Daily WHUFC News - 2nd February 2018

Club statement: Tony Henry
WHUFC.com

The Club can confirm that Director of Player Recruitment Tony Henry has been
suspended pending a full and thorough investigation. West Ham United will
not tolerate any type of discrimination and has, therefore, acted swiftly
due to the serious nature of these claims.

The West Ham United family is an inclusive one where, regardless of gender,
age, ability, race, religion or sexual orientation, everybody feels welcome
and included.

The Club will make no further comment until the investigation has been
concluded.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Adrian excited by Joao Mario/Chicharito partnership
WHUFC.com

Adrian is excited by the prospect of playing in a West Ham United side led
by the potent attacking duo of Joao Mario and Chicharito at Brighton & Hove
Albion.
The goalkeeper was hugely impressed by the Portugal midfielder's Premier
League debut at home to Crystal Palace on Tuesday evening, including the way
he combined with the Mexico striker. One such link-up led to the penalty
which Mark Noble converted to earn the Hammers a deserved 1-1 draw, and the
Spanish stopper is looking forward to seeing what the international
attacking pair can do at the Amex on Saturday afternoon. "It was a
magnificent performance from Joao, considering he has just come to the
Premier League and this was the first time he had played at this different
tempo and intensity," said Adrian. "He played a great 90 minutes, was always
sharp, was always trying to go forward and was sharp with his passing and
dribbling. I think he played really well and he has to keep going in this
way. "Chicharito did a really good job for us. Football is like life;
sometimes you have good moments and sometimes you have less good moments but
now he has his chance and he is showing us he is a great striker and he is
helping us a lot."
Adrian, Joao Mario and Chicharito could be joined in David Moyes' squad by a
host of players returning from injury at Brighton, with the likes of Winston
Reid, Jose Fonte and Michail Antonio available again and new signing Jordan
Hugill expected to be involved for the first time. With Moyes' options
bolstered, the No13 is hoping the Hammers can extend their run to one defeat
in eleven Premier League matches. "On Tuesday, both teams fought until the
end to get the three points but the result was a fair one. Both teams had
chances and at the end of the day it is one more point, we are still on a
good run, so I think it's a good result. "It's a handicap to have so many
players injured, which makes it hard for the manager and hard for the team,
but I think we did well. The players who are fit are playing well and giving
100 per cent, so we have to keep working in this way and hope the injured
players come back as soon as possible."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
9 things you probably didn't know about Jordan Hugill
WHUFC.com

West Ham United completed the signing of Preston North End forward Jordan
Hugill on deadline day. Here we find out more about the Hammers' new No12.

1. Jordan has worked his way up from the bottom to reach the very top of the
game, after starting out in non-league football in his native North East
with the likes of Seaham Red Star, Consett and Whitby Town.

2. During his time at Marske United, near his hometown of Middlesbrough, he
could be found pulling pints as a barman at Boro's Dickens Inn.

3. He spent a year in Spain with the Glenn Hoddle Academy, which aims to get
young players back into professional football. The Academy has produced some
notable success stories, including Swansea City's Sam Clucas, Scotland
international Ikechi Anya and now Hugill.

4. He finally got his break in pro football at the age of 21 when Port Vale
snapped him up and he scored his first Football League goal on 16 November
2013, rounding off the scoring in a 3-1 home win over Shrewsbury Town.

5. He ended his only campaign with the Valiants by picking up the Club's
Young Player of the Year award and was on the move again in summer 2014 to
Preston North End.

6. He hit the ground running for the Lilywhites, scoring two goals in his
first five games for his new club, including one at Middlesbrough in the
League Cup, before suffering an injury which kept him out until February.

7. When he returned to fitness he was loaned to Tranmere Rovers and
Hartlepool United, scoring the crucial goal for Pools against Exeter City
which preserved their Football League status on the penultimate day of the
2014/15 season.

8. Jordan ended the 2016/17 season as Preston North End's top goalscorer, as
his 13 strikes helped the Deepdale side record a mid-table Championship
finish.

9. He has continued to find the net on a regular basis this term, notching
ten times to pave the way for his move to the Hammers.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham snap up forward Oladapo Afolayan
WHUFC.com

West Ham United are delighted to announce the signing of highly-rated young
forward Oladapo Afolayan. The prolific 20-year-old, who will initially join
Terry Westley's U23 squad, has been snapped up from National League club
Solihull Moors, where his goalscoring exploits were attracting intense
interest from a host of Premier League and Championship clubs. The speedy
striker, who has joined on a three-and-a-half year contract for an
undisclosed fee, is looking forward to pulling on a West Ham shirt. "It's a
dream come true," said. Afolayan, who was in the same year-group as Tammy
Abraham and Dominic Solanke as a youngster at Chelsea. "I've worked hard to
get here and I'm grateful for the opportunity. "I started out with Chelsea
and was there until I was 15, then my family moved to Canada and I was part
of the Academy at Toronto FC. Then, when we moved back, I studied civil
engineering at Loughborough University before the opportunity arose to join
Solihull and play in the National League and it was something I couldn't
turn down. "Now, the opportunity has come to join a Premier League club and
West Ham is one which has always given youngsters opportunities to come
through, as we have seen this season, so I've come here to get into the
first team and make a name for myself."

