EXWHUEMPLOYEE: IHEANACHO THE LOW DOWN PLUS MORE NEWS
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 6 JULY 2017 AT 10:54PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
So here is the low down on the non-transfer of Iheanacho, from what I know
and unfortunately it is quite rushed. I am often accused of being a board
mouth piece, often by those that spend most their days moaning about the
board. This information comes from other sources and is not intended to be
either in favour of the board or Bilic it is merely what we have been told
by people within the club.
We have a recruitment team. This is headed by Slaven Bilic but David
Sullivan Snr and Tony Henry are very much involved in the process alongside
a number of scouts. Usually Bilic identifies the positions that he would
like and the others bring targets to him alongside his own recommendations.
There have been many players who have clearly been "Bilic players"
(Tore/Zaza/Fonte/Snodgrass) and others who have been clearly "board
signings" (Calleri/Obiang/Masuaku/Randolph). Whilst the two usually work
very well together there have been some disagreements on players with Hogan
being the most recent one before now. The deal was pretty much set up for
the Brentford forward to come but Slaven decided he didn't think he was good
enough and so the player wasn't signed (rightly so in my opinion).
It appears a similar situation has happened with Iheanacho. There was
initial interest from Bilic and especially the board in the Manchester City
forward. Bilic was keen and wanted to explore the deal further and then it
emerged there was a buy back clause and a high asking price. This took a
while to negotiate especially given the scenario where there was a dispute
between his agents on his ownership. As the deal dragged on it appeared
that Bilic had started to move on to other targets. He had some concerns
that he was too young and that his ability was made better by playing with
all the top quality players who were around him therefore it appears that
the player will join Leicester City, which in turn could bring our attention
to a couple of their forwards. Bilic apparently chose not to move for the
player and had a change of heart. Jack Sullivan tweeted a sad face earlier
and I think this is in response to the deal not happening as I know the
board were quite keen on the player.
The bottom line here is there seems to be a problem with our transfer
policies at the moment. The same story happened with Hogan and there are
stories of this happening in the past. We either need to trust Bilic's
choice of players and go all out for them and not bother with players he
isn't interested in or just go out and sign players regardless of his
opinion (I would favour the first option at this point) but the half way
stuff seems that we are missing out on good options and making our deals
take longer. It also makes our transfer policy appear to be scattergun
rather than well planned. I am sure it isn't this but we cannot get away
from the fact that this is a massive window for the board and Bilic and we
have to get it right.
It appears Bilic has other targets in mind and these are the players that I
haven't revealed yet. I have chosen to keep those names quiet, this was
covered on the radio show as they are not in the public domain. Andre Gray
is also a player who Bilic apparently admires. Both Bilic and the board
have stressed they are confident at least two quality forwards will join us
eventually and I hope that this turns out to be true.
Valenica should complete his move to Mexico tomorrow and Andy Carroll is
likely to miss the start of the season through injury and the club do not
believe Sakho will stay fit for long. Giroud appears to be a forward who
everyone in the club wants but this deal is now looking unlikely although
not completely dead. We have resumed negotiations and hope to persuade him
but he appears, at this point, to be favouring other options. The Lukaku
transfer to Manchester United rather than to Chelsea makes the Basthuayi
transfer less likely at this point too. Hernandez is asking for high wages
and we face a lot of competition. Our forward situation needs immediate
addressing and I can understand fan's fears.
In other news Reece Burke will be joining Bolton. Declan Rice and Josh
Cullen have had offers come in for them but it appears they may stay until
at least January (although a loan may happen then) and be given a chance to
play in the league cup and be in and around the first team unless they chose
otherwise. Birmingham, Charlton and Bradford have looked at Rice and
similar clubs including Bolton had looked at Cullen. Youngster Alex Pike
has interest from Peterborough and Stevenage. We have also confirmed the
signing of a former Ajax academy winger who will be announced soon.
For all my other news and opinions please listen to the radio show. I
covered many of the transfers in there and whilst a couple have already
changed there is some further detail in there.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Friday, July 7
Daily WHUFC News - 7th July 2017
Young Hammer Oxford settling into life on loan
WHUFC.com
Reece Oxford is settling in quickly to life on loan at German Bundesliga club Borussia Monchengladbach. The 18-year-old will spend the 2017/18 season with The Foals, who hope the England U19 defender will help them improve on their ninth-place finish last season. Oxford and his new teammates kicked-off their own pre-season training schedule on Monday in preparation for their first friendly at lower-division Wuppertaler SV this weekend. "My first impressions are very good," the teenager told borussia.de. "Borussia seems to be a very family club. The fans come to the training to see us. This support is great. "The training is a bit different than I'm used to from England, but that is good for me, because I feel that it brings me to a very good fitness level. "There are not really big differences [between pre-season in Germany and England], but I have the impression that in the training here, even more emphasis is placed on the running! This is exhausting and new to me, but it is good for me and my fitness and will help me in the coming season to be able to give everything on the pitch."
Oxford joins an experienced Monchengladbach squad for the upcoming season, including Switzerland international quartet Yann Sommer, Denis Zakaria, Niko Elvedi and Josip Drmic and the man who scored Germany's title-winning goal at the recent FIFA Confederations Cup, forward and captain Lars Stindl. With players from Belgium, Denmark, Brazil, Sweden, France, Italy, the Netherlands and United States also in Dieter Hecking's squad, Oxford is enjoying meeting his new group of teammates. "I feel very good now," the young Hammer confirmed. "Most of the guys speak English. This helps me in the first days of the integration. I talk a lot with everyone to meet everyone. This is the most important thing in the beginning. "I'm looking forward to the training camp, even though we are probably going to run even more than now! I just want to get fit with the team for the new season and get to know everyone. In such a week you get to know each other even better. This is important in order to feel comfortable and then to enter the games with confidence."
Five-times Bundesliga champions Borussia kick-off their 2017/18 campaign with a home fixture with 1. FC Koln on the weekend of 19-20 August. The weekend before, Oxford and company travel to Rot-Weiss Essen in the first round of the German Cup – a competition Monchengladbach have won three times in their history. The England U20 international is looking forward to testing himself in the competitive environment of German football. "In my opinion, the Bundesliga is the league most similar to the Premier League. It is a strong, balanced league with big teams like Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund or Bayer Leverkusen. I'm really looking forward to the start of the new season and we can play against these teams."
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'It's good to be back' – Hammers return to training
WHUFC.com
The sun shining down on freshly-cut, immaculate pitches, brand new kit hanging in the dressing-room and the buzz of summer optimism in the air…it can mean only one thing: the first day of pre-season training at West Ham United! Manager Slaven Bilic, looking fit and refreshed following his hip operation at the end of last season, welcomed his players back to Rush Green on Wednesday morning, as preparations got underway in the build-up to the 2017/18 Premier League kick-off against Manchester United at Old Trafford next month. Club captain Mark Noble and striker Andy Carroll were two of the first to report for duty, followed soon after by new signing Pablo Zabaleta, fresh from a summer break in his Argentina homeland, where he was a guest at the wedding of a certain Lionel Messi recently.
The 32-year-old defender enjoyed a tour of the training facilities before greeting several of his new team-mates, although not fellow countryman Manuel Lanzini, who is on an extended break following international duty during the summer. Lanzini, along with the likes of Darren Randolph, Robert Snodgrass, Aaron Cresswell and Jose Fonte, will join up with the squad at a later point on the Club's pre-season tour, which begins in Austria next Monday and then heads to Germany and Iceland, where the Hammers will face Manchester City a week before taking on United in the Premier League curtain-raiser. Naturally, the physical fitness and condition of the players is the subject of focus at the start of pre-season training, with new Head of Medical Services Gary Lewin and his team working hard to attend to the individual needs and requirements of the players.
First team fitness coach Josh Ewens is responsible for the testing and monitoring of the squad upon their return, and explained the schedule that those present will follow in the first few days before flying off to Europe. "The first thing the players do when they arrive is get a once-over from the physios, just to check there are no problems," said Josh. "They then sit down with the staff to discuss what they did during the summer before getting outside and getting a ball at their feet.
"They all had off-season programmes to follow, quite detailed schedules. We do bodyweight and body composition checks to make sure they have followed that and to be fair they have all come back in good shape. "We wait until the second and third days before carrying out a combination of medical and physical testing – they have to have cardiac screens and blood tests – along with some capacity tests and isolated muscular checks. "That is all integrated with some general training – they do ball-work from day one, because we are preparing for a football season and the sooner they get working with the tool of their trade the better. We ease the players in for these first few days, then step things up a level when we get to Austria."
"It's good to be back," said popular defender James Collins as he headed home, ready for day two…and for what will hopefully be another memorable campaign in the claret and blue
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Pedro Obiang pens new long-term Hammers contract
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are delighted to announce that Pedro Obiang has signed a new long-term contract until summer 2022.
The Spanish midfielder has been rewarded for a fine 2016/17 season, during which he caught the eye with his outstanding all-round qualities and scored his maiden goal in Claret and Blue.
The No14, who arrived from Italian side Sampdoria in summer 2015, has become the second Hammers star to put pen to paper on a new five-year deal in recent days, following Angelo Ogbonna.
"I'm very happy," said Obiang, who returned for pre-season training alongside his teammates after recovering from the knee injury he suffered against Leicester City in March. "It's normal for you sign a new deal because you did something good in the Club and this is the time to sign."
As a mark of his importance to West Ham last term, Obiang ranked first in blocks per Premier League game with 1.9, second in tackles with 2.8 and fifth in passes made with 41.4. He also bagged his first goal for the Club in February's excellent win at Southampton.
In 46 Premier League appearances across two seasons, he has tasted defeat on just eleven occasions, winning 20 times and drawing the other 15.
Having pledged his future to the Hammers, Obiang is confident he and his teammates – many of whom he considers close friends – can make their mark over the five-year duration of his new contract.
"Over the next five years, we can achieve many, many things but we are going to start from today," he told West Ham TV. "Of course, I trust the Club and the situation and I know I am in a very good team at a very good Club.
"I have a lot of teammates here and I talked to Manu [Lanzini], Adrian and Angelo [Ogbonna] over the summer when we were on holidays and that's maybe a little bit of the reason I signed a new contract is because I prefer to be here than in another place, because I feel like part of a family here.
"I think here we can do many things. When I start to play, I have confidence and I don't know why the situation changed [last season]. I had the possibility to start and to demonstrate what I wanted to demonstrate in my first season here, but for many reasons I didn't do. Now I have time to do it."
As a mark of his importance last term, Obiang ranked first in blocks per Premier League game with 1.9, second in tackles with 2.8 and fifth in passes made with 41.4. He also bagged his first goal for the Club in February's important win at Southampton.
In 46 Premier League appearances across two seasons, he has tasted defeat on just eleven occasions, winning 20 and drawing the other 15.
Now, with his future committed to West Ham and his injury issues behind him, Obiang will join Slaven Bilic's squad on their pre-season tours to Austria, Germany and Iceland ahead of the big Premier League kick-off in August.
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7 things you probably didn't know about Pedro Obiang
WHUFC.com
Pedro Obiang has signed a new long-term contract with West Ham United until 2022. Here, we find out more about the Hammers' outstanding No14.
Pedro Obiang's ancestry derives from the Fang people, a Central African ethnic group found in Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Cameroon. As a result, he is eligible to play international football for Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, as well as the country of his birth, Spain
The midfielder moved from Spain to Italy at the age of 16, when he signed for Genoa-based Serie A club Sampdoria
Obiang made his senior debut for Sampdoria in the daunting surroundings of Juventus' Stadio Olimpico di Torino on 12 September 2010. Juve were leading 2-1 when the 18-year-old was introduced, but Sampdoria twice fought back to earn a 3-3 draw
Pedro Obiang ranked ninth in tackles made Premier League per game last season, putting in an average of 2.8 challenges in the 22 appearances he made in 2016/17. In his 46 Premier League appearances, he has won a staggering 83% of the 103 tackles he has made!
Of his 60 West Ham United appearances, the Hammers have lost just 16, winning 26 and drawing 17
Obiang can speak no fewer than four languages – Spanish, English, Italian and French!
The 25-year-old is one of two West Ham United players currently studying for a political science degree, the other being Angelo Ogbonna
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West Ham to open new season on Super Sunday
WHUFC.com
West Ham United will kick-off the new Premier League season live on Sky Sports after the opening-weekend fixture at Manchester United was selected for TV coverage. The Hammers will travel to Old Trafford on Sunday 13 August at 4pm, eager to earn a confidence-boosting victory over Jose Mourinho's big-spending Red Devils. The game will likely see summer signing Pablo Zabaleta make his Hammers debut on familiar turf, as the full-back played in no fewer than six derby matches at the Theatre of Dreams during his time with Manchester City, winning three.
