Wednesday, February 7

Daily WHUFC News - 8th February 2018

West Ham sign Premier League great Patrice Evra
WHUFC.com

West Ham United are pleased to confirm the signing of the vastly-experienced Patrice Evra on a short-term contract. Capped 81 times by France, the charismatic Evra has won seven league titles and the UEFA Champions League during an illustrious career with AS Monaco, Manchester United and Juventus.

Evra, who joins the Hammers on a contract until the end of June 2018 and will wear the No27 shirt, worked with Hammers manager David Moyes during his time at Old Trafford, and is looking forward to linking up with his old boss and returning to the Premier League. "I'm really happy to be a Hammer, to be back in the Premier League and I love this game!" said the dynamic left-back, using the catchphrase he has made famous on his hugely popular Instagram channel. "It's amazing to be back and I am thankful to West Ham for giving me the opportunity to do my job. When I wake up and know I am going to work hard, to have fun with my teammates and give my best on the pitch, I want to say a massive thanks to West Ham, to the Chairman, to the manager to all my teammates, who have given me a nice welcome, my agent and my brother. "I'm just happy to be here, it's really simple. You don't realise how lucky you are and just to wake up this morning and know I am going to train with my new teammates made me smile!"

Evra revealed that he could not wait to sign for West Ham, once he was made aware of the opportunity to be reunited with Moyes, and had talked the move through with both the Scot and Joint-Chairman David Sullivan. "It happened really fast. My agent called me and told me I needed to come back [from Dubai] to London as quick as I could and I had a nice meeting with the manager, who I know from Manchester United, of course, and I met the Chairman, so it was really easy. "When you have to make a deal and money is not the issue, the deal could be done in five minutes. The main thing was for me to join West Ham and to help my teammates to win as many games as we can "It was the fastest thing I have done in my life, because both parties wanted to work together, so it was very easy to make an agreement!"

Born in Dakar, Senegal, in May 1981, Evra moved to France with his family as a baby. After playing youth football there, he began his senior career in Italy, playing for Marsala and Monza before returning to France. There, he initially played as an attacker for Nice, before switching to left-back midway through the 2001/02 season – a move which would shape his career – and he would end the campaign in the Ligue 2 Team of the Year.

Evra's impressive form saw him move along the coast to Monaco, where he won the French League Cup in 2003 and featured in his first Champions League final and made his senior France debut the following year. After three-and-a-half seasons with Monaco, Sir Alex Ferguson took him to Manchester United. There, he won five Premier League titles and reached two more Champions League finals, winning the competition for the first time against Chelsea in 2008.

Evra also became a regular for France during his time at Old Trafford, where he played alongside Chicharito for four seasons, appearing at UEFA Euro 2008 and 2012 and captaining his country at the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals. After spending his final season working under Moyes, the defender moved to Italian champions Juventus in 2014, where he linked up with his new West Ham teammate Angelo Ogbonna and won two Serie A and Italian Cup doubles.
After moving back to France with Marseille in January 2016, the 36-year-old travelled to a fifth major tournament with France, helping his country reach the European Championship final on home turf, only to be edged out by Jose Fonte and Joao Mario's Portugal. West Ham United would like to welcome Patrice to London Stadium and wish him all the best for his time in east London.

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Moyes up for Manager of the Month prize
WHUFC.com

David Moyes is up for the Barclays Premier League Manager of the Month prize - and voting is now open.

The Hammers boss has earned the January nomination after guiding the Club through an unbeaten month in league action. West Ham collected nine points from their five matches in January, securing victories against West Bromwich Albion and Huddersfield Town and draws against Tottenham Hotspur, AFC Bournemouth and Crystal Palace.
The award is decided by a public vote, and you can help Moyes win by following this link. The Scotsman is up against Swansea City's Carlos Carvalhal, Pep Guardiola of Manchester City, Eddie Howe of Bournemouth, Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp, Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho and Tottenham Hotspur manager Maurico Pochettino.

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Ten things you might not know about Patrice Evra
WHUFC.com

Patrice Evra has joined West Ham United, with the French defender bringing a host of experience to the Hammers.
Here are nine things you might not know, and need to know, about the Club's latest acquisition!