The youngster was scouted by Academy Director Westley and his staff, who
believe his huge potential will flourish in east London. "Oladapo is an
interesting player on many levels and we are delighted that he has chosen to
continue his footballing education with us," said Westley. "He has hunger to
make it at the highest level. "He is aggressive, has great pace and the
knack of scoring goals, which he has done regularly in his first season in
senior football. For now, Oladapo is one for the future and I would like to
thank my head of recruitment Dave Hunt and his team for identifying him as
an exciting prospect and completing the deal. "With a number of other clubs
interested in signing Oladapo, we felt we could not wait until the summer to
make our move and that bringing him to West Ham now was too good an
opportunity to miss."

Hunt himself is also excited about what the young recruit will bring to east
London. "Our semi-professional scout Mark Dorado initially spotted Oladapo
and he, one of our full-time Academy scouting team Brad Farmer, Terry and
myself all went to watch him in person on a number of occasions," said Hunt.
"The reports we had received proved to be accurate, as he did really well
when we saw him play. He is quick, likes to run in behind and knows where
the goal is. "Oladapo is originally from London and played for Chelsea
between the ages of eleven and 15, where he knew Declan Rice, Dan Kemp and
Vashon Neufville. He spent time in the Academy system in Canada before
returning to England to study at Loughborough University. "He has scored
regularly for Solihull this season, netting eleven times for a struggling
team in the National League, and had attracted a lot of attention from some
big clubs, so we knew we had to move fast and we did."

Afolayan will join up with the U23s and could make his debut in Claret and
Blue in Monday's Premier League 2 Division 1 fixture with Sunderland at
Chigwell Construction Stadium.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Transfer deadline day round-up
WHUFC.com

Permanent Transfers In
Jordan Hugill (Preston North End)
Oladapo Afolayan (Solihull Moors)

Permanent Transfers Out
Andre Ayew (Swansea City)

Loans Out (Domestic)
Moses Makasi (Plymouth Argyle)
Reece Burke (Bolton Wanderers)

Loans Out (International)
Reece Oxford (Borussia Monchengladbach - Germany)
Antonio Martinez (Real Valladolid – Spain)

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Toni Martinez loaned to Spanish club Real Valladolid
WHUFC.com

Toni Martinez has joined Spanish Second Division side Real Valladolid on
loan until the end of the season, subject to international clearance. The
20-year-old striker, who hails from Murcia in the east of Spain, will hope
to gain more valuable first-team experience when he links up with the Whites
and Violets. Martinez has already made one breakthrough this season, making
his first-team debut for West Ham and featuring in all three Emirates FA Cup
ties against Shrewsbury Town and Wigan Athletic. A prolific marksman at U23
level, the youngster bagged eleven in 16 appearances in Premier League 2
Division 1 and the Checkatrade Trophy.
Martinez's loan to Valladolid, who sit tenth in the Spanish Second Division
table, two points outside the play-off places, is the second of his Hammers
career, with the forward having also spent time at EFL League One club
Oxford United in the spring of 2017. We wish Toni all the best for his loan
spell.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Noble: Joao Mario is going to suit West Ham United
WHUFC.com

Mark Noble says new boy Joao Mario is 'going to suit' West Ham United with
his all-round game. The Portuguese midfielder caught the eye of his captain
during an encouraging full debut in Tuesday's 1-1 Premier League draw with
Crystal Palace at London Stadium. And Noble expects the No18 to continue to
improve as he settles into his new surroundings and is excited by the
prospect of seeing him line up alongside Marko Arnautovic and Manuel Lanzini
when his fellow attackers return from injury. "To me, it seems Joao Mario
isn't going to be fazed by anything," said the skipper. "You get the feeling
when someone is quite relaxed and you could also see on Tuesday that he
doesn't mind putting his foot in and getting a bump. "The Portuguese are
normally quite tough and I think he's going to suit our football well and on
Tuesday we needed him. "With Marko and Manu, they're clever players and you
could see the clever little pass he gave Chicharito for the penalty. The
further we get him up the pitch, he's going to score goals as well."

With Arnautovic and Lanzini still on the sidelines, Noble and Joao Mario
will again be important to the Hammers when they travel to newly-promoted
Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend. Victory at the Amex would see the
Hammers go four points clear of the Seagulls, and also avenge the 3-0 win
Chris Hughton's men scored at London Stadium in October. "It's important
that we win on Saturday, but I think all the matches are important against
the teams we have around us. We need to carry on the momentum we've got,
keep the spirit of not losing games, because that's really important,
because if you don't lose them then you're going to keep picking up points.
"We need to keep picking up points, because the more you do that, the closer
you'll get to that 40-point mark and I'm sure the gaffer agrees that, having
come in when we were really struggling, the main aim was to keep us in the
Premier League. "We are sitting in mid-table, but it's only by four or five
points, so we need to keep chipping away and picking up points and hopefully
we can win a couple of games. "I think it'll probably be less than 40 points
to stay up, with the way the league is this season, but we must 100 per cent
have won games by the end of the season, because we want to be away from
that and looking forward."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hugill: West Ham will never get less than 100 per cent from me
WHUFC.com

Jordan Hugill has promised to give 'nothing less than 100 per cent' every
time he pulls on a Claret and Blue shirt after joining West Ham United. The
25-year-old centre forward completed a deadline day move from Preston North
End and will meet his new teammates for the first time on Thursday. The new
No12, whose move completes an amazing, heart-warming climb from non-league
to Premier League, cannot wait to walk out at London Stadium and hear
Bubbles being belted out by 57,000 passionate Hammers…

Jordan, welcome to West Ham United. I understand you trained with Preston in
the morning, then got the train down to London and completed your move, so
what's your reaction at the end of an action-packed day?