West Ham's opening 2017/18 Premier League fixture at London Stadium has also been selected for live television coverage by Sky Sports, with newly-promoted Huddersfield Town now scheduled to visit for a Monday Night Football showdown on 11 September at 8pm. The Hammers have not met Huddersfield since the 1997/98 season, when they defeated the Yorkshiremen 3-1 on aggregate in the League Cup second round. The pair's last top-flight meeting was as long ago as March 1972, when Clyde Best and Byran 'Pop' Robson shared the goals in a 3-0 Claret and Blue victory at the Boleyn Ground. This season's meeting will see West Ham's first-team coach Edin Terzic come face to face with Terriers manager David Wagner, who he worked alongside at German club Borussia Dortmund between 2011-15.
A third West Ham fixture has also been moved for live coverage by Sky Sports, with the visit of Tottenham Hotspur to London Stadium on Saturday 23 September now kicking-off at 12.30pm. The Hammers took on Spurs in their penultimate home game of last season in May, when Manuel Lanzini's goal secured a memorable 1-0 victory for Slaven Bilic's side.
Finally, the home Premier League fixture with Arsenal has also been put back 24 hours to Wednesday 13 December at 7.45pm due to the Gunners' participation in this season's UEFA Europa League group stage.
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Joint-Chairman appeals for help to catch suspected burglar
WHUFC.com
Essex Police have launched an appeal to help them find a man in connection with a burglary in Joint-Chairman's David Sullivan home village of Theydon Bois.
Officers want to speak to David Buisson, 47, who was last known to be living in Ongar.
Buisson is known to have links to Brentwood, Chingford, Waltham Abbey and other areas of the Epping Forest district, and Slough. He is 5'8 tall, of stocky build and has short, dark hair.
Anyone who knows of his whereabouts is asked to call DC Russ Chamberlain on 101. Alternatively, contact independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Mr Sullivan is also offering a £25,000 reward for any information leading to the capture and prosecution of a serial burglar, dubbed the Essex Spiderman, who attempted to burgle the Joint-Chairman's house on Sunday 18 June.
The individual is alleged to have committed more than 50 burglaries in the Essex area since Christmas 2016, spreading across Chigwell, Ongar and Brentwood, targeting mostly watches and jewellery.
Although the attempt on Mr Sullivan's home was unsuccessful, he has encouraged anyone with information relating to the Essex Spiderman's identity to come forward in a bid to stop the spree.
Mr Sullivan said: "To have someone attempt break into your home is an awful experience, and I hope this reward will help bring the individual responsible to justice and prevent others going through the same ordeal."
Anyone who has any relevant information should email confidential@westhamunited.co.uk with as much detail as possible, which will then be shared with the police.
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West Ham United Ladies secure five signings
WHUFC.com
The Hammers Ladies five new signings from left to right: Dayna Chong, Chantelle Mackie, Amy Cooper, Paige Anderson-Jones and Molly Peters
West Ham United Ladies' preparations for the new campaign continue at great pace with five players committing their futures to the Club this week, hot on the heels of Amber Stobbs' arrival from Everton. Amy Cooper, Dayna Chong and Chantelle Mackie have all re-signed for the Hammers after impressing in claret and blue last term, while Molly Peters makes the move back to the Hammers after spending four months at Arsenal in 2016/17 and Paige Anderson-James rejoins the Club following a year out.
General Manager Karen Ray is delighted to secure the quintet's signatures, saying: "We are delighted to sign five very talented players. Each of them brings their own individual brilliance to a very exciting team and all have an immeasurable amount of potential. We will work tirelessly to ensure they develop in a challenging environment. "It is important that every player has ambitions that match the Club's and I have no doubt that Amy, Dayna, Molly, Chantelle and Paige have very exciting futures ahead of them. I speak on behalf of all the staff when I say that they are a pleasure to work with and great people."
The five are all familiar faces at the Hammers, having all played for the Club in recent times. Cooper captained the Hammers last term after making the short move across from Tottenham Hotspur, impressing both on and off the pitch with her professionalism and work rate. She commented: "I'm very happy to be part of the West Ham Ladies journey with such a young, growing team operating in a professional environment. After the improvement we showed towards the end of last season and with new players joining the squad I am excited to see our success grow."
Chong beat Manuel Lanzini to land the whufc.com Goal of the Month prize in March and she previously played for Millwall and Tottenham, where her ability to leave opponents bamboozled with her footwork came to the fore. She added: "I am delighted to be re-signing for the club. The team have developed a lot under the new staff and I am excited to see what the future holds for us. As the club grows so does the competition for a spot on the team so I am honoured to be offered a contract."
Attack-minded full-back Mackie turned down offers from WSL clubs to commit herself to the Hammers for a second season, choosing to be part of the Club's ambitious plans to move towards the top of the women's game. Mackie said: "I'm excited to be given this opportunity and can't wait to be a part of the West Ham Ladies future. I'm looking forward to seeing what the season brings!"
Peters, a prolific striker who spent four months of last season with Arsenal, is an exciting young player who has returned to the Hammers and is tenacious, quick and difficult to defend against. She said: "I'm over the moon to be offered a contract with West Ham Ladies. It just shows how hard work pays off, but the hard work doesn't stop now. I would just like to say thank you to all the staff that believed in me and offered the contract to me."
Anderson-James, meanwhile, took last season out but has returned as the Hammers build for their FA Women's Premier League South Division campaign. She is a powerful striker who also possesses incredible ability on the ball. She commented: "After taking a year out I knew I didn't want to return to any other Club. This Club is like a family and I'm really grateful to the players and staff for putting their trust in me. There's quality on and off the pitch here and the ambitions match my own."
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Zabaleta enjoys warm West Ham welcome
WHUFC.com
Pablo Zabaleta enjoyed a hot West Ham United welcome as he kicked-off pre-season training with his new teammates. The experienced Argentina full-back received embraces and handshakes galore as he settled into life as a Hammer at Rush Green. The summer arrival from Manchester City spoke with manager Slaven Bilic and captain Mark Noble before joining his colleagues for a testing training session on a very warm and sunny Essex afternoon. "My first day was fantastic," Zabaleta told West Ham TV. "I'm so pleased to be here and I said to some of the lads that I'd never been in weather like that before in pre-season in Manchester!
"It's really good. It's nice to meet the players, the manager, the staff and all the people at the training ground, so I'm happy to be here. We are so happy to be all together and I feel so good after this first training session. "That was the first time I met Slaven [in person], as I had spoken to him a few times by phone. I said the same thing to him that I said to you, that I am happy to be part of this football club and this squad."
Aside from Bilic and Noble, Zabaleta also spent time meeting as many people as possible at Rush Green, including players, coaches and backroom staff. Many of the faces were familiar to the new No5, who has spent the last nine seasons in the Premier League, tackling the Hammers on nearly a dozen occasions. "I have been playing in this league for nine years and I know most of the players well because we've been playing against each other during the last few years. "Of course, it was nice to sit on the table, have lunch and some conversations with them. They all seem like really nice lads, so I'm pleased to be here with them."
After a few more days of tests and training at Rush Green, the Hammers will head to Austria for a training camp, where they will work hard to increase their fitness levels ahead of the big Premier League kick-off at Manchester United on 12 August. A week prior, they will also face Zabaleta's former club Manchester City in Iceland in a prestige pre-season fixture, and unsurprisingly the South American cannot wait for the 2017/18 campaign to get underway. "I can't wait for the start of the season now," he confirmed. "It's all about hard work and preparation and we are all focused on the fitness level and building up to be 100 per cent by the start of the season. "I've been in Austria a few times for pre-season and we need to work hard to make sure we're 100 per cent fit for the start of the season.
"We will play a few games, including an interesting game against Manchester City which is our final game before we start the competition, the Premier League, so it will be a good test for us."
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TRANSFER POLICY
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 6 JULY 2017 AT 9:40PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Katie S @ Flump 9
Well another day and yet another twitter meltdown from the West Ham fan base, but I can't help but agree with how they are feeling. The rumours of Bilic not wanting Iheanacho, because he is unproven and the worry that Everton will beat us to another transfer target, it is all just too familiar and we desperately want and need change.
Okay, I'm not panicking yet, as we all know anything can happen, even on the last day of the transfer window. However, we also know that you can be told not to go to bed and stay up awaiting a transfer deal, for nothing to materialise and be left hugely disappointed!
Having said all of this, what concerns me more than anything is the lack of consistency when it comes to our transfer policy. It is pretty evident for everyone to see that the board and Bilic don't agree on potential targets, we only have to look at Tore and Zaza. For me this is a massive cause for concern and something that has got to be worked on.
I don't claim to be a football expert and I can't say that I know enough about Iheanacho to really state whether Bilic is right or wrong in his reasons for not wanting to sign him, but surely stating that he is unproven and a gamble is crazy. Most of West Ham's recent signings have been unproven, some of which have been successful and others simply disastrous. It is a gamble that you either choose to take or don't, but if he was that much of a gamble, why would Manchester City fight so hard for a buy-back clause? If it is true that we want Gray but not Iheanacho, it is madness and once again contradicts some of Bilic's decisions! Where is the consistency in our transfer policy approach for players?
If we don't sign Iheanacho, I will be disappointed but not devastated (I know I have mentioned his name a lot for someone who says they aren't devastated). Like I have said above, for me it isn't about Iheanacho specifically, it is the worrying and inconsistent approach that we seem to take season after season.
Will this transfer window be any different to those we are used to, or will it be yet more disappointment and frustration with the board and Bilic himself? I really hope this summer is different, but I can't help but sense that the same familiar signs are there and it is going to be a tough window. I just want West Ham to sort out their transfer policy and ensure that everyone is working together towards the same target, something has got to change.
@flump9 on Twitter
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Luis linked as striker search continues
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 6th July 2017
By: Staff Writer
Colombian international Luis Muriel is the latest striker to be linked with West Ham. Muriel, 26, has been playing for Sampdoria for the past two seasons and has represented his country 15 times since 2012. However he is expected to leave Italy this summer - and West Ham have been named as one potentially interested party. Although Muriel had been expected to join La Liga side Seville, West Ham are reported (Tuttomercatoweb) to have made their interest known in recent days.
Meanwhile a fee of €26million has been mooted by the Italian press; Muriel cost I Blucerchiati in the region of €12million when both he and Andrea Coda moved from Udinese in 2015.
* Long-term West Ham target striker Kelechi Iheanacho is on the verge joining Leicester City, say the (BBC). West Ham are rumoured to have ended their interest in signing the £25million-rated goalscorer.
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OS sells out for second successive season
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 6th July 2017
By: Staff Writer
West Ham have sold out their entire 52,000 season ticket allocation at the Olympic Stadium for the second season in succession. Despite having lost more than 5,000 season ticket holders who walked away after just one season at the OS, the club have managed to replace them all with more than a month left until the start of the 2017/18 campaign. Manager Slaven Bilic was thrilled to hear that he and his team would be playing in front of a capacity crowd next season. "Every player wants to play in front of huge crowds, and it is fantastic for this Club that we can offer that opportunity to our squad week-in-week-out," he told the club's website. "I want to thank all 52,000 of those supporters who have faith in the team, my staff and I to keep them entertained with the kind of football and results that their incredible support deserves. "At every match the players and I feel the fans' support from the stands and we hope to be able to create some more fantastic memories this season for all West Ham supporters, in front of a packed London Stadium."
However there are still no plans to extend the ground's capacity beyond 57,000, despite West Ham's wishes to increase the Olympic Stadium's capacity.
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Leicester new favourites to sign Kelechi Iheanacho after West Ham end interest
Last Updated: 06/07/17 8:15pm
SSN
Leicester City are the new favourites to sign Kelechi Iheanacho after West Ham United dropped out of the race to sign the Manchester City striker. West Ham were close to agreeing a £25m deal to sign the Nigerian forward but have decided to end their interest. Leicester remain in talks to sign Iheanacho, but any proposed deal could not be agreed until he returns from holiday. Iheanacho has been told he can leave City this summer and he could now become Leicester's third summer signing - after Harry Maguire and Vicente Iborra.
