Bilic: 'We are expecting big things with West Ham'
WHUFC.com
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic is hoping to bring more new additions
into the squad and make the Club even stronger as he prepares for his first
season in charge at the Boleyn Ground
Bilic has flown to Andorra with the squad for the second leg of the UEFA
Europa League first qualifying round tie with FC Lusitans, having been
working hard with the players at a fitness camp in Ireland, and has already
been impressed with the attitude that the squad have showed in Cork. The
Club have already signed Darren Randolph, Pedro Obiang and Dimitri Payet
this summer and Bilic hopes he will be able to make the squad even stronger
over the coming weeks Bilic said: "Our plan is to bring in more players. We
are trying to bring in players who we believe can lift us to another stage
and make us better "We have already signed a few players and brought them
into a good team. Sometimes they will click straight away and sometimes it
will take a bit of time. "We are aware of that and we are going to try and
make that adjustment period as short as possible. "We are expecting big
things with West Ham. We are not big headed and will take it step by step
but the early signs are very promising."
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The Big Interview - Aaron Cresswell
WHUFC.com
Hammer of the Year Aaron Cresswell is already feeling the benefits of
pre-season, just over a week after returning to training. The defender has
been part of the squad working under new manager Slaven Bilic in Ireland and
has enjoyed the impact of the new boss. He won't be involved in Thursday's
UEFA Europa League tie at FC Lusitans but is looking forward to his first
run out, which could come at Peterborough United on Saturday.
Aaron, we've been in Ireland for over a week now. How's it been?
AC: "Very good. We've been working hard, the boys have been enjoying it and
we're all getting fitter."
When a new manager comes in, is this bonding even more crucial?
AC: "Yes, definitely. None of us knew the Gaffer personally and it's good
for us to get to know him. The main thing is to get fit and that's what
we're doing."
A lot of sharp sessions have been taking place - the players must relish
that?
AC: "Definitely. We did a longer run the other day, but mainly it's been
football based and a lot of sharper sessions as you said."
Slaven's been very hands on. You must love that from a manager who's in the
thick of the action?
AC: "Yes. He's a very experienced manager and played at the top level too.
It's good that when he steps on the pitch he's hands on. Hopefully we can
learn little things and become better players."
As the days count down now, can you sense the excitement around the squad at
the start of the season?
AC: "We're all buzzing for the first game. There's the pre-season and Europa
League games first too, so I'm sure we'll all get together soon as a squad,
enjoy each others' company and work hard together."
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Barclays U21 Premier League Division 2 Fixtures
WHUFC.com
The fixtures for the Barclays U21 Premier League Division 2 have been
announced and West Ham United will begin the campaign with an away trip to
West Brom on 17 August. The Development Squad will then play their first
home game against Aston Villa on 24 August. All home games are scheduled to
be played at Rush Green, but a minimum of three fixtures will be selected to
play at the Boleyn Ground. The away fixture at Derby County on 3 February is
subject to change. There is a new format for Clubs playing in Division 2
this season.
A play-off will now take place for teams finishing in second to fifth place
to determine the second promotion spot into Division One.
*Mon 17 Aug - West Bromwich Albion (A), 7pm
*Mon 24 Aug - Aston Villa (H), 7pm
*Fri 28 Aug – Arsenal (A), 7pm
*Mon 14 Sep - Blackburn Rovers (A), 7pm
*Mon 21 Sep - Newcastle United (H), 7pm
*Sat 26 Sep - Stoke City (A), 2pm
*Mon 19 Oct - Wolverhampton Wanderers (H), 7pm
*Mon 26 Oct – Fulham (H), 7pm
*Mon 2 Nov - Brighton & Hove Albion (A), 7pm
Mon 23 Nov - Derby County (H), 7pm
*Mon 30 Nov - Swansea City (A), 6.30pm
*Mon 7 Dec - West Bromwich Albion (H), 7pm
*Mon 14 Dec – Arsenal (H), 7pm
*Mon 04 Jan - Brighton & Hove Albion (H), 7pm
*Fri 22 Jan – Fulham (A), 7pm
*Wed 3 Feb - Derby County (A), 7pm
*Mon 8 Feb - Swansea City (H) 7pm
*Mon 22 Feb - Wolverhampton Wanderers (A) 7pm
*Mon 7 Mar - Blackburn Rovers (H) 7pm
*Fri 11 Mar - Newcastle United (A) 7pm
*Mon 4 Apr - Stoke City (H) 7pm
*Mon 11 Apr - Aston Villa (A) 7pm
*Sat 23 Apr - Play-Off Semi-Final
*Sat 7 May - Play-Off Final
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Boleyn Insider
WHUFC.com
Our man on the inside lifts the lid on the latest transfer speculation...