"I'm absolutely delighted. It's been a long day and a stressful one at
times, but to get this over the line is amazing for me and it's now a new
challenge for me and hopefully I can bring what I did at Preston here and
show what I can do. We got on the train at lunchtime and I couldn't tell you
what happened, it's all been a blur!"

You are now 'Jordan Hugill, Premier League footballer', so how does that
sound?

"It's amazing to know I'm a Premier League footballer, to know where I've
come from in the last five years to where I am now in the Premier League is
amazing. I'm still pinching myself to see if it's all real, but hopefully I
can bring my qualities from Preston here to West Ham. Without a doubt it's a
huge opportunity and I'm looking forward to it."

We know you have done brilliantly at Preston North End over the last couple
of seasons, but how would you describe the qualities you are bringing to
West Ham United?

"Wherever I have been in life, not just in football, but in whatever I do, I
give everything and that's going to be the main thing for me. I'm going to
give absolutely everything for this Club and for my teammates. It's a new
challenge for me, playing in the Premier League, but they are going to get
nothing less than 100 per cent."

You grew up in the North East and have played for Port Vale and Preston, so
what do you know about West Ham United?

"I know a lot about West Ham and its history. Upton Park spoke for itself
and now the big move here which was a brilliant thing. The one thing that
has struck me about watching West Ham over the years is the fan base that
we've got. It's amazing how good the fans are here, so I'm looking forward
to walking out at London Stadium and hearing the old Bubbles!"

Your footballing journey has been pretty unique, so what can you tell us
about your rise to the top?

"It's been a pretty mad one! When I was 18, I went off to the Glenn Hoddle
Academy for a year and nothing eventually came of that and I found myself
playing non-league up in Middlesbrough for about a year.

"When I was about 21, after a lot of hard work, I got picked up by Port Vale
and from there I moved to Preston, and from Preston to here! It's been a mad
story and, considering five years ago I was working behind a bar, it's
unbelievable. It's still quite surreal now, but I'm just delighted to be
here."

You'd have played in front of crowds of just a few hundred in non-league,
and now you're set to play in front of 57,000 here at London Stadium. How
does that feel?

"It's something I'm really, really looking forward to and I honestly can't
wait for that first game to come round and to walk out there onto that pitch
through all the bubbles!"

Jordan HugillWe have had many players who have followed similar paths from
the Championship to the Premier League – Michail Antonio, Sam Byram and
Aaron Cresswell, among them – so although the step up is a big one, it must
be one you are confident of making?

"Definitely, and I'm hoping to replicate what they have achieved. If you
look at how well they've done, if I can aim to do the same, that would be
great for me."

You must be looking forward to training and playing with the likes of
Chicharito, Manuel Lanzini, Marko Arnautovic and Joao Mario…

"Without a doubt! It's still a bit surreal at the moment. You're saying
these names to me at the minute, but they're not sinking in, to be honest.
I'm looking forward to getting into training, meeting all the lads and
hopefully doing well with them as well."

You'll be testing yourself against the best, too…

"It's one of the things you want as a footballer, to test yourself and push
yourself to see how well you can do and how much you can do and by playing
against the best players in the world you can do that."

Thank you, so what's your message to West Ham fans?

"You're going to get nothing less than 100 per cent from me, week-in,
week-out, no matter what's going on, you're going to get 100 per cent."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham suspend Tony Henry over claims of club policy against signing
Africans
BBC.co.uk

West Ham have suspended director of player recruitment Tony Henry over
claims he said the club would not sign any more African players. The Daily
Mail reported that Henry said African players "cause mayhem" when they are
not in the team. In a statement, West Ham said they will not tolerate any
type of discrimination and have "therefore, acted swiftly due to the serious
nature of these claims". The Football Association says it will formally
investigate the matter. West Ham said Henry has been suspended pending "a
full and thorough investigation".

A statement continued: "The West Ham United family is an inclusive one
where, regardless of gender, age, ability, race, religion or sexual
orientation, everybody feels welcome and included. "The club will make no
further comment until the investigation has been concluded."

All employees are trained on equality, diversity and unconscious bias, said
the club. The Professional Footballers' Assocaition said it was "shocked" by
the reported comments and encouraged by West Ham's response. "The PFA
strongly condemn any such views and there is no place for them in football,"
it said. West Ham have six first-team squad members of African descent:
Cheikhou Kouyate, Pedro Obiang, Joao Mario, Angelo Ogbonna, Arthur Masuaku
and Edimilson Fernandes.
Senegal striker Diafra Sakho left the club in the January transfer window to
join Rennes, with Ghana international Andre Ayew heading to Swansea. West
Ham are 12th in the Premier League, but only four points above the
relegation zone. Henry, who has previously worked for Everton, Sunderland
and Chelsea, joined West Ham in 2014. He played professionally for several
clubs, including Manchester City, Bolton and Oldham.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WHAT A MAD 24 HOURS!
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 1 FEBRUARY 2018 AT 8:55PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Kevin Slade @KevinSladeSDCC