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West Ham sell-out 52,000 season tickets at London Stadium - six weeks before the new season gets underway
The Hammers are preparing for the second season at their new home and will be backed by one of the biggest crowds in the Premier League once again
The Mirror
BYMARC ISAACS
18:58, 6 JUL 2017UPDATED19:07, 6 JUL 2017
West Ham will have one of the biggest attendances in the top flight once again after selling 52,000 season-tickets for next season - six weeks before the new Premier League season gets underway. The Hammers encountered a number of problems during their first season at London Stadium as the team struggled to show their best form. Reports suggested that fans may turn down the chance to renew their season-tickets as a result, but the club are thrilled to announce the fans have showed their loyal backing once again. West Ham United Joint-Chairman David Sullivan said: "We always harboured the belief and confidence that our fanbase was deserving of a bigger and better platform and, for the second consecutive season, we will have 52,000 Season Ticket Holders backing Slaven's side at every home game this season. "With additional fans registering their interest in a Season Ticket every day the appetite to come and support West Ham and pack out London Stadium is real, and the foundations for us to build on our stronger than ever. "Of course, our focus now is to do all we can to reward that faith with success on the pitch next season, and we are currently doing everything within our power to give Slaven the best possible platform to achieve this goal."
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LANZINI SET TO SIGN NEW WEST HAM DEAL
DANIEL EMERY
ReadWestHam
Manuel Lanzini is set to sign a new contract with West Ham soon, according to the Evening Standard. The report claims that West Ham are confident Lanzini will sign a new deal with the club, committing his future to the Hammers. There has been a lack of summer signing at the Olympic Stadium thus far – with Pablo Zabaleta on a free from Manchester City the only addition. However, they have tied down players to new contracts, with Lanzini set to be the third man to commit to the club. West Ham announced earlier today that Pedro Obiang signed a new five-year contract with the club, following on from Angelo Ogbonna's new deal earlier this month. The club are very keen to tie down Lanzini to an extended contract and expect it to go through this summer. The report also claims that West Ham remain interested in signing Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi and Burnley's Andre Gray.
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Manuel Lanzini set for new contract as West Ham look to tie down star players
JAMES BENGE
Evening Standard
West Ham are confident that Manuel Lanzini will soon be the latest star name to extend his contract at the London Stadium. The Argentine international's new deal will propel him into the ranks of the London Stadium's highest earners at around £70,000-per-week. Lanzini will follow Pedro Obiang and Angelo Ogbonna, both of whom have signed extensions to tie them to the club until 2022. But it is the signature of Lanzini that will constitute the most significant boost to West Ham in a summer transfer window when progress has been frustratingly slow since the arrival of Pablo Zabaleta from Manchester City on a free transfer. The 24-year-old, who made his debut for Argentina last month in a friendly against Brazil, has been one of West Ham's brightest stars since joining on loan from Al Jazira club in the summer of 2015 before a permanent switch to London a year later. In particular the departure of Dimitri Payet in January allowed Lanzini to take on the leading creative role in the West Ham attack, providing five goals since the turn of the year. That form won Lanzini the Players' Player of the Year prize at the end of the season in addition to his first senior caps at international level. West Ham's priority still remains surrounding Lanzini with pace and Premier League experience. Andre Gray and Michy Batshuayi are among the options being considered at the London Stadium.
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'What a joke!' West Ham fans vent fury as Leicester pounce for Man City star Iheanacho
Reports claim Slaven Bilic has pulled the plug on a deal for the 20-year-old striker
Football London
BYCHARLES WATTS
18:29, 6 JUL 2017UPDATED18:31, 6 JUL 2017
West Ham look set to miss out on another target - with Kelechi Iheanacho seemingly destined for Leicester City. The Manchester City striker has been linked with a move to the London Stadium all summer and had looked destined to link up with Slaven Bilic's side. But that appears to have changed today, with reports suggesting he is now on his way to the 2015/16 Premier League champions. The Foxes are said to be in advanced talks with the 20-year-old and a move now looks imminent. There are suggestions that Hammers boss Bilic was the man who vetoed Iheanacho's move to east London, despite owner David Gold having negotiated a deal with City.
As you can imagine, the news has not gone down that well amongst Hammers fans - here's what they have been saying on social media.
Paul Finn ⚒ @paulfinn70
We have a manger that wanted to sign Tore but doesn't fancy Iheanacho! And they still sing Super Slav!! π‘
6:12 PM - 6 Jul 2017
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⚒JustWhatWeWishedFor @tonyhall84
10:00 WH announce 52k season tickets sold again
10:30 WH announce no longer interested in signing Iheanacho
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ηΆMelηΆ @MelissaFurnell
I love Bilic but why would you not wanna sign Iheanacho? Ffs π©
6:08 PM - 6 Jul 2017
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Neil Thompson @NeilThomo970
If Bilic is the one who has pulled the plug on iheanacho deal why did we look at him in the first place. Do bilic and the board not talk?
6:05 PM - 6 Jul 2017
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Ryan Pope @RyanPopeGuitar
The Iheanacho deal is clearly not Bilic, think about it. You don't pursue a player for over a month, agree almost everything to back out.
6:02 PM - 6 Jul 2017
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WHZ1895. @whz1895
If the rumour is true Bilic has pulled the plug and Iheanacho then serious questions have to be asked. Serious bloody questions.
6:01 PM - 6 Jul 2017
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West Ham Central @WestHam_Central
"Super Slav" this, "Super Slav" that.
Shut up.
Fella doesn't want Iheanacho but wants Andre bloody Gray.
5:59 PM - 6 Jul 2017
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Louie Wansell WHU @LouieWansell82
Why doesn't Slav want iheanacho .. looks good to me, what's his master plan
5:58 PM - 6 Jul 2017
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rahul @rahuldesigns_
apparently bilic pulled out of the iheanacho deal which was about to go through.. joke
5:57 PM - 6 Jul 2017
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Lawrence Belcher @Lawrenceee_B
I like to think that Bilic doesn't want Iheanacho because we've secretly agreed a deal for Giroud... that's how I'm staying positive π
5:56 PM - 6 Jul 2017
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Oliver @MrOlliB
Of course, this Iheanacho news would come out just after they confirm all season tickets are sold. Led up the garden path again.
5:52 PM - 6 Jul 2017
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Tom ⚒ Jordan @TomCOYI_92
We've gone from being linked with Iheanacho and Giroud to Gray and Aboubakar within a matter of days...
Only at West Ham United!
5:52 PM - 6 Jul 2017
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Nathan @WHU_Focus
Iheanacho has been linked for about a month. Don't you think Bilic would've stated if he didn't want him a while ago? Why go this far?
5:41 PM - 6 Jul 2017
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Sean Sweeney @SeanSweeney09
Hope the news that Bilic pulled out of the deal for Iheanacho for being unproven is false. If true from top to bottom this club is a joke.ππ
4:39 PM - 6 Jul 2017
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West Ham Italy @martelliditalia
Iheanacho NO
Gray YES
What a joke.
5:32 PM - 6 Jul 2017 · Poplar, London
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West Ham United deal for Javier Hernandez reportedly hits a snag, but surely Slaven Bilic can fix the problem
HITC
John Verrall
West Ham United target Javier Hernandez is asking for huge wages to move to the London Stadium. According to a report on Bleacher Report, Javier Hernandez wants £140,000-a-week to join West Ham United - yet Slaven Bilic may just have the spending power available to sanction such a deal. Hernandez is said to want a sizeable weekly wage to join West Ham, but the Mexican is available for a relatively cheap transfer fee. Bayer Leverkusen want just £13 million for Hernandez, which makes him appear one of the stand out value for money purchases. Hernandez is also believed to be keen to move to West Ham, as he is eager to come back to the Premier League. Yet, at the moment, complications exist as West Ham are baulking over his salary demands. Hernandez would become the Hammers' highest paid players, if he was to get what he was asking for, and Bilic may be concerned about the mood in his current squad, if he was to hand out such a lavish contract. It may mean that a compromise has to be met, but West Ham appear to have the spending power to sanction a deal. The Hammers were willing to offer Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud £130,00o-a-week, according to the Daily Mirror, and he would have cost them a far bigger initial fee than Hernandez.
West Ham have been left shocked that Everton have beaten them to the punch with Giroud, according to Bleacher Report, but his potential earnings at the Hammers show that they mean business. And West Ham may not be out of the running for Hernandez just yet, even if his wage demands mean that Bilic should only move if he is certain that the 29-year-old will be a success at the London Stadium.
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WEST HAM END INTEREST IN STRIKER KELECHI IHEANACHO
ABDULLAH MULLA
ReadWestHam
West Ham United have ended their interest in signing Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho and have begun to pursue other targets, according to a report on ESPN. The Nigerian forward was linked with the Hammers for several weeks but the two clubs failed to progress negotiations regarding the transfer fee.
The 20-year-old forward has been subject to interest from several clubs and West Ham seemed the favourites to secure his signature, but the Hammers have now dropped out of the race. Hammers manager Slaven Bilic is desperate to add strikers to his squad as his side struggled massively in front of goal last season.
The £25 million transfer fee placed on Iheanacho by City was always slightly higher than the Hammers were willing to pay but City would not budge on their valuation. The Hammers were also hoping for a loan deal for the striker but it is understood that City want to sell him permanently. The London club had hoped that new signing Pablo Zabaleta would help their negotiations with Iheanacho as the Argentine full-back joined from City as a free agent. But the Nigerian forward now seems to be destined to play his football elsewhere as Premier League rivals Leicester City have acted quickly and are confident of securing his signature very soon. He broke into Man City's first team in the 2015-16 season and has scored 21 goals in 64 appearances for the Manchester club, with many of them coming off the bench. The Hammers have also been strongly linked with Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud.
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Sofiane Feghouli sends message to West Ham and Galatasaray over his future
The Algerian is reportedly being lined up for a move to Turkey and wasn't at Rush Green on Wednesday
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
14:16, 6 JUL 2017
Sofiane Feghouli's future at West Ham is up in the air this summer as he wasn't at the first pre-season training session with his current employers on Wednesday.
The Hammers are listening to offers for the Algerian winger and one of them is from Galatasaray who have offered a sum of £4m for his services. Galatasaray are busy trying to tempt Feghouli into joining them, though he hasn't said he wants to leave West Ham, but Slaven Bilic won't stand in his way if he does decide to go.
Feghouli wasn't at Rush Green as the rest of the first team players - minus a few internationals - returned to pre-season training with the club but it appears that he isn't taking time off. Judging by his most recent Instagram post, which you can see above, Feghouli is working hard to try and impress his current employers - or maybe a new one - that he is still in good nick after the summer break. The winger has previously said: "In the winter, I had a lot of offers and decided to have a frank discussion with the coach about whether or not he was counting on me since I needed time to demonstrate my value.
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"Shocking decision" - West Ham fans slam Sky Sports for moving Huddersfield fixture to Monday night
Hammers fans are not impressed at the broadcaster after moving the fixture
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
13:41, 6 JUL 2017
West Ham fans have taken to Twitter to slam Sky Sports for moving their first home game of the season to a Monday Night Football fixture. Sky and BT announced their first scheduled TV games for the upcoming season earlier on Thursday and the Hammers have had a few fixtures re-jigged around to suit the broadcasters.
The first game of the season - away at Manchester United - has been moved from August 12 to Sunday, August 13 at 4pm. The home game against Spurs on September 23 has also been moved to a 12.30pm kick off on September 23, while the visit of Arsenal to E20 is now a midweek game on December 13. But it's the home game with Huddersfield Town which has irked the most, now at 8pm on September 11. The Hammers are away for their first three games of the season owing to the World Athletics Championships being held at the London Stadium, with the game against the Premier League newboys slated for 3pm on September 9.
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Javier Hernandez wants £140,000-a-week to join West Ham United
HITC
John Verrall
West Ham United are keen to upgrade their front line, with Bayer Leverkusen's Javier Hernandez their top target. According to a report on Bleacher Report, West Ham United are interested in signing Javier Hernandez - but he is demanding £140,000-a-week wages. Hernandez is set to move on from Bayer Leverkusen this summer, and he could be available at a relatively cheap price. West Ham are eager to bring the former Manchester United man to the London Stadium.
However, Hernandez's wage demands are said to be causing a complication. Hernandez wants a Premier League move, but is eager to maximise his earnings.
If West Ham were to cave to Hernandez's demands it would make him their top earner by a considerable distance. The Hammers are desperate to bring in a new forward this summer, as their current options up-front have proven unreliable. Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho have struggled to stay off the treatment table, while Ashley Fletcher is unproven at Premier League level.