All the focus has now switched towards the second leg of the Europa League
first qualifying round in Andorra but I can reveal that there is some
exciting developments taking place around the Boleyn Ground.
My sources have told me that the Club are very close to making their fourth
signing of the summer and hope the player will be ready to sign a contract
in the near future.
My understanding is that he was one of the best defenders in Europe last
season and will be an exciting new addition to the West Ham United squad.
There have been a lot of stories linking the Club with a move for Paris
Saint-Germain midfielder Yohan Cabaye.
Reports suggest that the former Newcastle midfielder is now set to complete
a move to Crystal Palace.
I have been told that the Club were very interested in signing Cabaye, but
felt they had greater priority in other positions.
My understanding is when the fourth new signing is announced, the Club will
turn their attentions to signing another striker/goalscorer.
The Club are also looking to bring in another highly rated midfielder and
hope a loan move will also be finalised by end of the month.
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From the Boardroom - David Gold
WHUFC.com
It was an emotional night for me to see West Ham United back in European
action last week as it was the first time for nearly a decade, but it felt
great. I know this is only the early beginnings of a long journey, but it
still felt very good and this is the start of a new era for the Club. It was
also fantastic to see the reception that Slaven Bilic got from our
supporters. We always knew he was a fans favourite and I was pleased for
Slaven as well because this is the job he wanted. This is all very exciting
for Slaven and the fans and I can sense the excitement and optimism around
the Club at the moment. Our time has come. I was delighted to see Diafra
Sakho get among the goals straight away. Whatever level you play at scoring
goals is not easy and you have to rise above the defence and score and it
was great to see him do that. We have a lot of high hopes resting on Sakho
next season and he is the one who can surprise everyone. I believe he can
become a world class striker. He has the passion and attributes to be one of
the top forwards in the Premier League. He had an unbelievable start last
season and scored eight goals in nine games which is up there with the very
best. Sadly he got injured and who knows how many goals he could have
finished the season with. I am pleased to say he has made a full recovery
during the summer and it will be great if he can keep scoring goals heading
into the new season.
We also saw Mauro Zarate produce an impressive display last week.
Unfortunately he picked up a slight injury which will keep him sidelined for
a short period but he has his chance to show what he can do. The slate has
been wiped clean and everyone has got their opportunity. Slaven is clearly
saying to his players show me what you can do. All the fringe players from
last season will now get their chance. We have so many games coming up with
Europe and the cup competitions alongside the Premier League. If we get to
the group stages of the Europa League it will almost be like playing in
another league and we need the competition in the squad. Everyone will get
their chance.
I was pleased to see James Tomkins given the captaincy last week. James is a
West Ham boy and Slaven handed him the armband. He certainly did the
business with another solid display and managed to get on the scoresheet.
Reece Oxford also showed again why he is rated so highly. He went out and
played in midfield and that shows the quality he has got that he is so
versatile. He was then moved back into a defensive role and played superbly.
These are exciting times for West Ham United and the hard work continues
behind the scenes to bring in new signings. Our people are working their
socks off to ensure we bring the best quality players to the Club. It is not
just about numbers but we want quality and people who will make a difference
to our football club. We want to bring in serious players to strengthen the
squad and I am confident that the squad will be stronger than the one we had
last season.
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Dimitri Payet trains with West Ham: in pictures
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 8th July 2015
By: Staff Writer
Latest arrival Dimitri Payet joined in with the rest of the squad today as
the majority of the first team were put through their paces at the club's
Irish training camp.
With the likes of new coaching assistant Julian Dicks in attendance, the
£11million man took part in a number of strenuous routines and drills in
preparation for the new Premier League season.
As you can see from our exclusive pictures below, Payet was all smiles as he
joined in with his new team mates, who included fellow new arrival Pedro
Obiang.
Payet and the rest of the squad who have not travelled to Andorra for
tomorrow night's Europa League qualifier against FC Lusitanos are scheduled
to fly back to London tomorrow, according to Dicks.
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Karanka tight-lipped on Downing link
KUMb.com
Filed: Wednesday, 8th July 2015
By: Staff Writer
Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka admits he faces a battle to bring West
Ham's Stewart Downing back to Teeside.