What a mad twenty four hours it's been. I'm struggling on where to start, so
I'll begin on a positive note (for once!) and talk about our only deadline
day signing, Jordan Hugill…
Like Joao Mario, Jordan is a player I know very little about. In fact, I'd
never even heard of him until yesterday when the news was breaking across
various media outlets and on social media. Firstly, I'd like to welcome
Jordan to the club as it's obviously a huge step in his career and he will
need support from us. We love a grafter at West Ham – a player who will play
for the shirt, dig deep, and basically give his all. I'm not expecting
Jordan to score 20 goals a season, and I'm not expecting him to set the
world alight. I took it upon myself to surf some Preston North End forums to
learn abit more about him, and it looks like he boasts the attributes of a
hard working forward who will hold the ball up for the midfield. YouTube
(obviously!) was my next destination at this point, at the lad looks like he
has a hell of a lot in his locker – strong, can finish with both feet, good
in the air, quite quick, and has great feet for a 'target man'. However the
Premier League is a huge step from the championship, so I really hope he can
make the leap and become a success with us. Good luck Jordan!
Leading on from this signing, the criticism the board received via social
for it was something else… it's very important that people understand it's
not Jordan's fault he was bought from the championship. There's two sides to
this for me – we've plucked players out of the championship in the past who
have gone on to become first team regulars for us, and although I really
want the lad to do well for us, this signing shows a huge lack of ambition
from the club after selling two established players in Sakho and Ayew, who
can both do a job for us when called upon. For the life of me I just cannot
understand why on God's green earth we'd sell our top scorer (Ayew) to a
relegation rival, who beat Arsenal 3-1 last night?! Ex confirmed on the show
that Ayew wanted to leave… Fair enough, and although I'm not Andre's biggest
fan, he can still do a job for us. I would have held on to him until at
least the summer where we can go again and find a suitable replacement for
him as he's a utility player. The squad is already wafer thin that's
absolutely ravaged with injuries so why this has been allowed to happen is
anybody's guess. This is what has angered me the most during this transfer
window.
The sales of Sakho, Ayew, and Oxford going back out on loan has brought in
approximately £33m… Around £8m of that was spent on Jordan Hugill. There's
still £25m of that floating around, so my theory is this – The board are
either doing one of two things with the Money: They know David Moyes isn't
their long term man and are holding it back for a new manager in the summer,
or, they're quite simply pocketing it. I'd like to believe they're holding
it for a new manager, but my gut instinct tells me that business is business
and they're 'entitled' to pocket it. We will only know in five months time…
During the radio show last night the news regarding Tony Henry was broken.
I'm absolutely astonished by this purely because he has personally scouted
and recommended some of our African players – including youths. The fact
that our strongest eleven consists of at least 4-5 players of African
descent doesn't send out a great message to them, does it? It's a complete
disgrace. The club is in an absolute mess at the moment and with the views
that Tony Henry has, he has no place at this football club. Whoever is in
charge of PR at the club either needs to be sacked or resign immediately
because they are continuing to allow all of these fuck ups to happen & drag
our great club through the gutter. And to be perfectly honest, I'm getting
sick to death of it. Supporting this club is becoming arduous in every sense
of the word lately, all due to the incompetence of how it's being run.
I started this article on a positive note, so I want to end it on one as the
world of West Ham United just seems to be doom & gloom at the moment. I'm
very much looking forward to the Brighton game and now think we can nick a
result there. If we get 3 points, that'll bring us to the top half of the
table again providing other results go our way! COYI

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Fresh Brady row adds to West Ham's woes
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 1st February 2018
By: Staff Writer

It has been claimed that West Ham's efforts to sign Islam Slimani from
Leicester were rebuffed due to comments made by West Ham United's vice-chair
Karren Brady in a tabloid column. Brady, who writes a weekly diary for The
Sun criticised Foxes chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in a 2017 column
following the sacking of title-winning boss Claudio Ranieri. "A fellow
Premier League director reports that last night he bumped into the Leicester
chairman at London's most-expensive wine shop," said Brady. "The Leicester
owner told him they'd sacked Claudio Ranieri. "He then casually settled his
bill for wine and champagne. Since the sum was close to £500,000 I guess the
compensation to his old manager is pocket change. At least the owner can
drown his sorrows in style!"

andy dillon
@andydillon70
Hearing that West Ham have missed out on Slimani because of 'issues' between
them and the owners of Leicester.
2:34 PM - Jan 31, 2018
6 6 Replies 10 10 Retweets 13 13 likes
Twitter Ads info and privacy

Brady's broadside was reported to have angered Leicester chiefs to the point
that West Ham's attempts to secure the £29million striker on loan were never
considered; Slimani ended the day as a Newcastle United player instead. The
Guardian adds that Brady had since apologised to Srivaddhanaprabha for any
offence that her tabloid piece may have caused and whilst that is said to
have been accepted at the time, these developments suggest they hadn't been
forgotten - nor forgiven. At a time when the Baroness and her Board are
already under fire from supporters following their inability to push through
a number of key deals during the January transfer window - disappointment
overshadowed, for now, by the Tony Henry revelations which threaten to
damage West Ham United's reputation irreparably - this latest episode will
cast further doubt on the owners' ability to improve the club's ailing
fortunes.