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David Sullivan's message for West Ham fans in light of impressive news
HITC
Antony Martin
West Ham United had some teething problems at their new home last season, and will be expecting big improvements this term. The Hammers have sold out their 52,000 season ticket allocation for the second consecutive season, and co-owner David Sullivan highlighted the club's loyal fanbase as the foundation to their hopes of achieving success in the future, as quoted by the club's official website. West Ham struggled to adjust to the new surroundings of the London Stadium last season, and their poor home form proved to be a major contributing factor behind their underwhelming 11th placed finish in the Premier League table. Slaven Bilic will be looking to make some high quality signings this month, in an effort to guide his side back towards the top end of the table, but he must ensure that he is targeting players with the specific attributes to suit his preferred style of play. Sullivan, however, seems confident of his club's chances over the coming years, praising their loyal fanbase for their continued support, as quoted by WHUFC.com:
"West Ham United has the best supporters in the country who, time and time again, go above and beyond in their display of commitment and devotion to this club. We always harboured the belief and confidence that our fanbase was deserving of a bigger and better platform and, for the second consecutive season, we will have 52,000 season ticket holders backing Slaven's side at every home game this season. The appetite to come and support West Ham United and pack out London Stadium is real, and the foundations for us to build on our stronger than ever."
West Ham kick off their new campaign away at Manchester United on August 12th, before playing their first home fixture a week later, when they welcome Southampton to the London Stadium. And Hammers fans will be desperate for a better start than last season which saw them win only two home Premier League games up until the middle of December.
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'We can do many things here' - Pedro Obiang signs new five year contract at West Ham
JAMES BENGE
London Evening Standard
Pedro Obiang has signed a new contract at West Ham until 2022. The Spanish midfielder established himself as one of Slaven Bilic's most important and consistent performers last season and was linked with a move to Everton. However the 25-year-old has committed to extending his stay at the London Stadium, where he has made 46 Premier League appearances across the last two seasons. "Over the next five years, we can achieve many, many things but we are going to start from today," Obiang said. "Of course, I trust the club and the situation and I know I am in a very good team at a very good club. "I have a lot of teammates here and I talked to Manu [Lanzini], Adrian and Angelo [Ogbonna] over the summer when we were on holidays and that's maybe a little bit of the reason I signed a new contract is because I prefer to be here than in another place, because I feel like part of a family here. "I think here we can do many things. When I start to play, I have confidence and I don't know why the situation changed [last season]. I had the possibility to start and to demonstrate what I wanted to demonstrate in my first season here, but for many reasons I didn't do. Now I have time to do it."
Obiang missed the end of last season with an ankle injury but is expected to be fit to take part in the Hammers' pre-season fixtures before they kick off the new season against Manchester United on Sunday, August 13.
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West Ham dealt blow in Batshuayi chase as Lukaku snubs Chelsea for Manchester United
One of the Hammers striker targets might be a little further away now
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
11:34, 6 JUL 2017
West Ham have been in the market for a host of strikers this summer but it appears that one of their targets could be a bit further away as of Thursday morning.
Chelsea frontman Michy Batshuayi has long been linked with a switch to the London Stadium this summer after the east Londoners missed out on the Belgian last summer. West Ham had a bid of £30m accepted by Marseille for Batshuayi, only to be beaten a the last minute by Antonio Conte and the Blues, who swooped in with a £33m bid. The Hammers retained an interest in Batshuayi but were waiting on Chelsea to complete a deal to sign Romelu Lukaku from Everton. However, reports have emerged this morning that Lukaku has snubbed the Blues and is off to join Manchester United instead in a £75m deal. With the Blues seemingly destined to miss out on their target in Lukaku, Batshuayi is unlikely to go as Diego Cosat is set for an exit from Stamford Bridge. Unless Chelsea can sign another forward - they are looking at Alvaro Morata and Andre Belotti - then Batshuayi won't be going anywhere.
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Bayern Munich mock West Ham's trophy cabinet after London Stadium brag about bigger screen on Twitter
West Ham's stadium posted about their gigantic screen on their Twitter account
But Bayern Munich's US outpost were not willing to take the insult lying down
They humorously took down West Ham with a line about the trophy cabinet
By Amitai Winehouse For Mailonline
PUBLISHED: 19:19 EDT, 5 July 2017 | UPDATED: 19:23 EDT, 5 July 2017
It says a lot about the age of social media that stadiums and football clubs can end up in pitched battles online. But that is what happened on Wednesday when the London Stadium decided to take to their Twitter account and brag about the size of the screen installed at the site of the 2012 Olympics. They ended up attracting the ire of Bayern Munich's notoriously banter-friendly American outpost.
Showing off on the social media website, @LondonStadium wrote: 'We're not precious, but our screen is four times the size of the Allianz Arena's.'
They added two more points, writing: '@LondonStadium 1, @FCBayernEN 0' and hashtagging the post, '#NoNeedForPenalties'.
But @FCBayernUS were not going to take this attempt to steal their humour crown lying down and decided to fight back.
They retweeted the post by the London Stadium and added their own comment: 'How about that trophy cabinet?'
Supporters worldwide clearly gave the victory to Bayern, although one West Ham fan pointed out: 'Where's Bayern Munich's Championship play-off final trophy?'
The London Stadium had their own scoreline in mind prior to Bayern's comeback. They thought it was all over at 1-0. It is now.
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'ARSENAL OUTCAST WALCOTT WOULD THRIVE AT WEST HAM' - WINTERBURN
06:48 SHARE 0 COMMENTS
Beta.goal.com
The former Gunners defender has tipped the England international forward to be a good partner for Andy Carroll with the Hammers Former Arsenal star Nigel Winterburn believes that Theo Walcott would be a great fit beside Andy Carroll at West Ham. Wintreburn, 53, played for both London sides, joining the Hammers to close out his career after racking up over 400 league appearances for the Gunners. With rumours circling around the future of Walcott after the club splashed out a fee understood to be in the region of £46 million for Lyon's Alexandre Lacazette, the former full-back believes it would be good for Walcott to make a similar move between the clubs. "The problem for Theo is that Arsenal switched the system at the end of last season and that system doesn't suit him, not at Arsenal anyway," Winterburn told bwin. "Theo will think that if Arsenal are trying to limit his game time, he'll feel like 'where do I fit in? Is it time for a new challenge?'
"I think when players of that quality become available, it's natural to say that they would say they are interested. "West Ham playing with two up front including Carroll with Theo, I can see that working very well. Then you also have the option of playing him off the striker or playing right or left, so you're getting a fair bit for your money. "The problem for Theo at Arsenal is where do they see him playing if they stick to a back three or back five?"
While Walcott may seem like the perfect fit, Winterburn feels that, should Olivier Giroud decide he wants to stay in London rather than moving, Slaven Bilic's side could be a solid landing spot for him as well. "I think Arsenal have stated that they would like to keep Giroud, but they might need to review the situation depending what happens in the summer," he said. "He's probably looking at his age and thinking 'I need to be playing and I want to make sure that I'm part of the French squad'. "I think he's done a very good job and I just wonder whether Arsenal want a little bit more mobility going forward. He found himself on the bench at the end of the season and he obviously wouldn't want that to happen. "It's again whether the player feels that he is going to play enough games or is it time to make the break? I think there would be a lot more offers from abroad if he did move from Arsenal. "He might also be settled in London and if that is the case, West Ham have a good link with Arsenal and if he wanted to stay in London that could be a good opportunity for West Ham to get a very good striker.
"I could see it happening but you have to think whether the player believes he is capable of playing for a top-six club and West Ham are not a top-six club. It'll be a case of whether West Ham can convince the player to join them."
Giroud and Walcott combined for 22 goals in the Premier League during the 2016-17 season, but the Gunners couldn't lock down a spot in the Champions League, finishing fifth behind Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham and champions Chelsea.
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West Ham to beat Newcastle to £15m Premier League striker's signature - report
Andre Gray is moving closer to a West Ham transfer this summer
Football London
BYKEVIN BEIRNE
07:00, 6 JUL 2017
West Ham are close to sealing the £15m transfer of Burnley striker Andre Gray this summer, according to the Standard. The 26-year-old has just one year left on his current deal with the Clarets, and talks over a new contract have hit a wall as Burnley are unwilling to meet Gray's wage demands. That has opened the door for the Hammers to swoop in and make Gray their second signing of the summer, after the confirmed the arrival of Pablo Zabaleta on a free transfer last month.
Although Burnley are said to want to hold on to Gray, they are afraid of losing him for nothing next summer if he fails to sign a new deal. And with West Ham willing to drop £15m for his services, it looks like the Hammers will beat out the newly-promoted Newcastle in the race for the Englishman's signature. The Hammers are said to be chasing Olivier Giroud and Javier Hernandez, but it looks like Gray may become their first attacking signing of this transfer window.
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Magpies hoping to sign Andre Gray from Burnley
Scott Wilson scottwilsonecho
Chief Sports Writer
NEWCASTLE UNITED are ready to battle West Ham United for the signature of Andre Gray, with the striker continuing to stall on the offer of a new deal at Burnley.
Gray has repeatedly rejected attempts to pin him down to an extended contract at Turf Moor, and Burnley officials have reluctantly accepted they might well have to sell the 26-year-old, who has entered the final year of his current deal. Burnley boss Sean Dyche is hoping to sign Jon Walters from Stoke City, and if the Irishman can be persuaded to join the Clarets, Gray will be allowed to leave. West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has already signalled his intention to bid for the forward, who finished last season with nine Premier League goals to his name. Bilic would be willing to pay around £12m for Gray, but Newcastle officials are ready to make their own offer if Burnley confirm a willingness to do business. Rafael Benitez is determined to strengthen his attacking resources this summer, and while Portuguese sources yesterday linked the Magpies with a possible €35m bid for long-term target Bas Dost, Gray is regarded as a much more realistic target.
Newcastle's scouting team watched him on a number of occasions last season, and Benitez regards him as a proven Premier League performer who could be under-priced because of his contractual position. The Newcastle boss will be pushing those above him to do all they can to force through a deal, having welcomed the majority of his players back to pre-season training at the start of the week. Florian Lejeune became the second player to join Newcastle on a permanent basis this summer when he completed an £8.7m move from Eibar on Tuesday, but Benitez is hoping another couple of deals will be completed within the next few weeks. Kieran Gibbs remains a leading target, with Arsenal willing to consider selling the left-back for around £10m, while Newcastle are still in the market for potential loan deals involving Liverpool's Sheyi Ojo and Chelsea's Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
The Magpies have also been linked with Joe Hart and Sam Clucas, but at this stage, they are not understood to be interested in either of those players. Further departures are likely before the new Premier League season begins, with Reading lining up an offer for goalkeeper Karl Darlow. Benitez is willing to sell both Darlow and Tim Krul this summer, and Reading boss Jaap Stam is an admirer of the former, who was Newcastle's first-choice goalkeeper for the majority of last season.
Daryl Murphy has been told to seek alternative employers this summer, and Norwich City have inquired about the former Ipswich striker's situation. Newcastle are keen to recoup the £3m they spent to sign Murphy from Ipswich last summer, but Norwich will look to include a series of clauses in any potential deal.
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£21.4 million bid rejected in 2015, should West Ham try again for Carlos Vela?
HITC
Antony Martin
The Mexican would be an excellent addition to the West Ham United squad this summer. Hammers fans are craving some top quality additions to their squad this summer, but are not entirely confident that the board and manager have what it takes to attract star names to the London Stadium. Slaven Bilic has seemingly reached an impasse in his search for an established striker, with moves for Olivier Giroud and Kelechi Iheanacho fizzling out, with the two hitmen preferring moves to other clubs, according to the Mirror. The Croatian has now set his sights on Andre Gray, according to the Mirror, and are willing to pay up to £15 million to secure his services. A move for the 26-year-old reeks of last summer's desperate transfer activity, however, and the West Ham faithful will surely be underwhelmed with news of a move for the Clarets striker.
With this in mind, Bilic should perhaps consider switching targets, and make a move for Real Sociedad's Carlos Vela. The 28-year-old former Arsenal star can play anywhere along the front-line, and would add a certain level of quality and guile to the Hammers' attack. The skilful left-footer has just one year remaining on his current deal in Spain, so could be picked up for quite the bargain - something that will most definitely appeal to West Ham's notoriously stubborn board. Like 2016, this summer's transfer window is once again approaching a point where it will become irrevocably damaging to the east London outfit's hopes of success this season, but the signing of the Mexican could change all of that. He possesses an abundance of pace - something that the Hammers desperately lack in forward areas, and is clinical in front of goal, having scored 72 goals in 233 games for Sociedad, with most of those appearances coming from out wide.