The 30-year-old has been strongly linked with a move away from the Boleyn
Ground this summer with 'Boro, one of Downing's former clubs, said to have
made an official bid for the England international last week.
However Karanka admitted during a press conference earlier today that he
faced stiff competition to take Downing back to his home town club, where he
spent the first eight years of his professional career.
"I can't say anything about Stewart as a player because everybody knows
him," he said. "For me it is difficult to think about him.
"It is very difficult for me to get this type of player, because he is a
Premier League player and has offers from other places. But I am here to
assemble a squad as good as we can."
Downing made 234 first team appearances for Middlesbrough during his
eight-year spell at the Riverside Stadium. In 2009 he moved to Aston Villa
in a £12million switch before joining Liverpool two years later for
£20million.
West Ham paid just £5million to bring him to Upton Park in August 2013,
since when he has made 79 appearances and scored seven goals.
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West Ham transfers: Carlos Vela rejects Upton Park move as Irons look to add
FOURTH striker
16:43, 8 JULY 2015
BY DARREN LEWIS
Slaven Bilic is desperate to avoid robbed of firepower up top with Andy
Carroll and Diafra Sakho both missing chunks of the second half of last
season
The Mirror
Carlos Vela is understood to have rejected an offer to join West Ham. The
ex-Arsenal striker has scored 25 league goals over the past two seasons at
Real Sociedad. Vela, 26, also has a £21million release clause in his
contract. He joined Sociedad on loan four years ago and made the move
permanent in a £9million deal. West Ham are looking for a fourth striker to
ensure that they are not robbed of firepower up front as they have been over
the past two seasons. Injuries to Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho last term
cost them a top-half finish as their form slumped over the second half of
the camp aign. The Irons have already signed £14million winger Dimitri Payet
and £5million midfielder Pedro Obiang. They are also closing in on £8million
Juventus defender Angelo Ogbonna as the new-look first-team under Slaven
Bilic continues to take shape. Deals for Al Jazira Club midfielder Manuel
Lanzini, right-back Carl Jenkinson and midfielder Alex Song are expected to
be completed within days.
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Olympic Stadium opens for business
Posted by Sean Whetstone on July 8, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
The grass turf will be laid at the rebuilt Olympic Stadium next week just in
time for the Morrisons Great Newham run on Sunday 19th July.
Entry to the stadium on Sunday 19th July is limited to to family and friends
of registered runners as they make their way down the finishing straight on
the famous running track inside the former Olympic Stadium.
All entrants taking part in the Morrisons Great Newham London Run 10k event
will receive two spectator passes as part of their entry to the stadium.
Each paying adult in the family run will also receive two spectator passes
to the stadium.
Anyone can enter Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park that weekend but only those
holding spectator passes or run numbers will be granted access to the
Stadium.
The following weekend 24th to 26th July British Athletics are hosting the
Sainsbury's Anniversary Games. Three days of athletics on the anniversary
of the London 2012 Opening Ceremony. There will be three days of athletics
and IAAF Diamond League action taking place on Friday evening and Saturday
afternoon with many of the Olympic Champions, and the Sunday showcasing
Paralympians from 2012.
If Hammers fans want to experience first hand what the rebuilt Stadium
feels like, tickets are available from £25 for the Anniversary games from
the link below.
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Irons unwilling to match Cabaye's £12.8m asking price
Posted by Sean Whetstone on July 8, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Yohan Cabaye's move to Crystal Palace seems to be nearing completion say
L'Équipe this morning. Palace and PSG are said to have finally agreed a 18
million euro deal in principle made up of a 14 million Euros up front fee
plus up to 4 million Euros in performance and appearance bonuses. The £12.8m
package is not a price West Ham are prepared to pay for the 29 year old
according to reports.
Yesterday reports emerged he would rather join West Ham than Crystal Palace
but that seems very unlikely with the Hammers unwilling to match Crystal
Palace's bumper offer. Another stumbling block were the claims the player
wanted up to £100,000 per week to re-join the Premier League which would
shatter West Ham's current wage structure where the highest paid player,
Andy Carroll receives £85,000 per week basic.
Cabaye will cost another £15.6m in wages over three wages if his wage
demands are met.
Cabaye was spotted in London's Regent street yesterday shopping in advance
of agreeing personal terms and a medical later this week.