Graeme Howlett
@kumbdotcom
A fresh link. Let's not forget that Sky reporters have been working closely
with David Sullivan this week.
https://twitter.com/SportsPeteO/status/958701937108701184 …
2:05 PM - Jan 31, 2018
5 5 Replies 2 2 Retweets 8 8 likes
Twitter Ads info and privacy

Although the hungry (but raw) Jordan Hugill arrived on the final day of the
month-long window - a deal so under the radar that Sky Sports were
(genuinely) first to break the story - his arrival was insufficient
compensation for the loss of two established international forwards in
Diafra Sakho and Andre Ayew - in addition to the departure of several
youngsters on the periphery of the first team squad.

And whilst early performances indicate that Joao Mario's acquisition, on
loan from Inter, looks to be an astute one, the sale of Ayew - to a
relegation rival - has angered, astounded and mystified fans in equal
measure according to the latest Forum and social media contributions,
despite the Board managing to claw back the bulk of the £20.5million they
paid Swansea for the Ghanaian 18 months ago.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers offered Premier League midfielder
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 1st February 2018
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United have been offered the opportunity to sign defensive
midfielder Jan Kirchhoff on a free transfer. The 27-year-old defensive
midfielder has been out of the game since leaving relegated Sunderland on a
free transfer last summer after his 18-month contract expired at the end of
the 2016/17 campaign.
However having recovered from a succession of potentially career-threatening
injuries injuries, Kirchhoff is seeking a new club - which has led to his
services being offered to West Ham during the last 24 hours. Born in
Frankfurt, he began his career with Mainz before joining Bayern Munich in
2013. However after just seven appearances for the German giants and a spell
on loan at Schalke, Kirchhoff completed a cut-price move to Sunderland for
just £750,000 after cathing the eye of then-Black Cats boss Sam Allardyce.
Despite earning positive reviews at the Stadium of Light, the midfielder's
career at the club was wrecked by a serious knee cartilage injury that
required surgery in December 2016 - since when he hasn't played a single
competitive match. In all, Kirchhoff made a total of just 23 appearances for
the Championship club. However he could be the perfect fit for Hammers boss
David Moyes, who knows the player well from their time together in the North
East.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Window into a very worrying culture at West Ham
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 1st February 2018
By: Paul Walker

After a wretched transfer window, you probably thought it couldn't get any
worse… step up Tony Henry.

When the 'racism' story broke on Wednesday night, around half-an-hour after
the transfer window shut with us being virtual non-competitors, I must admit
to feeling sick to the pit of my stomach.

Our club had become immersed in a story that defied believe, allegations in
the Daily Mail that Henry, our head of player recruitment, had been telling
agents that we didn't want to sign African players.

They caused mayhem, he claimed, they seemingly sat together and were a
problem, too many of them was too much to contend with. Frankly it was hard
to make up anything more damaging.

West Ham did the only thing possible within hours by rightly suspending
Henry and mounting a full investigation. To do anything less would have been
an insult to the intelligence of our fan base, multi-racial, ethnically
diverse.

The reaction has been mixed, some horrified, some even agreeing with him
(sometimes you really can't make it up) and some stunned but believing in
some complex conspiracy theory that it was all a plant by David Sullivan and
Co to create a diversion from the mess of the window.

We had sold our two best goals-per-game ratio strikers for upwards of £25m
the pair, while bringing in an untried 25-year-old from Preston. A novice at
Premier League level and for just £9m (twice, it seems what his value was
rated in respected player transfer websites).

Let's get the conspiracy nonsense out of the way. I fully appreciate the
anger and contempt felt by many towards our owners, but they need a racism
story like a hole in the head. We have a Tory peer and an owner with Jewish
heritage on our board, why on earth would they sanction a planted leak of
this incendiary nature?

My guess is that the leaked e-mail has come from a disgruntled agent, via
Kick It Out, and into the hands of the Daily Mail. We had clearly known
about it for a couple of days, because the Mail gave us time to come up with
a club statement and then dropped the story on us minutes after the window
shut, a perfect time (for the paper) for maximum effect.

I really cannot believe Sullivan and Co would be the source of this leak
just to save themselves from abuse over the window. Think about it folks, it
doesn't make sense. They will get plenty of stick anyway after the worst
window disaster on record.

There's plenty more on that. It seems Leicester refused to do business with
our owners over Islam Slimani. How bad is that? Anderlecht are angry at
being messed about over Leander Dendoncker. The Russian club, Krasnodar over
their captain, Fynodur Smolov.

Sounds like a re-run of the Carvalho story when our leaders managed to upset
Sporting Lisbon and got landed with the Dildo Brothers nickname. How to win
friends and influence people, everyone.

Now we know what Sullivan meant post-Wigan with that "we can't buy anyone"
remark to angry fans. He means our FFP wage bill was already at breaking
point and we would not be able to spend vast sums because we would fall foul
of the financial regulations.

It would be nice to know how well Swansea, West Brom, Palace, Stoke,
Newcastle and Brighton manage their finances to allow themselves to out buy
and out-manoeuvre us at every turn. Believe it folks, we did not have the
money to do the deals, that's why we were floundering around in the loan and
buy later market.

Now I wouldn't let the Mail into my house for political reasons, but their
sports department is top notch. Martin Samuel and the rest are the best in
the business.

There are fans who are angry this sort of stuff gets in the mainstream
media, but don't we deserve to know if one of our senior directors has done
something like this? And when he starts implying that it was management
policy, we need to know who was aware of this higher up the food chain. And
there's only SGB in that category, Henry reports directly to Sullivan.