According to Radio Marca, West Ham actually tried to sign Vela in 2015, after meeting his £21.4 million release clause, but the 28-year-old rejected a move to east London. Circumstances have now changed though, and the Hammers could surely tempt him into joining them this summer, what with the opportunity of playing in front of 55,000 plus fans every other week at the London Stadium. And if Bilic does manage to bring him to the club, it could turn out to be a signing of real significance for West Ham.
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Brighton and Sunderland chase West Ham's £8m Robert Snodgrass
Telegraph.co.uk
Luke Edwards
6 JULY 2017 • 8:53AM
Brighton and Sunderland are interested in signing West Ham's Robert Snodgrass after learning the Hammers are willing to let the Scotland international leave the club this summer. Brighton would appear to be the favourites given they can offer the 29-year-old Premier League football and also have the money to match West Ham's £8m asking price. Brighton have been cautious in their recruitment since securing promotion to the top flight under manager Chris Hughton, but feel Snodgrass is precisely the sort of player they need if they are going to survive in the Premier League. The winger was superb for Hull at the start of last season, but he has failed to have the expected impact at West Ham since he arrived in the January transfer window. Although they are no longer in the Premier League, Sunderland are also trying to attract him to the North East and are hoping the fact he played for manager Simon Grayson at Leeds United will help their cause.
Snodgrass may also be more open to the idea of playing in the second tier again as he wants to move closer to his family in Scotland. That is something that benefited Newcastle United when they signed Matt Ritchie from Bournemouth 12 months ago. Sunderland know it is an ambitious attempt to sign a player who has proven his Premier League pedigree, but will at least try to see if they can persuade the player to drop down into the Championship. Sunderland would be willing to pay a loan fee, with a clause which would automatically turn the move into a permanent one if they are promoted next year. Middlesbrough also tried to sign Snodgrass when he left Hull at the start of the year and could also be interested in a deal, even though they are already close to signing midfielder Jonny Howson from Norwich City. Sunderland have already had some early success in the transfer market in Grayson's first week as manager, signing Everton defensive duo Ty Browning and Brendan Galloway on loan, with winger Aiden McGeady also due to arrive from Goodison Park in a £2m deal.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Reece Oxford is settling in quickly to life on loan at German Bundesliga club Borussia Monchengladbach. The 18-year-old will spend the 2017/18 season with The Foals, who hope the England U19 defender will help them improve on their ninth-place finish last season. Oxford and his new teammates kicked-off their own pre-season training schedule on Monday in preparation for their first friendly at lower-division Wuppertaler SV this weekend. "My first impressions are very good," the teenager told borussia.de. "Borussia seems to be a very family club. The fans come to the training to see us. This support is great. "The training is a bit different than I'm used to from England, but that is good for me, because I feel that it brings me to a very good fitness level. "There are not really big differences [between pre-season in Germany and England], but I have the impression that in the training here, even more emphasis is placed on the running! This is exhausting and new to me, but it is good for me and my fitness and will help me in the coming season to be able to give everything on the pitch."
Oxford joins an experienced Monchengladbach squad for the upcoming season, including Switzerland international quartet Yann Sommer, Denis Zakaria, Niko Elvedi and Josip Drmic and the man who scored Germany's title-winning goal at the recent FIFA Confederations Cup, forward and captain Lars Stindl. With players from Belgium, Denmark, Brazil, Sweden, France, Italy, the Netherlands and United States also in Dieter Hecking's squad, Oxford is enjoying meeting his new group of teammates. "I feel very good now," the young Hammer confirmed. "Most of the guys speak English. This helps me in the first days of the integration. I talk a lot with everyone to meet everyone. This is the most important thing in the beginning. "I'm looking forward to the training camp, even though we are probably going to run even more than now! I just want to get fit with the team for the new season and get to know everyone. In such a week you get to know each other even better. This is important in order to feel comfortable and then to enter the games with confidence."
Five-times Bundesliga champions Borussia kick-off their 2017/18 campaign with a home fixture with 1. FC Koln on the weekend of 19-20 August. The weekend before, Oxford and company travel to Rot-Weiss Essen in the first round of the German Cup – a competition Monchengladbach have won three times in their history. The England U20 international is looking forward to testing himself in the competitive environment of German football. "In my opinion, the Bundesliga is the league most similar to the Premier League. It is a strong, balanced league with big teams like Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund or Bayer Leverkusen. I'm really looking forward to the start of the new season and we can play against these teams."
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'It's good to be back' – Hammers return to training
WHUFC.com
The sun shining down on freshly-cut, immaculate pitches, brand new kit hanging in the dressing-room and the buzz of summer optimism in the air…it can mean only one thing: the first day of pre-season training at West Ham United! Manager Slaven Bilic, looking fit and refreshed following his hip operation at the end of last season, welcomed his players back to Rush Green on Wednesday morning, as preparations got underway in the build-up to the 2017/18 Premier League kick-off against Manchester United at Old Trafford next month. Club captain Mark Noble and striker Andy Carroll were two of the first to report for duty, followed soon after by new signing Pablo Zabaleta, fresh from a summer break in his Argentina homeland, where he was a guest at the wedding of a certain Lionel Messi recently.
The 32-year-old defender enjoyed a tour of the training facilities before greeting several of his new team-mates, although not fellow countryman Manuel Lanzini, who is on an extended break following international duty during the summer. Lanzini, along with the likes of Darren Randolph, Robert Snodgrass, Aaron Cresswell and Jose Fonte, will join up with the squad at a later point on the Club's pre-season tour, which begins in Austria next Monday and then heads to Germany and Iceland, where the Hammers will face Manchester City a week before taking on United in the Premier League curtain-raiser. Naturally, the physical fitness and condition of the players is the subject of focus at the start of pre-season training, with new Head of Medical Services Gary Lewin and his team working hard to attend to the individual needs and requirements of the players.
First team fitness coach Josh Ewens is responsible for the testing and monitoring of the squad upon their return, and explained the schedule that those present will follow in the first few days before flying off to Europe. "The first thing the players do when they arrive is get a once-over from the physios, just to check there are no problems," said Josh. "They then sit down with the staff to discuss what they did during the summer before getting outside and getting a ball at their feet.
"They all had off-season programmes to follow, quite detailed schedules. We do bodyweight and body composition checks to make sure they have followed that and to be fair they have all come back in good shape. "We wait until the second and third days before carrying out a combination of medical and physical testing – they have to have cardiac screens and blood tests – along with some capacity tests and isolated muscular checks. "That is all integrated with some general training – they do ball-work from day one, because we are preparing for a football season and the sooner they get working with the tool of their trade the better. We ease the players in for these first few days, then step things up a level when we get to Austria."
"It's good to be back," said popular defender James Collins as he headed home, ready for day two…and for what will hopefully be another memorable campaign in the claret and blue
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Pedro Obiang pens new long-term Hammers contract
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are delighted to announce that Pedro Obiang has signed a new long-term contract until summer 2022.
The Spanish midfielder has been rewarded for a fine 2016/17 season, during which he caught the eye with his outstanding all-round qualities and scored his maiden goal in Claret and Blue.
The No14, who arrived from Italian side Sampdoria in summer 2015, has become the second Hammers star to put pen to paper on a new five-year deal in recent days, following Angelo Ogbonna.
"I'm very happy," said Obiang, who returned for pre-season training alongside his teammates after recovering from the knee injury he suffered against Leicester City in March. "It's normal for you sign a new deal because you did something good in the Club and this is the time to sign."
As a mark of his importance to West Ham last term, Obiang ranked first in blocks per Premier League game with 1.9, second in tackles with 2.8 and fifth in passes made with 41.4. He also bagged his first goal for the Club in February's excellent win at Southampton.
In 46 Premier League appearances across two seasons, he has tasted defeat on just eleven occasions, winning 20 times and drawing the other 15.
Having pledged his future to the Hammers, Obiang is confident he and his teammates – many of whom he considers close friends – can make their mark over the five-year duration of his new contract.
"Over the next five years, we can achieve many, many things but we are going to start from today," he told West Ham TV. "Of course, I trust the Club and the situation and I know I am in a very good team at a very good Club.
"I have a lot of teammates here and I talked to Manu [Lanzini], Adrian and Angelo [Ogbonna] over the summer when we were on holidays and that's maybe a little bit of the reason I signed a new contract is because I prefer to be here than in another place, because I feel like part of a family here.
"I think here we can do many things. When I start to play, I have confidence and I don't know why the situation changed [last season]. I had the possibility to start and to demonstrate what I wanted to demonstrate in my first season here, but for many reasons I didn't do. Now I have time to do it."
As a mark of his importance last term, Obiang ranked first in blocks per Premier League game with 1.9, second in tackles with 2.8 and fifth in passes made with 41.4. He also bagged his first goal for the Club in February's important win at Southampton.
In 46 Premier League appearances across two seasons, he has tasted defeat on just eleven occasions, winning 20 and drawing the other 15.
Now, with his future committed to West Ham and his injury issues behind him, Obiang will join Slaven Bilic's squad on their pre-season tours to Austria, Germany and Iceland ahead of the big Premier League kick-off in August.
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7 things you probably didn't know about Pedro Obiang
WHUFC.com
Pedro Obiang has signed a new long-term contract with West Ham United until 2022. Here, we find out more about the Hammers' outstanding No14.
Pedro Obiang's ancestry derives from the Fang people, a Central African ethnic group found in Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Cameroon. As a result, he is eligible to play international football for Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, as well as the country of his birth, Spain
The midfielder moved from Spain to Italy at the age of 16, when he signed for Genoa-based Serie A club Sampdoria
Obiang made his senior debut for Sampdoria in the daunting surroundings of Juventus' Stadio Olimpico di Torino on 12 September 2010. Juve were leading 2-1 when the 18-year-old was introduced, but Sampdoria twice fought back to earn a 3-3 draw
Pedro Obiang ranked ninth in tackles made Premier League per game last season, putting in an average of 2.8 challenges in the 22 appearances he made in 2016/17. In his 46 Premier League appearances, he has won a staggering 83% of the 103 tackles he has made!
Of his 60 West Ham United appearances, the Hammers have lost just 16, winning 26 and drawing 17
Obiang can speak no fewer than four languages – Spanish, English, Italian and French!
The 25-year-old is one of two West Ham United players currently studying for a political science degree, the other being Angelo Ogbonna
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West Ham to open new season on Super Sunday
WHUFC.com
West Ham United will kick-off the new Premier League season live on Sky Sports after the opening-weekend fixture at Manchester United was selected for TV coverage. The Hammers will travel to Old Trafford on Sunday 13 August at 4pm, eager to earn a confidence-boosting victory over Jose Mourinho's big-spending Red Devils. The game will likely see summer signing Pablo Zabaleta make his Hammers debut on familiar turf, as the full-back played in no fewer than six derby matches at the Theatre of Dreams during his time with Manchester City, winning three.
West Ham's opening 2017/18 Premier League fixture at London Stadium has also been selected for live television coverage by Sky Sports, with newly-promoted Huddersfield Town now scheduled to visit for a Monday Night Football showdown on 11 September at 8pm. The Hammers have not met Huddersfield since the 1997/98 season, when they defeated the Yorkshiremen 3-1 on aggregate in the League Cup second round. The pair's last top-flight meeting was as long ago as March 1972, when Clyde Best and Byran 'Pop' Robson shared the goals in a 3-0 Claret and Blue victory at the Boleyn Ground. This season's meeting will see West Ham's first-team coach Edin Terzic come face to face with Terriers manager David Wagner, who he worked alongside at German club Borussia Dortmund between 2011-15.
A third West Ham fixture has also been moved for live coverage by Sky Sports, with the visit of Tottenham Hotspur to London Stadium on Saturday 23 September now kicking-off at 12.30pm. The Hammers took on Spurs in their penultimate home game of last season in May, when Manuel Lanzini's goal secured a memorable 1-0 victory for Slaven Bilic's side.
Finally, the home Premier League fixture with Arsenal has also been put back 24 hours to Wednesday 13 December at 7.45pm due to the Gunners' participation in this season's UEFA Europa League group stage.
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Joint-Chairman appeals for help to catch suspected burglar
WHUFC.com
Essex Police have launched an appeal to help them find a man in connection with a burglary in Joint-Chairman's David Sullivan home village of Theydon Bois.
Officers want to speak to David Buisson, 47, who was last known to be living in Ongar.
Buisson is known to have links to Brentwood, Chingford, Waltham Abbey and other areas of the Epping Forest district, and Slough. He is 5'8 tall, of stocky build and has short, dark hair.