He LOVES Mondays

If you've not seen Evra's Instagram account yet, then you are in for a real treat! The defender is one of the most vocal prescenses on social media and often shares hilarious content, such as the above! As you can see, Evra is a big fan of Mondays!

He comes from a big family

In 2009, Patrice Evra revealed that he came from a rather large family, with the Frenchman boasting 24 siblings. Speaking in an interview Evra said: "I think it's fair to say my father did not watch a lot of television..." He was born in Dakar, Senegal. His mother is from Cape Verde and his father is of Guinean descent, and was a diplomat working for the Senegalese Embassy.

He's allergic to eggs

Fair play if you knew this one already! Evra has an egg allergy, something the defender admits he didn't know about until joining Juventus in 2014. Until then the 36-year-old would eat eggs regularly during his time at Manchester United, something that would make Evra ill. He told BBC Radio 5 Live: "When I came here they said I'm allergic to eggs and I ate them every day in Manchester. I was vomiting in training at first. "I went to the hospital and they told me I had been playing with an ulcer and I was lucky it was not bleeding inside."

His impressive trophy haul

Patrice Evra, during his time with Monaco, Manchester United and Juventus, won an incredible 22 trophies. That included five Premier Leagues, two Serie As, three League Cups, the Champions League, and five Community Shields.

His number of Team of the Year inclusions

Evra is widely regarded as one of Europe's finest left-backs in the 21st century, something which is proven by his inclusion in a number of Team of the Years throughout his career. The defender has been in three Premier League Team of the Years, between 2006-2010. He was also included in the 2003/04 Ligue 1 Team of the Year, and his excellent performances saw him named in the UEFA Team of the Year and FIFA FIFPro World XI in 2009.

He's not bad with languages

He speaks five languages: French, English, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. Evra also tried to master Korean so he could better communicate with his former teammate and close friend - Park Ji-Sung.

Former teammates reunited

In moving to West Ham United, Evra will once again play alongside Chicharito, with the duo featuring for Manchester United. Evra is also reunited with Angelo Ogbonna, with the two defenders playing together at Juventus. Evra moved to the Italian side in 2014 and starred in the same side as Ogbonna for one season, with the centre-back then signing for the Hammers a year later.

He was originally a midfielder

Evra has made his name in global football as a defender, but it's a little known fact that the Frenchman actually began his professional career in midfield.
It was during his time at Nice, between 2000-2002, that Evra was moved from left-wing to his left-back role. It wasn't a move Evra agreed with, protesting he was a forward minded player. However, manager Sandro Salvioni persisted, and the rest, as they say, is history.

His international caps

Evra is joint 15th in caps for France, having made 81 appearances for the international side. The defender's first showing for his nation was in August 2004, in a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

His longevity

At time of writing, Patrice Evra has made 726 senior club appearances. The first came in 1998 - 20 years ago - with Evra still going strong two decades on.

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Evra aiming to repay faith put in him by manager Moyes
WHUFC.com

Patrice Evra is looking forward to repaying David Moyes' faith in him every time he pulls on a West Ham United shirt. The five-time Premier League winner was reunited with his former Manchester United manager on Wednesday, when he put pen to paper on a short-term contract with the Hammers. The pair developed a mutual respect and trust for one another during the 2013/14 season, when they worked together at Old Trafford, and Evra is thankful to his old boss for giving him another crack at England's top flight. "I have known the manager since we were in Manchester and since the first meeting we had there, we have been straight and honest and it was the same when I saw him on Tuesday, talking straight and honest," said the new No27, who said it too no time at all for Moyes to convince him to join West Ham.

"He is really glad to see me and I am the same. I like to work hard for the Club, because that's the most important thing, but the manager is really important and I like to have a good relationship with every manager I play with. "Even when I was in Manchester United, we had a great relationship and for me that will keep going on when I play for West Ham under him. I will just do the same. "He trusts me and I trust him. Now, we can talk a lot but the most important thing is acting on the pitch."