We should be grateful the Mail has exposed all this. The writer of this
piece, Matt Lawton is one of the best investigative journalists in the
country, and as an aside, a former colleague and friend for over 20 years.

We have to say ' alleged' e-mail comments, but the Mail will have chapter
and verse recordings of all this, it will have been carefully legalled and
Henry was given the right of reply. The fact that his responses just made
matters worse, as he dug himself a hole he may never be able to climb out
of.

To start talking about the "African race" and "these people" is too
appalling for words. It took me back to the 1970s when people knew no
better. It even sounded like the institutional racism that the Met were
accused of, when you say things that are just ingrained in an out-of-date
culture.

What does "African race" mean? Does it include Moroccans, Tunisians,
Egyptians and white South Africans? Henry needs to explain because it sounds
like he's talking about black Africans.

How does this all look for the parents of youngsters in our Academy, where
we have a big ethnic, racial mix. How does it look to players we may like to
sign?

How does it look to our current black players? I notice Cheikhou Kouyate
already has a smiling picture of himself with a 'African and proud' caption
on his Instagram account. There is even suggestions that Diafra Sakho has
been on twitter, but having seen that I would want proof that it's not a
spoof account.

Sakho's behaviour has clearly been behind Henry's reactions and I would not
be surprised if some French journos are, as we speak, trying to pin him down
for an interview. I think we would all like to read that, regardless of the
fact that the general attitude to him is that he has been a serious pain in
the backside.

Not painful enough, it seems, to go from being too injured to play at Wigan
to then passing a medical with Rennes the following day and scoring against
PSG 24 hours later. I leave you all to work that one out.

Having suspended Henry, West Ham now need to move fast and efficiently. I
would not be surprised if the Mail have something else to hit us with, a
follow-up, because that's how it works.


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

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
FA to investigate comments allegedly made by West Ham director of
recruitment Tony Henry
By Sky Sports News
Last Updated: 01/02/18 10:57pm
SSN

The FA will investigate the alleged comments attributed to West Ham director
of recruitment Tony Henry. They will be seeking observations from both Henry
and the club, following a report in the Daily Mail concerning comments
allegedly made by Henry to other West Ham officials and agents in emails
regarding the signing of African players. Both West Ham and the PFA have
released statements on the matter, with the club stating Henry has been
suspended while an investigation takes place. The West Ham United family is
an inclusive one where, regardless of gender, age, ability, race, religion
or sexual orientation, everybody feels welcome and included.

West Ham statement

A West Ham United spokesman said: "The Club can confirm that Director of
Player Recruitment Tony Henry has been suspended pending a full and thorough
investigation. "West Ham United will not tolerate any type of discrimination
and has, therefore, acted swiftly due to the serious nature of these claims.
"The West Ham United family is an inclusive one where, regardless of gender,
age, ability, race, religion or sexual orientation, everybody feels welcome
and included. "The Club will make no further comment until the investigation
has been concluded."

The PFA also reacted to the reported comments and commended West Ham's
response to them.

"We are shocked at the reported comments published in the media this
morning. The PFA strongly condemn any such views and there is no place for
them in football," read a statement. "The swift action by West Ham United is
encouraging and we trust they will deal with this in keeping with football's
position on all matters of equality and anti-racism." Hammers midfielder
Cheikhou Kouyate - who is African descent - took to Instagram to have his
say on the matter, posting: "African and proud."

And former West Ham striker Carlton Cole said in a statement: "I am pleased
to see that the club have acted so swiftly to investigate any accusations of
discrimination and I'm sure they'll reach a satisfactory conclusion. "I am a
proud West Ham United former player and proud of my club. It is of course
disappointing to hear alleged comments that my club have adopted a policy on
African players, which I find hard to believe. "Not many people have played
for WHU longer than me and African players have always been made most
welcome by the fans and club." Henry joined West Ham in 2014, having
previously worked for Everton, Sunderland and Chelsea.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Leicester rejected Islam Slimani transfer approach from West Ham — because
Karren Brady had annoyed them
Foxes are understood to still be angry about comments in her newspaper
column relating to Claudio Ranieri's sacking
The Mirror
ByDarren Lewis
22:30, 1 FEB 2018

West Ham blew the chance to sign striker Islam Slimani because Leicester
refused to do business with Karren Brady. The London club's vice-chair is
understood to have annoyed Foxes supremo Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha. He was
still seething over comments made by Baroness Brady in a weekly newspaper
column about his dismissal of coach Claudio Ranieri last year. West Ham are
understood to have apologised previously for any offence caused, but
Leicester remained unmoved.
This week, in an attempt to clinch a beat-the-deadline deal, a West ham boss
called to ask if they could sign Slimani. Leicester categorically refused,
and cited Brady's previous comments and the 29-year-old went on to join
Newcastle on loan for the rest of season. Brady had written in her column:
"A fellow Premier League director reports that last night he bumped into the
Leicester chairman at London's most-expensive wine shop. "The Leicester
owner told him they'd sacked Claudio Ranieri. "He then casually settled his
bill for wine and champagne. Since the sum was close to £500,000 I guess the
compensation to his old manager is pocket change. "At least the owner can
drown his sorrows in style!"
Slimani was unveiled by Newcastle on Thursday, and said: "It's true there
were a lot of clubs that were interested in me, but knowing the power of the
fans and crowd here and how great they are, and also speaking to the
manager, it gave me the confidence to know that this was the right place.
"Rafa Benitez is a big coach with a big reputation, so him calling and him
being here had a big effect on my choice."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham block Domingos Quina's deadline day move to Scunthorpe after
demanding substantial loan fee from the League One side
West Ham blocked Domingos Quina's loan move to Scunthorpe on deadline day
The Portugal U21 had his heart set on a temporary switch to the League One
side
Tony Henry pulled the plug on the deal moments before it was due to go
through
The deal collapsed because West Ham wanted substantial loan fee for Quina
By David Kent for the Daily Mail
PUBLISHED: 23:26, 1 February 2018 | UPDATED: 23:27, 1 February 2018