Anyone who knows of his whereabouts is asked to call DC Russ Chamberlain on 101. Alternatively, contact independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Mr Sullivan is also offering a £25,000 reward for any information leading to the capture and prosecution of a serial burglar, dubbed the Essex Spiderman, who attempted to burgle the Joint-Chairman's house on Sunday 18 June.
The individual is alleged to have committed more than 50 burglaries in the Essex area since Christmas 2016, spreading across Chigwell, Ongar and Brentwood, targeting mostly watches and jewellery.
Although the attempt on Mr Sullivan's home was unsuccessful, he has encouraged anyone with information relating to the Essex Spiderman's identity to come forward in a bid to stop the spree.
Mr Sullivan said: "To have someone attempt break into your home is an awful experience, and I hope this reward will help bring the individual responsible to justice and prevent others going through the same ordeal."
Anyone who has any relevant information should email confidential@westhamunited.co.uk with as much detail as possible, which will then be shared with the police.
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West Ham United Ladies secure five signings
WHUFC.com
The Hammers Ladies five new signings from left to right: Dayna Chong, Chantelle Mackie, Amy Cooper, Paige Anderson-Jones and Molly Peters
West Ham United Ladies' preparations for the new campaign continue at great pace with five players committing their futures to the Club this week, hot on the heels of Amber Stobbs' arrival from Everton. Amy Cooper, Dayna Chong and Chantelle Mackie have all re-signed for the Hammers after impressing in claret and blue last term, while Molly Peters makes the move back to the Hammers after spending four months at Arsenal in 2016/17 and Paige Anderson-James rejoins the Club following a year out.
General Manager Karen Ray is delighted to secure the quintet's signatures, saying: "We are delighted to sign five very talented players. Each of them brings their own individual brilliance to a very exciting team and all have an immeasurable amount of potential. We will work tirelessly to ensure they develop in a challenging environment. "It is important that every player has ambitions that match the Club's and I have no doubt that Amy, Dayna, Molly, Chantelle and Paige have very exciting futures ahead of them. I speak on behalf of all the staff when I say that they are a pleasure to work with and great people."
The five are all familiar faces at the Hammers, having all played for the Club in recent times. Cooper captained the Hammers last term after making the short move across from Tottenham Hotspur, impressing both on and off the pitch with her professionalism and work rate. She commented: "I'm very happy to be part of the West Ham Ladies journey with such a young, growing team operating in a professional environment. After the improvement we showed towards the end of last season and with new players joining the squad I am excited to see our success grow."
Chong beat Manuel Lanzini to land the whufc.com Goal of the Month prize in March and she previously played for Millwall and Tottenham, where her ability to leave opponents bamboozled with her footwork came to the fore. She added: "I am delighted to be re-signing for the club. The team have developed a lot under the new staff and I am excited to see what the future holds for us. As the club grows so does the competition for a spot on the team so I am honoured to be offered a contract."
Attack-minded full-back Mackie turned down offers from WSL clubs to commit herself to the Hammers for a second season, choosing to be part of the Club's ambitious plans to move towards the top of the women's game. Mackie said: "I'm excited to be given this opportunity and can't wait to be a part of the West Ham Ladies future. I'm looking forward to seeing what the season brings!"
Peters, a prolific striker who spent four months of last season with Arsenal, is an exciting young player who has returned to the Hammers and is tenacious, quick and difficult to defend against. She said: "I'm over the moon to be offered a contract with West Ham Ladies. It just shows how hard work pays off, but the hard work doesn't stop now. I would just like to say thank you to all the staff that believed in me and offered the contract to me."
Anderson-James, meanwhile, took last season out but has returned as the Hammers build for their FA Women's Premier League South Division campaign. She is a powerful striker who also possesses incredible ability on the ball. She commented: "After taking a year out I knew I didn't want to return to any other Club. This Club is like a family and I'm really grateful to the players and staff for putting their trust in me. There's quality on and off the pitch here and the ambitions match my own."
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Zabaleta enjoys warm West Ham welcome
WHUFC.com
Pablo Zabaleta enjoyed a hot West Ham United welcome as he kicked-off pre-season training with his new teammates. The experienced Argentina full-back received embraces and handshakes galore as he settled into life as a Hammer at Rush Green. The summer arrival from Manchester City spoke with manager Slaven Bilic and captain Mark Noble before joining his colleagues for a testing training session on a very warm and sunny Essex afternoon. "My first day was fantastic," Zabaleta told West Ham TV. "I'm so pleased to be here and I said to some of the lads that I'd never been in weather like that before in pre-season in Manchester!
"It's really good. It's nice to meet the players, the manager, the staff and all the people at the training ground, so I'm happy to be here. We are so happy to be all together and I feel so good after this first training session. "That was the first time I met Slaven [in person], as I had spoken to him a few times by phone. I said the same thing to him that I said to you, that I am happy to be part of this football club and this squad."
Aside from Bilic and Noble, Zabaleta also spent time meeting as many people as possible at Rush Green, including players, coaches and backroom staff. Many of the faces were familiar to the new No5, who has spent the last nine seasons in the Premier League, tackling the Hammers on nearly a dozen occasions. "I have been playing in this league for nine years and I know most of the players well because we've been playing against each other during the last few years. "Of course, it was nice to sit on the table, have lunch and some conversations with them. They all seem like really nice lads, so I'm pleased to be here with them."
After a few more days of tests and training at Rush Green, the Hammers will head to Austria for a training camp, where they will work hard to increase their fitness levels ahead of the big Premier League kick-off at Manchester United on 12 August. A week prior, they will also face Zabaleta's former club Manchester City in Iceland in a prestige pre-season fixture, and unsurprisingly the South American cannot wait for the 2017/18 campaign to get underway. "I can't wait for the start of the season now," he confirmed. "It's all about hard work and preparation and we are all focused on the fitness level and building up to be 100 per cent by the start of the season. "I've been in Austria a few times for pre-season and we need to work hard to make sure we're 100 per cent fit for the start of the season.
"We will play a few games, including an interesting game against Manchester City which is our final game before we start the competition, the Premier League, so it will be a good test for us."
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TRANSFER POLICY
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 6 JULY 2017 AT 9:40PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Katie S @ Flump 9
Well another day and yet another twitter meltdown from the West Ham fan base, but I can't help but agree with how they are feeling. The rumours of Bilic not wanting Iheanacho, because he is unproven and the worry that Everton will beat us to another transfer target, it is all just too familiar and we desperately want and need change.
Okay, I'm not panicking yet, as we all know anything can happen, even on the last day of the transfer window. However, we also know that you can be told not to go to bed and stay up awaiting a transfer deal, for nothing to materialise and be left hugely disappointed!
Having said all of this, what concerns me more than anything is the lack of consistency when it comes to our transfer policy. It is pretty evident for everyone to see that the board and Bilic don't agree on potential targets, we only have to look at Tore and Zaza. For me this is a massive cause for concern and something that has got to be worked on.
I don't claim to be a football expert and I can't say that I know enough about Iheanacho to really state whether Bilic is right or wrong in his reasons for not wanting to sign him, but surely stating that he is unproven and a gamble is crazy. Most of West Ham's recent signings have been unproven, some of which have been successful and others simply disastrous. It is a gamble that you either choose to take or don't, but if he was that much of a gamble, why would Manchester City fight so hard for a buy-back clause? If it is true that we want Gray but not Iheanacho, it is madness and once again contradicts some of Bilic's decisions! Where is the consistency in our transfer policy approach for players?
If we don't sign Iheanacho, I will be disappointed but not devastated (I know I have mentioned his name a lot for someone who says they aren't devastated). Like I have said above, for me it isn't about Iheanacho specifically, it is the worrying and inconsistent approach that we seem to take season after season.
Will this transfer window be any different to those we are used to, or will it be yet more disappointment and frustration with the board and Bilic himself? I really hope this summer is different, but I can't help but sense that the same familiar signs are there and it is going to be a tough window. I just want West Ham to sort out their transfer policy and ensure that everyone is working together towards the same target, something has got to change.
@flump9 on Twitter
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Luis linked as striker search continues
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 6th July 2017
By: Staff Writer
Colombian international Luis Muriel is the latest striker to be linked with West Ham. Muriel, 26, has been playing for Sampdoria for the past two seasons and has represented his country 15 times since 2012. However he is expected to leave Italy this summer - and West Ham have been named as one potentially interested party. Although Muriel had been expected to join La Liga side Seville, West Ham are reported (Tuttomercatoweb) to have made their interest known in recent days.
Meanwhile a fee of €26million has been mooted by the Italian press; Muriel cost I Blucerchiati in the region of €12million when both he and Andrea Coda moved from Udinese in 2015.
* Long-term West Ham target striker Kelechi Iheanacho is on the verge joining Leicester City, say the (BBC). West Ham are rumoured to have ended their interest in signing the £25million-rated goalscorer.
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OS sells out for second successive season
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 6th July 2017
By: Staff Writer
West Ham have sold out their entire 52,000 season ticket allocation at the Olympic Stadium for the second season in succession. Despite having lost more than 5,000 season ticket holders who walked away after just one season at the OS, the club have managed to replace them all with more than a month left until the start of the 2017/18 campaign. Manager Slaven Bilic was thrilled to hear that he and his team would be playing in front of a capacity crowd next season. "Every player wants to play in front of huge crowds, and it is fantastic for this Club that we can offer that opportunity to our squad week-in-week-out," he told the club's website. "I want to thank all 52,000 of those supporters who have faith in the team, my staff and I to keep them entertained with the kind of football and results that their incredible support deserves. "At every match the players and I feel the fans' support from the stands and we hope to be able to create some more fantastic memories this season for all West Ham supporters, in front of a packed London Stadium."
However there are still no plans to extend the ground's capacity beyond 57,000, despite West Ham's wishes to increase the Olympic Stadium's capacity.
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Leicester new favourites to sign Kelechi Iheanacho after West Ham end interest
Last Updated: 06/07/17 8:15pm
SSN
Leicester City are the new favourites to sign Kelechi Iheanacho after West Ham United dropped out of the race to sign the Manchester City striker. West Ham were close to agreeing a £25m deal to sign the Nigerian forward but have decided to end their interest. Leicester remain in talks to sign Iheanacho, but any proposed deal could not be agreed until he returns from holiday. Iheanacho has been told he can leave City this summer and he could now become Leicester's third summer signing - after Harry Maguire and Vicente Iborra.
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West Ham sell-out 52,000 season tickets at London Stadium - six weeks before the new season gets underway
The Hammers are preparing for the second season at their new home and will be backed by one of the biggest crowds in the Premier League once again
The Mirror
BYMARC ISAACS
18:58, 6 JUL 2017UPDATED19:07, 6 JUL 2017
West Ham will have one of the biggest attendances in the top flight once again after selling 52,000 season-tickets for next season - six weeks before the new Premier League season gets underway. The Hammers encountered a number of problems during their first season at London Stadium as the team struggled to show their best form. Reports suggested that fans may turn down the chance to renew their season-tickets as a result, but the club are thrilled to announce the fans have showed their loyal backing once again. West Ham United Joint-Chairman David Sullivan said: "We always harboured the belief and confidence that our fanbase was deserving of a bigger and better platform and, for the second consecutive season, we will have 52,000 Season Ticket Holders backing Slaven's side at every home game this season. "With additional fans registering their interest in a Season Ticket every day the appetite to come and support West Ham and pack out London Stadium is real, and the foundations for us to build on our stronger than ever. "Of course, our focus now is to do all we can to reward that faith with success on the pitch next season, and we are currently doing everything within our power to give Slaven the best possible platform to achieve this goal."
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LANZINI SET TO SIGN NEW WEST HAM DEAL
DANIEL EMERY
ReadWestHam
Manuel Lanzini is set to sign a new contract with West Ham soon, according to the Evening Standard. The report claims that West Ham are confident Lanzini will sign a new deal with the club, committing his future to the Hammers. There has been a lack of summer signing at the Olympic Stadium thus far – with Pablo Zabaleta on a free from Manchester City the only addition. However, they have tied down players to new contracts, with Lanzini set to be the third man to commit to the club. West Ham announced earlier today that Pedro Obiang signed a new five-year contract with the club, following on from Angelo Ogbonna's new deal earlier this month. The club are very keen to tie down Lanzini to an extended contract and expect it to go through this summer. The report also claims that West Ham remain interested in signing Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi and Burnley's Andre Gray.