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Downing looks certain to leave!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 8, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Stewart Downing is almost certain to be gone from West Ham before the
transfer window closes. It's one of the facts of footballing life that when
such strong "rumours" start about player movements it's a near inevitability
it will happen. The usual fencing and haggling on price will go on of course
– appearances have to be maintained – but our understanding is that the 30
year old has been offered around £70k a week to return to his 'home' and
that HE WANTS TO GO! ClaretandHugh was told by a top Irons insider: "Steve
Gibson (Boro chairman) clearly sees him as the marquee signing and a player
who can lead Boro back to the Premier League. However, whilst it's a huge
deal for Stewart but not West Ham." However, that the issues involved are
being discussed so freely suggests that it won't be long before Downing does
indeed return home with the Hammers recouping something in the region of £7
million for him. The Hammers will realise that whilst they are building a
deeper squad, Downing is an unlikely starter with the likes of Dimitri Pyet,
Chiek Kouyate Pedro Obiang, and probably Alex Song in the squad. And at 30
years of age £7 million will allow Slaven Bilic to identify the new
attacking midfielder he wants as mentioned on a number of occasions. We
could be wrong but we expect a Downing departure.
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Slaven Bilic and his new West Ham squad travel to Barcelona ahead of their
second leg clash with Andorran minnows Lusitans
By DANIEL PRESCOTT
PUBLISHED: 10:31, 8 July 2015 | UPDATED: 10:37, 8 July 2015
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has flown to Barcelona with his new squad
ahead of the second leg of their Uefa Europa League first qualifying round
tie with Lusitans in Andorra. Bilic and his West Ham players have spent
time training hard at a fitness camp in Ireland ahead of the upcoming new
season and their trip to the Principality. But the Croatian manager, who
replaced Sam Allardyce as manager earlier this summer, was brandished
'disrespectful' by Lusitans boss Xavi Roura just last week. Roura was upset
that Bilic chose to let academy coach Terry Westley take charge as the east
London side easily saw off the Andorran minnows in their first leg clash.
And when asked after the match whether Bilic would travel to Andorra for the
second leg, Westley said: 'I wouldn't have thought so with all he has going
on. 'Not every manager sits in the dugout. He has come back from a training
camp in Ireland.' However, Bilic has made the decision to fly out with the
squad having been impressed with what the players showed him during their
time in Cork. The former Besiktas coach told the club's official website:
'We are expecting big things with West Ham. We are not big headed and will
take it step by step but the early signs are very promising.' West Ham
co-chairman David Gold and David Sullivan have moved quickly to strengthen
the squad this summer, signing a whole host of new players. The club have
already added Darren Randolph, Pedro Obiang and Dimitri Payet to the squad,
but Bilic admitted there is still more to come. Bilic said: 'Our plan is to
bring in more players. We are trying to bring in players who we believe can
lift us to another stage and make us better
'We have already signed a few players and brought them into a good team.
Sometimes they will click straight away and sometimes it will take a bit of
time. We are aware of that and we are going to try and make that adjustment
period as short as possible.'
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£6m can be freed up from Downing/Nolan
Posted by Sean Whetstone on July 8, 2015 in Sean's Blogs, Whispers
C AND H
This summer could yet see the departure of two of the club's highest
earners, freeing up wages to be spend on loans and/or new signings while
complying with the Financial fair play regulations. Kevin Nolan is thought
to earn a £55,000 per week basic wage plus bonuses. His basic annual salary
alone is £2.86m plus Employers National Insurance contribution adding
another £400,000 per year. Meanwhile Stewart Downing is thought to earn a
£50,000 per week basic wage plus bonuses. His basic salary is £2.6m plus
Employers National Insurance contribution adding another £364,000 per year.
Only Andy Carroll £85,000 per week, Alex Song £75,000 per week and Dimitri
Payer £68,000 per week are thought to earn more at the club. Realistically
neither Nolan or Downing are likely to feature regularly in Slaven Bilic's
first team this season so that is a lot of wages to sit on the bench for a
club the size of West Ham. Their combined £6.2m of wages could be freed up
should they leave this summer allowing the recruitment of younger, hungrier
and cheaper players to fill their bench and squad positions. Earlier this
year Nolan said he was open to move away if he was not wanted. He told the
Newham recorder "I have been considering my future, without a shadow of a
doubt, I am not one who wants to sit here on the bench, I won't continue to
do it, just for the fact that if you are not good enough for one club you
move on and you prove to someone else you are." As reported by Claret and
Hugh, Downing wants a return to the North East to his beloved Middlesborough
who have offered him a bumper £70,000 per week to join them in the
championship.