West Ham blocked a deadline day loan move to Scunthorpe for talented
midfielder Domingos Quina. The Portugal Under-21 had his heart set on a
temporary switch to the promotion chasing League One as he looks to get
regular senior football under his belt. But his hopes were dashed at the
last minute by West Ham's recruitment team - led by head of recruitment Tony
Henry - who pulled the plug on the deal just moments before it was due to go
through. The deal collapsed owing to West Ham's insistence that Scunthorpe
paid them a substantial loan fee. The 18-year-old is yet to make an
appearance for the first-team in the Premier League this season but has
featured for the Hammers in the Carabao Cup. Reece Oxford went back on loan
to Borussia Monchengladbach until the end of the season, while Andre Ayew
completed the clear-out at the London Stadium by moving back to Swansea.
Henry's future at the club has since been cast in controversy after he was
suspended following Sportsmail exposing details of an email sent by the West
Ham transfer fixer insisting he didn't want to sign any more African
players. The Football Association have now opened their own investigation
into the allegations.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Diafra Sakho's appearance deal ended up as a car crash before the striker
completed his £8m move to Rennes
Diafra Sakho believed he was overlooked because of a clause in his contract
The clause entitled him to a £50,000 bonus every time he started in the
league
West Ham manager David Moyes strenuously denied the accusation
Sakho ended his West Ham nightmare after completing an £8m switch to Rennes
By Matt Barlow for the Daily Mail
PUBLISHED: 22:39, 1 February 2018 | UPDATED: 22:57, 1 February 2018

Diafra Sakho arrived in a blaze of goals and left amid claims of a mystery
injury after a dispute about a £50,000 appearance bonus and his diminishing
first-team opportunities. Somewhere in the middle, there were various on-off
transfers, a troublesome back injury and a motoring mishap which ended with
his Lamborghini planted in a garden hedge. Three-and-a-half years at West
Ham were anything but dull for Sakho and his endgame started before
Christmas when Sportsmail revealed his simmering discontent at being on the
fringes of the team.
Sakho believed he was being overlooked because a clause in his contract
entitled him to a £50,000 appearance bonus whenever he started a Premier
League game and £25,000 if he came on as a substitute. West Ham manager
David Moyes strenuously denied the accusation, insisting he only picked his
teams based on football matters and had never had a cross word with the
Senegal international. Sakho, however, was unhappy. He thought he might get
more chances when Moyes's predecessor Slaven Bilic was fired, but became
convinced the problem ran deeper when the managers changed and he was still
on the bench. Moyes selected a team with no out-and-out striker against
Arsenal on December 13 and, having earned a point, stuck with the formula at
Stoke three days later. West Ham won 3-0 at Stoke with Sakho coming on to
score the third. After positive feedback about his contribution, he expected
to start the next game, the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. But
he was on the bench again and told friends he wanted to go home. He did not
want to play.
Sakho was talked into staying with the squad and came on as a sub as Arsenal
won 1-0. It would be his last appearance for West Ham. Sakho then reported
injured, unable to train because of a cyst on his knee, but passed his
medical as he completed an £8million transfer to Rennes last week. On
Tuesday, the 28-year-old was fit enough to score on his debut against Paris
Saint-Germain. Sakho is a strong-willed and determined character and not
easy to manage. He fights his corner and demands respect. If he believes he
has been wronged, he will act. He could not resist taking to social media
after Thursday's Sportsmail revelations about West Ham director of player
recruitment Tony Henry. There had been reports of clashes with Bilic, which
were always denied by the manager, and on several occasions he seemed
destined to leave. West Bromwich pulled out of a £16m deal in August 2016
after a back problem showed up on his medical.
Eight months earlier, Sakho had smashed his £200,000 Lamborghini Huracan
into a garden after colliding with a Mini Cooper in a residential street in
Hornchurch, Essex. A witness told Sportsmail: 'We heard it accelerate and
then just heard a big bang, like an explosion and a thud — that's when I
walked out. 'Luckily there was no one about. Luckily no one was hurt.' He
said that he and his daughter recognised Sakho immediately because they both
follow West Ham, adding: 'He's just a footballer who can't drive a car. He's
got a toy that he can't control. They earn a lot of money and I don't
begrudge them the money, but if he wants to drive like that he should be on
a racing track.' It was all a far cry from the frenzy of excitement which
accompanied his first few months at West Ham.
Signed from Metz in August 2014, the £3.5m fee was hailed the 'bargain of
the year' as Sakho scored nine goals in his first 11 games. 'This lad's very
exciting and he's excited the rest of the players,' purred then manager Sam
Allardyce, with the Hammers in the top four of the Premier League table in
October. West Ham fans sang, 'Diafro Sakho, he scores when he wants', and he
was among the goalscorers in the 3-2 win at home to Manchester United in the
final game at Upton Park.
They were the best of times for Sakho and West Ham.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham probe second official after Tony Henry's suspension for slur
towards players of African descent
West Ham investigate second senior member of staff following club's race row
The Hammers suspended director of transfers Tony Henry on Wednesday
Henry said club did not want to sign African players as 'they cause mayhem'
By Matt Lawton for the Daily Mail
PUBLISHED: 22:30, 1 February 2018 | UPDATED: 22:30, 1 February 2018