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Manuel Lanzini set for new contract as West Ham look to tie down star players
JAMES BENGE
Evening Standard
West Ham are confident that Manuel Lanzini will soon be the latest star name to extend his contract at the London Stadium. The Argentine international's new deal will propel him into the ranks of the London Stadium's highest earners at around £70,000-per-week. Lanzini will follow Pedro Obiang and Angelo Ogbonna, both of whom have signed extensions to tie them to the club until 2022. But it is the signature of Lanzini that will constitute the most significant boost to West Ham in a summer transfer window when progress has been frustratingly slow since the arrival of Pablo Zabaleta from Manchester City on a free transfer. The 24-year-old, who made his debut for Argentina last month in a friendly against Brazil, has been one of West Ham's brightest stars since joining on loan from Al Jazira club in the summer of 2015 before a permanent switch to London a year later. In particular the departure of Dimitri Payet in January allowed Lanzini to take on the leading creative role in the West Ham attack, providing five goals since the turn of the year. That form won Lanzini the Players' Player of the Year prize at the end of the season in addition to his first senior caps at international level. West Ham's priority still remains surrounding Lanzini with pace and Premier League experience. Andre Gray and Michy Batshuayi are among the options being considered at the London Stadium.
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'What a joke!' West Ham fans vent fury as Leicester pounce for Man City star Iheanacho
Reports claim Slaven Bilic has pulled the plug on a deal for the 20-year-old striker
Football London
BYCHARLES WATTS
18:29, 6 JUL 2017UPDATED18:31, 6 JUL 2017
West Ham look set to miss out on another target - with Kelechi Iheanacho seemingly destined for Leicester City. The Manchester City striker has been linked with a move to the London Stadium all summer and had looked destined to link up with Slaven Bilic's side. But that appears to have changed today, with reports suggesting he is now on his way to the 2015/16 Premier League champions. The Foxes are said to be in advanced talks with the 20-year-old and a move now looks imminent. There are suggestions that Hammers boss Bilic was the man who vetoed Iheanacho's move to east London, despite owner David Gold having negotiated a deal with City.
As you can imagine, the news has not gone down that well amongst Hammers fans - here's what they have been saying on social media.
Paul Finn ⚒ @paulfinn70
We have a manger that wanted to sign Tore but doesn't fancy Iheanacho! And they still sing Super Slav!! π‘
6:12 PM - 6 Jul 2017
Follow
⚒JustWhatWeWishedFor @tonyhall84
10:00 WH announce 52k season tickets sold again
10:30 WH announce no longer interested in signing Iheanacho
Follow
ηΆMelηΆ @MelissaFurnell
I love Bilic but why would you not wanna sign Iheanacho? Ffs π©
6:08 PM - 6 Jul 2017
Follow
Neil Thompson @NeilThomo970
If Bilic is the one who has pulled the plug on iheanacho deal why did we look at him in the first place. Do bilic and the board not talk?
6:05 PM - 6 Jul 2017
Follow
Ryan Pope @RyanPopeGuitar
The Iheanacho deal is clearly not Bilic, think about it. You don't pursue a player for over a month, agree almost everything to back out.
6:02 PM - 6 Jul 2017
Follow
WHZ1895. @whz1895
If the rumour is true Bilic has pulled the plug and Iheanacho then serious questions have to be asked. Serious bloody questions.
6:01 PM - 6 Jul 2017
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West Ham Central @WestHam_Central
"Super Slav" this, "Super Slav" that.
Shut up.
Fella doesn't want Iheanacho but wants Andre bloody Gray.
5:59 PM - 6 Jul 2017
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Louie Wansell WHU @LouieWansell82
Why doesn't Slav want iheanacho .. looks good to me, what's his master plan
5:58 PM - 6 Jul 2017
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rahul @rahuldesigns_
apparently bilic pulled out of the iheanacho deal which was about to go through.. joke
5:57 PM - 6 Jul 2017
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Lawrence Belcher @Lawrenceee_B
I like to think that Bilic doesn't want Iheanacho because we've secretly agreed a deal for Giroud... that's how I'm staying positive π
5:56 PM - 6 Jul 2017
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Oliver @MrOlliB
Of course, this Iheanacho news would come out just after they confirm all season tickets are sold. Led up the garden path again.
5:52 PM - 6 Jul 2017
Follow
Tom ⚒ Jordan @TomCOYI_92
We've gone from being linked with Iheanacho and Giroud to Gray and Aboubakar within a matter of days...
Only at West Ham United!
5:52 PM - 6 Jul 2017
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Nathan @WHU_Focus
Iheanacho has been linked for about a month. Don't you think Bilic would've stated if he didn't want him a while ago? Why go this far?
5:41 PM - 6 Jul 2017
Follow
Sean Sweeney @SeanSweeney09
Hope the news that Bilic pulled out of the deal for Iheanacho for being unproven is false. If true from top to bottom this club is a joke.ππ
4:39 PM - 6 Jul 2017
Follow
West Ham Italy @martelliditalia
Iheanacho NO
Gray YES
What a joke.
5:32 PM - 6 Jul 2017 · Poplar, London
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West Ham United deal for Javier Hernandez reportedly hits a snag, but surely Slaven Bilic can fix the problem
HITC
John Verrall
West Ham United target Javier Hernandez is asking for huge wages to move to the London Stadium. According to a report on Bleacher Report, Javier Hernandez wants £140,000-a-week to join West Ham United - yet Slaven Bilic may just have the spending power available to sanction such a deal. Hernandez is said to want a sizeable weekly wage to join West Ham, but the Mexican is available for a relatively cheap transfer fee. Bayer Leverkusen want just £13 million for Hernandez, which makes him appear one of the stand out value for money purchases. Hernandez is also believed to be keen to move to West Ham, as he is eager to come back to the Premier League. Yet, at the moment, complications exist as West Ham are baulking over his salary demands. Hernandez would become the Hammers' highest paid players, if he was to get what he was asking for, and Bilic may be concerned about the mood in his current squad, if he was to hand out such a lavish contract. It may mean that a compromise has to be met, but West Ham appear to have the spending power to sanction a deal. The Hammers were willing to offer Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud £130,00o-a-week, according to the Daily Mirror, and he would have cost them a far bigger initial fee than Hernandez.
West Ham have been left shocked that Everton have beaten them to the punch with Giroud, according to Bleacher Report, but his potential earnings at the Hammers show that they mean business. And West Ham may not be out of the running for Hernandez just yet, even if his wage demands mean that Bilic should only move if he is certain that the 29-year-old will be a success at the London Stadium.
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WEST HAM END INTEREST IN STRIKER KELECHI IHEANACHO
ABDULLAH MULLA
ReadWestHam
West Ham United have ended their interest in signing Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho and have begun to pursue other targets, according to a report on ESPN. The Nigerian forward was linked with the Hammers for several weeks but the two clubs failed to progress negotiations regarding the transfer fee.
The 20-year-old forward has been subject to interest from several clubs and West Ham seemed the favourites to secure his signature, but the Hammers have now dropped out of the race. Hammers manager Slaven Bilic is desperate to add strikers to his squad as his side struggled massively in front of goal last season.
The £25 million transfer fee placed on Iheanacho by City was always slightly higher than the Hammers were willing to pay but City would not budge on their valuation. The Hammers were also hoping for a loan deal for the striker but it is understood that City want to sell him permanently. The London club had hoped that new signing Pablo Zabaleta would help their negotiations with Iheanacho as the Argentine full-back joined from City as a free agent. But the Nigerian forward now seems to be destined to play his football elsewhere as Premier League rivals Leicester City have acted quickly and are confident of securing his signature very soon. He broke into Man City's first team in the 2015-16 season and has scored 21 goals in 64 appearances for the Manchester club, with many of them coming off the bench. The Hammers have also been strongly linked with Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud.
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Sofiane Feghouli sends message to West Ham and Galatasaray over his future
The Algerian is reportedly being lined up for a move to Turkey and wasn't at Rush Green on Wednesday
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
14:16, 6 JUL 2017
Sofiane Feghouli's future at West Ham is up in the air this summer as he wasn't at the first pre-season training session with his current employers on Wednesday.
The Hammers are listening to offers for the Algerian winger and one of them is from Galatasaray who have offered a sum of £4m for his services. Galatasaray are busy trying to tempt Feghouli into joining them, though he hasn't said he wants to leave West Ham, but Slaven Bilic won't stand in his way if he does decide to go.
Feghouli wasn't at Rush Green as the rest of the first team players - minus a few internationals - returned to pre-season training with the club but it appears that he isn't taking time off. Judging by his most recent Instagram post, which you can see above, Feghouli is working hard to try and impress his current employers - or maybe a new one - that he is still in good nick after the summer break. The winger has previously said: "In the winter, I had a lot of offers and decided to have a frank discussion with the coach about whether or not he was counting on me since I needed time to demonstrate my value.
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"Shocking decision" - West Ham fans slam Sky Sports for moving Huddersfield fixture to Monday night
Hammers fans are not impressed at the broadcaster after moving the fixture
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
13:41, 6 JUL 2017
West Ham fans have taken to Twitter to slam Sky Sports for moving their first home game of the season to a Monday Night Football fixture. Sky and BT announced their first scheduled TV games for the upcoming season earlier on Thursday and the Hammers have had a few fixtures re-jigged around to suit the broadcasters.
The first game of the season - away at Manchester United - has been moved from August 12 to Sunday, August 13 at 4pm. The home game against Spurs on September 23 has also been moved to a 12.30pm kick off on September 23, while the visit of Arsenal to E20 is now a midweek game on December 13. But it's the home game with Huddersfield Town which has irked the most, now at 8pm on September 11. The Hammers are away for their first three games of the season owing to the World Athletics Championships being held at the London Stadium, with the game against the Premier League newboys slated for 3pm on September 9.
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Javier Hernandez wants £140,000-a-week to join West Ham United
HITC
John Verrall
West Ham United are keen to upgrade their front line, with Bayer Leverkusen's Javier Hernandez their top target. According to a report on Bleacher Report, West Ham United are interested in signing Javier Hernandez - but he is demanding £140,000-a-week wages. Hernandez is set to move on from Bayer Leverkusen this summer, and he could be available at a relatively cheap price. West Ham are eager to bring the former Manchester United man to the London Stadium.
However, Hernandez's wage demands are said to be causing a complication. Hernandez wants a Premier League move, but is eager to maximise his earnings.
If West Ham were to cave to Hernandez's demands it would make him their top earner by a considerable distance. The Hammers are desperate to bring in a new forward this summer, as their current options up-front have proven unreliable. Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho have struggled to stay off the treatment table, while Ashley Fletcher is unproven at Premier League level.
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David Sullivan's message for West Ham fans in light of impressive news
HITC
Antony Martin
West Ham United had some teething problems at their new home last season, and will be expecting big improvements this term. The Hammers have sold out their 52,000 season ticket allocation for the second consecutive season, and co-owner David Sullivan highlighted the club's loyal fanbase as the foundation to their hopes of achieving success in the future, as quoted by the club's official website. West Ham struggled to adjust to the new surroundings of the London Stadium last season, and their poor home form proved to be a major contributing factor behind their underwhelming 11th placed finish in the Premier League table. Slaven Bilic will be looking to make some high quality signings this month, in an effort to guide his side back towards the top end of the table, but he must ensure that he is targeting players with the specific attributes to suit his preferred style of play. Sullivan, however, seems confident of his club's chances over the coming years, praising their loyal fanbase for their continued support, as quoted by WHUFC.com:
"West Ham United has the best supporters in the country who, time and time again, go above and beyond in their display of commitment and devotion to this club. We always harboured the belief and confidence that our fanbase was deserving of a bigger and better platform and, for the second consecutive season, we will have 52,000 season ticket holders backing Slaven's side at every home game this season. The appetite to come and support West Ham United and pack out London Stadium is real, and the foundations for us to build on our stronger than ever."
West Ham kick off their new campaign away at Manchester United on August 12th, before playing their first home fixture a week later, when they welcome Southampton to the London Stadium. And Hammers fans will be desperate for a better start than last season which saw them win only two home Premier League games up until the middle of December.
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'We can do many things here' - Pedro Obiang signs new five year contract at West Ham
JAMES BENGE
London Evening Standard
Pedro Obiang has signed a new contract at West Ham until 2022. The Spanish midfielder established himself as one of Slaven Bilic's most important and consistent performers last season and was linked with a move to Everton. However the 25-year-old has committed to extending his stay at the London Stadium, where he has made 46 Premier League appearances across the last two seasons. "Over the next five years, we can achieve many, many things but we are going to start from today," Obiang said. "Of course, I trust the club and the situation and I know I am in a very good team at a very good club. "I have a lot of teammates here and I talked to Manu [Lanzini], Adrian and Angelo [Ogbonna] over the summer when we were on holidays and that's maybe a little bit of the reason I signed a new contract is because I prefer to be here than in another place, because I feel like part of a family here. "I think here we can do many things. When I start to play, I have confidence and I don't know why the situation changed [last season]. I had the possibility to start and to demonstrate what I wanted to demonstrate in my first season here, but for many reasons I didn't do. Now I have time to do it."