Moyes was not the only familiar face to welcome the former France captain to Rush Green on Wednesday, when he trained alongside his teammates for the first time ahead of a potential London Stadium debut against Watford this weekend. Evra played alongside Chicharito for four seasons at Manchester United, winning the Premier League title in 2011 and 2013, and Angelo Ogbonna at Juventus in 2014/15, when the pair won the Italian League and Cup double and reached the UEFA Champions League final. Having made 273 Premier League appearances during his seven-and-a-half seasons as a Red Devil, there are very few members of the West Ham squad who are unfamiliar to the new boy. "I know them and I know Pablo Zabaleta, I know everyone! I came from a big family so, for me, sharing is something normal. "I want to share my happiness and my work ethic. They know how professional I am. I am someone who likes to have fun but when it is time to work, I don't like to laugh too much. "They gave me a nice welcome but even if I don't know them, for example I have played a lot times against Mark Noble, when he saw me he was happy and I really happy and was like 'Are you still running everywhere? How long have you been here?' and he said '20 years!' so it's everyone! "I can't wait to help them win most of them games we play."

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West Ham: Patrice Evra feels 'lucky' after Premier League return
BBC.co.uk

Former Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra feels "lucky" after signing for West Ham until June. The Frenchman, 36, had been without a club since leaving Marseille by mutual consent in November after kicking a fan before a Europa League match. Evra was banned from Uefa competition for the rest of the season but can play in the Premier League for the Hammers. "It's amazing to be back and I am thankful to West Ham for giving me the opportunity to do my job," he said. "You don't realise how lucky you are. Just to wake up this morning and know I am going to train with my new team-mates made me smile. "When you have to make a deal and money is not the issue, the deal could be done in five minutes. It was the fastest thing I have done in my life."

The former France international played under Hammers boss David Moyes at Man United before leaving for Juventus in 2014. He played 379 games for United between 2006 and 2014 and won nine major trophies, including five Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2008. Evra joined Marseille in January 2017 and made nine appearances this season, most recently in October, before the incident prior to a European game against Vitoria Guimaraes on 2 November.

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WEDNESDAY'S NEWS ROUND UP: EVRA SIGNS, DENDONCKER DISAPPOINTMENT, ARNIE NEARING RETURN!
AUTHOR: DAN CHAPMAN. PUBLISHED: 7 FEBRUARY 2018 AT 3:16PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk

Hello everyone. Here is what is in the news regarding West Ham today:

Patrice Evra has joined West Ham on a free transfer. (Official Website)

I know what people are going to say about this and the fact that it is another free transfer, but I think it is a good deal. He has plenty of Premier League experience, he's a very good player and he is an extra number for the squad. He is only here until the summer anyway, so lets get behind him whilst he is here.

Anderlecht midfielder Leander Dendoncker says that West Ham would have been a good move for his career, and that he is still hoping to complete a move in the summer. (Sky Sports)

I was very disappointed that we didn't sign Dendoncker in January, because he is the player that I wanted us to sign the most. He is a great, young talent who has a massive future ahead of him, and it would have been brilliant to see him playing for us. I do hope that we go back in and get him signed in the summer, because he would be a next level signing in my opinion.

David Moyes has been nominated for the Premier League Manager of the Month award. (Official Website)

Marko Arnautovic could return to the West Ham squad to face Watford this weekend. (Football FanCast)

This will be a massive boost to the squad, and I cant wait to see him back. We have missed him in the past couple of games, and I really think he could form a great partnership with Chicharito if they get the chance to play together.

Michail Antonio says the West Ham squad are not thinking about relegation, and are looking up the table rather than down it. (Evening Standard)

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Dendoncker down in the dumps
KUMb.com
Filed: Wednesday, 7th February 2018
By: Staff Writer

Leander Dendoncker has revealed that he was left highly disappointed after his transfer to West Ham United broke down. The highly-rated Belgian international had been linked with a string of top clubs around Europe before agreeing to join the Hammers during last month's transfer window.
However West Ham's insufficient offer for the £20million-rated defensive midfielder saw the move collapse - to the vast disappointment of the 22-year-old who had set his heart of a move to London.
"West Ham seemed to me a nice club to take the next step in my career," Dendoncker told Het Laatste Nieuws. "The disappointment was great; I could barely overcome it. "I was on the phone every day with my agent. I was told, 'be patient, it will come around, maybe at the very end'. I was constantly working on that transfer instead of just focusing on training. "I was wrong, I realise that. But it was the first time I was involved in such a situation, I just did not know how to deal with it "Anderlecht was not the problem, it's just that after the title [last season] I had the desire to take the next step in my career. I was ready, I thought, for a new challenge."