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Jack Sullivan explains the impression he was given after meeting Slaven
Bilic
HITC
Lewis Doe
Jack Sullivan, son of West Ham co-owner David Sullivan, has explained the
impression he got of Slaven Bilic after meeting the first team boss. Jack
Sullivan, son of West Ham co-owner David Sullivan, has explained on the
club's website what he noticed about Slaven Bilic when he got the
opportunity to meet the first team boss. Sullivan commented on Bilic's
apparent state of mind and also suggested that recent comments from defender
James Tomkins, hint towards the respect that the manager is already
commanding in the dressing room. Bilic is under pressure but he's landed a
good job at the East London club where he'll be respected and hopefully
given the chance to push on and develop the team effectively over the next
few years. "I was able to meet Slaven for the first time which I was really
excited about. He was in a really good mood and looked very happy to be back
at the Club," he wrote on whufc.com. "I listened to what James Tomkins had
to say after the game and that you cannot hear a pin drop when the manager
speaks in the dressing room. That shows the respect that all the players
have towards him."
Happy manager equals happy team
Slaven Bilic has plenty to be happy about at the moment and as long as he
stays in a positive frame of mind, the team has a very good chance to
progress and develop. It's a great time to be involved at West Ham because
the side are moving to a new stadium in a year, have the possibility of
playing in the Europa League and should only grow. The pressure for Bilic
comes in terms of trying to better what the club achieved under Sam
Allardyce last season. Bilic has been handed a long term contract, but some
serious questions will be asked if the club doesn't finish any higher than
12th by the end of May next year.
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Former West Ham United Star Wants To Be Left Alone To Succeed At Lazio
Forza Italian Football.
Lazio's English signing, Ravel Morrison, has hit out at criticisms received
by the British media and is hoping to do well for his new club in Serie A.
The England U21 ace signed for the Biancocelesti after having had his
previous contract with the Hammers rescinded in February and has trained
with the Stadio Olimpico outfit over the last few months. "I'm in Italy to
concentrate on football and work hard," he said on his official Twitter
account. "The English media write nothing but lies about me. "Leave me to
get on with my own life."
Reports from the UK had suggested that Morrison had become unsettled in Rome
and was angling for a move back to the English Premier League by asking his
representatives to find him a new club away from Italy.
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Shaka Hislop jokes he will put his son up for adoption following Steven
Gerrard comment
By DANIEL PRESCOTT
PUBLISHED: 12:06, 8 July 2015 | UPDATED: 12:06, 8 July 2015
Mail Online
Former West Ham goalkeeper Shaka Hislop has joked he will put his son up for
adoption after the eight-year-old teased him about former on-pitch nemesis
Steven Gerrard during a kick about.
Hislop was between the sticks for West Ham at the Millennium Stadium in 2006
when Gerrard thumped arguably the goal of his career past the Londoner to
send the FA Cup final to extra time.
Gerrard, who swapped Liverpool for Los Angeles this summer, then beat Hislop
once again during the penalty shootout as West Ham were left heartbroken.
And it seems Hislop junior likes to remind his dad of that day every time
the duo play football together. Hislop Tweeted on Wednesday: 'Playing footie
with my 8 yr old son. He scores and says 'no wonder Gerard kept scoring on
you.' I've put him up for adoption.' The 46-year-old is now working as a
commentator in American so could be reunited with Gerrard in the coming
months.
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What will West Ham be getting if they sign Italy international Angelo
Ogbonna from Juventus?
HITC
Damien Lucas
West Ham United are reportedly close to signing Italy defender Angelo
Ogbonna from Serie A giants Juventus, but what do we know about the former
Torino man? According to the Daily Mail, the Hammers have beaten off
competition from Premier League rivals Everton for Ogbonna's signature from
the Serie A giants. The deal is said to be worth in the region of £8 million
and he would become West Ham's third major summer signing after midfielders
Pedro Obiang from Sampdoria and Dimitri Payet from Marseille.
But what do we actually know about Ogbonna?
