad as he gets treatment and does gym work inside. Angelo Ogbonna has returned to training after picking up a slight tweak in his previously injured knee but appears to be showing no ill-effects so far. Sofiane Feghouli, who has yet to train on the trip to Germany, won't do so anymore as he has left the camp and headed to France for treatment on a muscle problem. Javier Hernandez trained with the Hammers for the first time this morning but was taken aside for the majority of it to run through some fitness tests to ascertain his current level of fitness. The Hammers will have just one day of training before they take on Werder Bremen for the first leg of the Betway Cup in Schneverdingen tonight (5.30pm BST).

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WEST HAM'S JAVIER HERNANDEZ IS OUR PREMIER LEAGUE SIGNING OF THE WEEK
Ladbrokes.com
28 July 2017

West Ham's acquisition of Javier Hernandez from Bayer Leverkusen is our Premier League Signing of the Week. The Mexican is back in England following an impressive stint in the Bundesliga, and he's ready to pop up in Premier League boxes up and down the land. It's a deal that should have the approval of Hammers fans, and for good reason. Though he's been away for two years, Hernandez still boasts the fifth-best goals-per-minute ratio in Premier League history. Whichever way you look at it, Chicharito knows where the back of the net is. Current Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has repeatedly expressed his annoyance that 'Little Pea' isn't still at Old Trafford – high praise indeed. Hernandez arrives in East London having netted 39 goals in 76 appearances for Leverkusen. And he hit double figures in each of his three campaigns under Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, before his role was greatly reduced in the David Moyes and Van Gaal eras.
Despite that, total figures of 59 goals from 157 (largely substitute) appearances are more than respectable.
With West Ham already boasting target men in the shape of Andy Carroll and Michail Antonio, Hernandez will be free to dart around in the area, picking up any loose balls and causing mayhem for defenders. It's a system that should put the Hammers in very good stead this term. And the best part of this deal? The price tag! That's the clincher for us. In this crazy summer where money has entered new levels of madness, West Ham have snapped up a proven Premier League goalscorer for just £13m. It could be the Premier League signing of the entire summer, let alone the week.

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Ghanaian shot-stopper Joseph Annang nears West Ham switch
Published on: 28 July 2017
Ghanasoccernet.com

Young agile goalkeeper Joseph Annang is close to sealing a move to English Premiership side West Ham United following superb two-week trial, according to reports in the UK. According to reports, the 19-year-old is on the verge of becoming Slaven Bilic's fifth signing of the ongoing summer transfer window after excelling in a two-week trial. The highly rated shot-stopper had a remarkable outing for east London club during a recent pre-season friendly for the club's U23s team against Dagenham and Redbridge. The Hammers are looking to sign a back-up goalkeeper for Joe Hart and Adrian Castillo after Darren Randolph left to join Championship side Middlesbrough last week.

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West Ham wrap up fifth transfer of the summer as Ghanaian wonderkid signs for Hammers - report
The latest West Ham transfer news sees the Hammers reportedly sign goalkeeper Joseph Anang
Football London
BYKEVIN BEIRNE
06:30, 28 JUL 2017

Joseph Anang will be West Ham's fifth signing of the summer transfer window after impressing on trial for the Hammers, according to reports in his native Ghana.
The 19-year-old goalkeeper was given a run out for the east London club during a recent pre-season friendly for the club's U23s team against Dagenham and Redbridge, and Slaven Bilic and co have clearly enjoyed what they have seen. According to Ghanaian publication Kickgh.com, the Hammers have offered a contract to the young keeper and are waiting on international clearance before officially confirming a deal. Anang will be the Hammer's second new goalkeeper of the summer, after brining in Joe Hart on a season-long loan from Manchester City. Hart's arrival meant the end of Darren Randolph's West Ham career, as he joined the recently relegated Middlesbrough in order to improve his chances of making the Republic of Ireland squad next summer, should they qualify for the upcoming World Cup in Russia. Adrian, meanwhile, continues to be tracked by the likes of Newcastle as he searches for a guaranteed starting spot.

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West Ham transfer news: Club could complete deals in next few days - Twitter insider
WEST HAM could complete deals to sell players in the new few days.
By JACK WILSON
PUBLISHED: 06:00, Fri, Jul 28, 2017
Express.co.uk

That's according to respected Twitter insider @ExWHUemployee, who has made several big transfer claims previously that have proved to be true. @ExWHUemployee is an established name in Hammers transfer news and he appears in a podcast talking about the club. He revealed on Twitter that a move for Joe Hart was on the cards - weeks before it happened. In the latest podcast, he spoke about potential deals that could be done imminently. One user subsequently asked @ExWHUemployee on Twitter: "Am I right saying we're just looking at loans now?" But @ExWHUemployee responded: "Not necessarily! If we sell players, which we could in next (few) days, then we will have money." But deals for Celtic frontman Moussa Dembele, who has also been linked with Marseille, and Benfica striker Raul Jimenez appear to be off the cards. @ExWHUemployee tweeted yesterday: "Deals for Moussa Dembele and Raul Jimenez are unlikely to happen due to the high valuations from their clubs."
Robert Snodgrass and goalkeeper Adrian could be two of the players on their way out. The pair have fallen down the pecking order following the arrivals of Marko Arnautovic and Joe Hart this summer.

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Tottenham Hotspur reportedly monitoring West Ham United's Manuel Lanzini
HITC
Subhankar Mondal

Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing West Ham United's Manuel Lanzini in the summer transfer window. Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Manuel Lanzini from West Ham United in the summer transfer window, according to Bleacher Report. It has been reported that Tottenham have sounded out representatives to keep tabs on Lanzini's situation. Spurs' North London rivals Arsenal and Merseyside outfit Liverpool are also claimed to be interested in the 24-year-old attacking midfielder. Liverpool are reportedly looking at the Argentina international as a potential replacement for Philippe Coutinho, who is claimed to be on the radar of Spanish and European giants Barcelona. Manuel Lanzini of West Ham United celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur at the London Stadium on May 5,...

"Liverpool were always keeping tabs on his situation, and it is understood both Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal have sounded out representatives to discover how Lanzini's situation may open up," states the report in Bleacher Report. "The player is happy to stay at West Ham but is aware other clubs have been watching him."
This is not the first time that North London rivals Tottenham and Arsenal have been linked with West Ham star Lanzini. Back in May, The Mirror claimed of Liverpool, Spurs and the Gunners' interest in the 24-year-old, with the report adding that West Ham want £30 million for him. The 24-year-old is one of the best players at West Ham and is one of the better attacking midfielders in the Premier League. The Argentina international scored eight goals and provided two assists in 31 league starts for the Hammers last season.

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