West Ham are investigating a second senior member of staff as the club looks
to get its house in order following a turbulent 24 hours. The individual,
whose identity is known to Sportsmail, worked with the first team and is
well thought of in football circles. But he is currently away from club
duties while officials seek further information. At this stage it is unclear
if he has any link to director of recruitment Tony Henry, who was suspended
on Wednesday. The two disciplinary actions are separate and West Ham are
keen to clear up both matters. West Ham wasted little time on Wednesday in
responding to Sportsmail's revelations, confirming before 9am that
60-year-old Henry had been suspended. Henry sent at least one email to an
agent stating that the club did not want to sign 'any more African players'
— and then dared to tell this newspaper that it was because some 'have a bad
attitude' and 'cause mayhem' when they are not in the team.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham's 'African mayhem' is all down to Tony Henry - for every Diafra
Sakho there has been a Dimitri Payet
West Ham have suspended Tony Henry for comments about African players
He said they 'cause mayhem' at club - but Henry's only problem is himself
Perhaps he should dig deeper into backgrounds and character before signing
For every Diafra Sakho, there is a Dimitri Payet - as much trouble, but less
African
Read chief sports writer Martin Samuel's full column for Sportsmail here
By Martin Samuel - Sport for the Daily Mail
PUBLISHED: 22:30, 1 February 2018 | UPDATED: 23:23, 1 February 2018

If West Ham have been blighted by difficult African players of late, there
is only one problem for Tony Henry as head of player recruitment. He
recruited them. It is rather self-serving, then, to slander an entire
continent, and its workforce, for what is basically the club's problem. If
in Henry's experience African players have a 'bad attitude' and 'cause
mayhem' then maybe he needs to dig deeper into backgrounds and character.
Certainly, Chelsea never made that complaint of Michael Essien, Didier
Drogba or Salomon Kalou. Indeed, for every Diafra Sakho at West Ham, there
has been a Dimitri Payet, who was just as much trouble, but a lot less
African. Andre Ayew may have disappointed, but so did Enner Valencia.
Sofiane Feghouli never worked out, but neither did Robert Snodgrass. Maybe
West Ham's recruitment issues are less about where you are from than where
you are at.
Racial profiling is too sinister a term for what exists in football, but
there are preferences when selecting foreign players. The ability to speak
English is valued, which gives those from Scandinavia, Holland and, to a
lesser extent, Germany an advantage. Players from Europe, certainly northern
Europe, are considered more likely to adapt than those from South America.
After Arnold Muhren and Frans Thijssen had been such a success with Ipswich,
Dutch players were thought particularly suitable.
Yet this is far from an exact science. Pierre van Hooijdonk could play up
just as much as any African player of Henry's experience — and West Ham have
arguably never made a worse signing than Marco Boogers from Sparta
Rotterdam. Not all Scandinavian players are well adjusted, not all South
Americans hate the cold. Luis Suarez's time in England was not without
controversy but he nearly won Liverpool's first title of the Premier League
era. And while Carlos Tevez was high-maintenance, Sergio Aguero and Pablo
Zabaleta could not have made life easier for Manchester City.
Recruitment is about people, not countries, and certainly not continents.
Any visitor to the Africa Cup of Nations will soon discover the enormous
divides between north and south, east and west, and certainly English- and
French-speaking. Imagine if Liverpool had been put off signing Mohamed Salah
of Egypt because Senegalese El Hadji Diouf was a nasty piece of work. Maybe
Henry also sees the worst of players because West Ham are a selling,
stepping-stone club. When Cheikhou Kouyate signed from Anderlecht in 2014,
for instance, he would no doubt have been aware that Chelsea had been
monitoring him. Perhaps he was informed that if he impressed at West Ham,
Chelsea would be convinced of his talent. Similarly Sakho, on the day he
signed from Metz in 2014, talked of playing for 'one of the big English
clubs'. He meant West Ham — but, plainly, bigger English clubs are
available.
It could also be argued that West Ham hardly discouraged disruptive
behaviour by caving into Payet a year ago. In selling cheap to Marseille
shortly before the deadline, they made it clear that a troublesome player
would get his way in the end. It can hardly come as a shock to Henry that
others have seen a blueprint. It is believed that in the days before their
recent moves, both Sakho and Ayew were problematic. None of which excuses
Henry's generalisation about a continent. He was suspended by West Ham on
Thursday, pending investigation, and an 'African and proud' post on
Kouyate's Instagram feed suggests a club with a significant African
contingent may not have heard the last of this. Any African player now
wanting out has an excuse. And this time, it certainly will not be them who
have caused the mayhem.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

http://vyperz.blogspot.com