Obiang missed the end of last season with an ankle injury but is expected to be fit to take part in the Hammers' pre-season fixtures before they kick off the new season against Manchester United on Sunday, August 13.
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West Ham dealt blow in Batshuayi chase as Lukaku snubs Chelsea for Manchester United
One of the Hammers striker targets might be a little further away now
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
11:34, 6 JUL 2017
West Ham have been in the market for a host of strikers this summer but it appears that one of their targets could be a bit further away as of Thursday morning.
Chelsea frontman Michy Batshuayi has long been linked with a switch to the London Stadium this summer after the east Londoners missed out on the Belgian last summer. West Ham had a bid of £30m accepted by Marseille for Batshuayi, only to be beaten a the last minute by Antonio Conte and the Blues, who swooped in with a £33m bid. The Hammers retained an interest in Batshuayi but were waiting on Chelsea to complete a deal to sign Romelu Lukaku from Everton. However, reports have emerged this morning that Lukaku has snubbed the Blues and is off to join Manchester United instead in a £75m deal. With the Blues seemingly destined to miss out on their target in Lukaku, Batshuayi is unlikely to go as Diego Cosat is set for an exit from Stamford Bridge. Unless Chelsea can sign another forward - they are looking at Alvaro Morata and Andre Belotti - then Batshuayi won't be going anywhere.
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Bayern Munich mock West Ham's trophy cabinet after London Stadium brag about bigger screen on Twitter
West Ham's stadium posted about their gigantic screen on their Twitter account
But Bayern Munich's US outpost were not willing to take the insult lying down
They humorously took down West Ham with a line about the trophy cabinet
By Amitai Winehouse For Mailonline
PUBLISHED: 19:19 EDT, 5 July 2017 | UPDATED: 19:23 EDT, 5 July 2017
It says a lot about the age of social media that stadiums and football clubs can end up in pitched battles online. But that is what happened on Wednesday when the London Stadium decided to take to their Twitter account and brag about the size of the screen installed at the site of the 2012 Olympics. They ended up attracting the ire of Bayern Munich's notoriously banter-friendly American outpost.
Showing off on the social media website, @LondonStadium wrote: 'We're not precious, but our screen is four times the size of the Allianz Arena's.'
They added two more points, writing: '@LondonStadium 1, @FCBayernEN 0' and hashtagging the post, '#NoNeedForPenalties'.
But @FCBayernUS were not going to take this attempt to steal their humour crown lying down and decided to fight back.
They retweeted the post by the London Stadium and added their own comment: 'How about that trophy cabinet?'
Supporters worldwide clearly gave the victory to Bayern, although one West Ham fan pointed out: 'Where's Bayern Munich's Championship play-off final trophy?'
The London Stadium had their own scoreline in mind prior to Bayern's comeback. They thought it was all over at 1-0. It is now.
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'ARSENAL OUTCAST WALCOTT WOULD THRIVE AT WEST HAM' - WINTERBURN
06:48 SHARE 0 COMMENTS
Beta.goal.com
The former Gunners defender has tipped the England international forward to be a good partner for Andy Carroll with the Hammers Former Arsenal star Nigel Winterburn believes that Theo Walcott would be a great fit beside Andy Carroll at West Ham. Wintreburn, 53, played for both London sides, joining the Hammers to close out his career after racking up over 400 league appearances for the Gunners. With rumours circling around the future of Walcott after the club splashed out a fee understood to be in the region of £46 million for Lyon's Alexandre Lacazette, the former full-back believes it would be good for Walcott to make a similar move between the clubs. "The problem for Theo is that Arsenal switched the system at the end of last season and that system doesn't suit him, not at Arsenal anyway," Winterburn told bwin. "Theo will think that if Arsenal are trying to limit his game time, he'll feel like 'where do I fit in? Is it time for a new challenge?'
"I think when players of that quality become available, it's natural to say that they would say they are interested. "West Ham playing with two up front including Carroll with Theo, I can see that working very well. Then you also have the option of playing him off the striker or playing right or left, so you're getting a fair bit for your money. "The problem for Theo at Arsenal is where do they see him playing if they stick to a back three or back five?"
While Walcott may seem like the perfect fit, Winterburn feels that, should Olivier Giroud decide he wants to stay in London rather than moving, Slaven Bilic's side could be a solid landing spot for him as well. "I think Arsenal have stated that they would like to keep Giroud, but they might need to review the situation depending what happens in the summer," he said. "He's probably looking at his age and thinking 'I need to be playing and I want to make sure that I'm part of the French squad'. "I think he's done a very good job and I just wonder whether Arsenal want a little bit more mobility going forward. He found himself on the bench at the end of the season and he obviously wouldn't want that to happen. "It's again whether the player feels that he is going to play enough games or is it time to make the break? I think there would be a lot more offers from abroad if he did move from Arsenal. "He might also be settled in London and if that is the case, West Ham have a good link with Arsenal and if he wanted to stay in London that could be a good opportunity for West Ham to get a very good striker.
"I could see it happening but you have to think whether the player believes he is capable of playing for a top-six club and West Ham are not a top-six club. It'll be a case of whether West Ham can convince the player to join them."
Giroud and Walcott combined for 22 goals in the Premier League during the 2016-17 season, but the Gunners couldn't lock down a spot in the Champions League, finishing fifth behind Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham and champions Chelsea.
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West Ham to beat Newcastle to £15m Premier League striker's signature - report
Andre Gray is moving closer to a West Ham transfer this summer
Football London
BYKEVIN BEIRNE
07:00, 6 JUL 2017
West Ham are close to sealing the £15m transfer of Burnley striker Andre Gray this summer, according to the Standard. The 26-year-old has just one year left on his current deal with the Clarets, and talks over a new contract have hit a wall as Burnley are unwilling to meet Gray's wage demands. That has opened the door for the Hammers to swoop in and make Gray their second signing of the summer, after the confirmed the arrival of Pablo Zabaleta on a free transfer last month.
Although Burnley are said to want to hold on to Gray, they are afraid of losing him for nothing next summer if he fails to sign a new deal. And with West Ham willing to drop £15m for his services, it looks like the Hammers will beat out the newly-promoted Newcastle in the race for the Englishman's signature. The Hammers are said to be chasing Olivier Giroud and Javier Hernandez, but it looks like Gray may become their first attacking signing of this transfer window.
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Magpies hoping to sign Andre Gray from Burnley
Scott Wilson scottwilsonecho
Chief Sports Writer
NEWCASTLE UNITED are ready to battle West Ham United for the signature of Andre Gray, with the striker continuing to stall on the offer of a new deal at Burnley.
Gray has repeatedly rejected attempts to pin him down to an extended contract at Turf Moor, and Burnley officials have reluctantly accepted they might well have to sell the 26-year-old, who has entered the final year of his current deal. Burnley boss Sean Dyche is hoping to sign Jon Walters from Stoke City, and if the Irishman can be persuaded to join the Clarets, Gray will be allowed to leave. West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has already signalled his intention to bid for the forward, who finished last season with nine Premier League goals to his name. Bilic would be willing to pay around £12m for Gray, but Newcastle officials are ready to make their own offer if Burnley confirm a willingness to do business. Rafael Benitez is determined to strengthen his attacking resources this summer, and while Portuguese sources yesterday linked the Magpies with a possible €35m bid for long-term target Bas Dost, Gray is regarded as a much more realistic target.
Newcastle's scouting team watched him on a number of occasions last season, and Benitez regards him as a proven Premier League performer who could be under-priced because of his contractual position. The Newcastle boss will be pushing those above him to do all they can to force through a deal, having welcomed the majority of his players back to pre-season training at the start of the week. Florian Lejeune became the second player to join Newcastle on a permanent basis this summer when he completed an £8.7m move from Eibar on Tuesday, but Benitez is hoping another couple of deals will be completed within the next few weeks. Kieran Gibbs remains a leading target, with Arsenal willing to consider selling the left-back for around £10m, while Newcastle are still in the market for potential loan deals involving Liverpool's Sheyi Ojo and Chelsea's Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
The Magpies have also been linked with Joe Hart and Sam Clucas, but at this stage, they are not understood to be interested in either of those players. Further departures are likely before the new Premier League season begins, with Reading lining up an offer for goalkeeper Karl Darlow. Benitez is willing to sell both Darlow and Tim Krul this summer, and Reading boss Jaap Stam is an admirer of the former, who was Newcastle's first-choice goalkeeper for the majority of last season.
Daryl Murphy has been told to seek alternative employers this summer, and Norwich City have inquired about the former Ipswich striker's situation. Newcastle are keen to recoup the £3m they spent to sign Murphy from Ipswich last summer, but Norwich will look to include a series of clauses in any potential deal.
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£21.4 million bid rejected in 2015, should West Ham try again for Carlos Vela?
HITC
Antony Martin
The Mexican would be an excellent addition to the West Ham United squad this summer. Hammers fans are craving some top quality additions to their squad this summer, but are not entirely confident that the board and manager have what it takes to attract star names to the London Stadium. Slaven Bilic has seemingly reached an impasse in his search for an established striker, with moves for Olivier Giroud and Kelechi Iheanacho fizzling out, with the two hitmen preferring moves to other clubs, according to the Mirror. The Croatian has now set his sights on Andre Gray, according to the Mirror, and are willing to pay up to £15 million to secure his services. A move for the 26-year-old reeks of last summer's desperate transfer activity, however, and the West Ham faithful will surely be underwhelmed with news of a move for the Clarets striker.
With this in mind, Bilic should perhaps consider switching targets, and make a move for Real Sociedad's Carlos Vela. The 28-year-old former Arsenal star can play anywhere along the front-line, and would add a certain level of quality and guile to the Hammers' attack. The skilful left-footer has just one year remaining on his current deal in Spain, so could be picked up for quite the bargain - something that will most definitely appeal to West Ham's notoriously stubborn board. Like 2016, this summer's transfer window is once again approaching a point where it will become irrevocably damaging to the east London outfit's hopes of success this season, but the signing of the Mexican could change all of that. He possesses an abundance of pace - something that the Hammers desperately lack in forward areas, and is clinical in front of goal, having scored 72 goals in 233 games for Sociedad, with most of those appearances coming from out wide.
According to Radio Marca, West Ham actually tried to sign Vela in 2015, after meeting his £21.4 million release clause, but the 28-year-old rejected a move to east London. Circumstances have now changed though, and the Hammers could surely tempt him into joining them this summer, what with the opportunity of playing in front of 55,000 plus fans every other week at the London Stadium. And if Bilic does manage to bring him to the club, it could turn out to be a signing of real significance for West Ham.
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Brighton and Sunderland chase West Ham's £8m Robert Snodgrass
Telegraph.co.uk
Luke Edwards
6 JULY 2017 • 8:53AM
Brighton and Sunderland are interested in signing West Ham's Robert Snodgrass after learning the Hammers are willing to let the Scotland international leave the club this summer. Brighton would appear to be the favourites given they can offer the 29-year-old Premier League football and also have the money to match West Ham's £8m asking price. Brighton have been cautious in their recruitment since securing promotion to the top flight under manager Chris Hughton, but feel Snodgrass is precisely the sort of player they need if they are going to survive in the Premier League. The winger was superb for Hull at the start of last season, but he has failed to have the expected impact at West Ham since he arrived in the January transfer window. Although they are no longer in the Premier League, Sunderland are also trying to attract him to the North East and are hoping the fact he played for manager Simon Grayson at Leeds United will help their cause.
Snodgrass may also be more open to the idea of playing in the second tier again as he wants to move closer to his family in Scotland. That is something that benefited Newcastle United when they signed Matt Ritchie from Bournemouth 12 months ago. Sunderland know it is an ambitious attempt to sign a player who has proven his Premier League pedigree, but will at least try to see if they can persuade the player to drop down into the Championship. Sunderland would be willing to pay a loan fee, with a clause which would automatically turn the move into a permanent one if they are promoted next year. Middlesbrough also tried to sign Snodgrass when he left Hull at the start of the year and could also be interested in a deal, even though they are already close to signing midfielder Jonny Howson from Norwich City. Sunderland have already had some early success in the transfer market in Grayson's first week as manager, signing Everton defensive duo Ty Browning and Brendan Galloway on loan, with winger Aiden McGeady also due to arrive from Goodison Park in a £2m deal.
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