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Evra joins list of oldest Hammers
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 7th February 2018
By: Staff Writer

Patrice Evra is set to become the EIGHTH oldest player to feature for West Ham United in the Premier League. The former French international completed a free transfer to West Ham earlier today, at the age of 36, and will become one of the oldest players to represent the club since the Premier League began in 1992. West Ham's list of oldest players - as listed below - featured three goalkeepers, four defenders, one midfielder two strikers. Although striker Teddy Sheringham is the oldest player to represent West Ham in the new format his record is eclipsed by Hammers legend Billy Bonds, who joined West Ham from Charlton as a 21-year-old before finally hanging up his boots in 1988 at the age of 41 years, 226 days.

West Ham United's oldest Premier League players

1. Teddy Sheringham: 40 years, 272 days
2. Jussi Jaaskelainen: 39 years, 298 days
3. Les Sealey: 39 years, 224 days
4. Nigel Winterburn: 39 years, 53 days
5. Stuart Pearce: 39 years, 25 days
6. Alvin Martin: 37 years, 280 days
7. Shaka Hislop: 37 years, 73 days
8. Patrice Evra :36 years, 268 days
9. Les Ferdinand: 36 years, 154 days
10. John Moncur: 36 years, 119 days

By way of contrast, the Hammers have also offered debuts to six players aged under 18 during the Premier League era; they are Frank Nouble, Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole, Neil Finn (all 17) and, most recently, Reece Oxford (16 years and 236 days).

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Leander Dendoncker says West Ham move would have been ideal 'next step'
By Mathieu Wood
Last Updated: 07/02/18 3:04pm
SSN

Leander Dendoncker has admitted West Ham would have been an ideal club to take the "next step" in his career after a proposed Deadline Day move from Anderlecht failed to materialise. The Belgium international emerged as a target for the Hammers in the January transfer window after he impressed for Anderlecht in the first half of the season, where he played in all six of their Champions League group matches. The defensive midfielder, who won the Belgian league title last season, said he had little expectation of Anderlecht approving a move midway through the campaign. "If deals still have to be arranged in the evening on January 31, there is little chance that there will be a breakthrough," Dendoncker told Het Laatste Nieuws. "West Ham seemed to me, however, a nice club to take the next step in my career."

The 22-year-old, who made his professional debut for Anderlecht in 2013, also insisted that the "sporting challenge" makes the Premier League a desired next step in his career, adding that he holds ambitions of being picked in the Belgium World Cup squad this summer. When asked whether he was being impatient wanting a move in January rather than waiting until after the World Cup, he said: "Many people give me that advice, but in my mind I am just ready - I long for higher. Should I not let my career depend on [featuring at] a World Cup?"

Dendoncker, understood to also be a target for Watford last month, wanted to leave the Brussels-based club last summer but a departure was refused, despite his best efforts to push through a move, by the club hierarchy after Youri Tielemans left for Monaco. "The disappointment was great - I could barely overcome it," he said. "I noticed that after the departure of Youri they did not want to get rid of the whole midfield. "I was on the phone every day with my agent. I was told, 'Be patient, it will come around, maybe at the very end.' "I was constantly working on that transfer, instead of just focusing on the training. I was wrong, I realise that. But it was the first time I came into such a situation, I just did not know how to deal with it."
He insisted Anderlecht "was not the problem" for his ambition of a summer move to a big club not coming to fruition. "Anderlecht was not the problem, it's just that after the title [last season] I had the desire to take the next step in my career," Dendoncker added, "Logical, right? I was ready, I thought, for a new challenge."

The highly thought of player did not rule out an eventual departure from Anderlecht but indicated his immediate focus was with his current employers.
"That's for the summer," he said, when asked on the likelihood of an exit at the end of the season.

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