Well apart from the fact his picture was accidentally tweeted out by Hammers
co-owner David Gold when announcing the signing of Obiang last month, not
many people in England will have heard of the centre back. The 27-year-old
was an unused substitute for Juventus when they were beaten by Barcelona in
the Champions League final in May. It was a night that kind of summed up his
time at the Italian champions. Even without their first choice centre backs,
Ogbonna was not trusted with a start when it mattered. He has predominantly
been used at the tail end of the club's seasons when they are juggling
participation domestically, in Europe and the cups and therefore rotate
their squad. He has played just 41 times, many as a sub, for Juve since
signing for them in 2013.
A controversial figure who crossed the Turin divide
He is something of a controversial figure in Italy after he became the first
player in history to captain Torino and transfer to hated rivals Juventus.
To put it in perspective for West Ham fans. It would be like captaining
Millwall and then leaving to join West Ham, you just don't do it. He was
lucky to survive a car accident near Turin in 2008 when he ended up in a
river at 5am and it will be interesting to see how he handles the bright
lights of London. As a player he has all the attributes to make him a
success in the Premier League. Strong and powerful, Ogbonna is known for
his outstanding physical attributes and can also play at left back. He is
good with the ball at his feet but interestingly is left footed the same as
West Ham's key defender Winston Reid.
The new Joseph Yobo?
The 6ft 3in star, who is of Nigerian heritage, has 10 caps for Italy after
getting citizenship on his 18th birthday. The general consensus of opinion
among Juve fans is that Ogbonna was a disappointment but that with time on
his side and at a club with lower expectations and less pressure he can
kickstart his career. It is ironic that Everton were one of the other clubs
in for him as he has often been likened to their famous centre back Joseph
Yobo back in Nigeria due to the similarities between the two.
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Ian Pearce impressed by recent performance of Hammers youngster Reece Oxford
HITC
Lewis Doe
Former West Ham United defender Ian Pearce has been impressed by young
centre back Reece Oxford. Former West Ham United defender Ian Pearce told
talkSPORT that he was impressed by Reece Oxford's comments following the
club's 3-0 win in the first leg of the Europa League qualifier against
Lusitans last week. The 16-year-old started the game for the Hammers and
Pearce has suggested that there are encouraging signs, but admits the player
has a long way to go before he features regularly under the guidance of
Slaven Bilic. "I've seen bits of him playing for the under-21 development
team and he's a very cultured player – I quite like what he said afterwards
that he's had a taste, it's a great achievement but if we're being honest,
he's not achieved anything yet," he told talkSPORT. "He's got a long way to
go, he gave the ball away a couple of times – Now he realises he's got to
step up a few notches and drive on."
Impressive confidence
It would have been very easy for a player in Oxford's position to have
become overawed by the occasion last week. However, he showed good
confidence and was able to get on the ball, attempting to play some football
by passing it out from the back. It was always going to be a difficult game
because he's still a very young man and physically underdeveloped compared
to some of the men he was playing against.
Build on the experience
Oxford is not going to be part of the West Ham side that starts the Premier
League season. However, he can take the benefits of the experience he's just
had and use them to his advantage as he goes about life with the under-21
side next year. If he performs on that platform, he could be drafted in as a
sub at some point or could be given a chance in one of the domestic cup
competitions and when they arrives, he can cash in.
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Report: Stoke City begin talks with West Ham linked free agent Glen Johnson
HITC
Tom Thorogood
Crystal Palace, West Ham United and now Stoke City have been linked with
former Liverpool right-back Glen Johnson. According to a report in the Daily
Mail, Stoke City have joined the race to sign recently released right-back
Glen Johnson. The 54-capped England international's six-year adventure with
Liverpool was ended this summer as the club decided against renewing his
expiring contract. With plenty still to offer, Johnson has a number of
suitors with West Ham United, as per the Sunday People, having held talks
with him while Crystal Palace were linked in April by the Daily Star. The
London duo, however, have yet to push on with their alleged interest and
fresh reports now state Stoke City have jumped to the front of the queue,
opening talks with the 30-year-old. "Stoke City are in talks over a deal for
former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson. Mark Hughes is keen to bring him in
at the Britannia Stadium and is hoping to convince him with a three-year
deal," reports say.
Would Glen Johnson be a good signing for Stoke City?
Despite his waning ability on Merseyside with the Reds, Johnson is still a
capable defender at Premier League level and would be a solid signing for an
established club. Stoke are pretty light in the right-back area, and
bringing in the former Portsmouth man could prove a masterstroke if Mark
Hughes manages to get the best out of him. Las season he managed 15 Premier
League starts despite spending chunks of the campaign nursing an injury,
averaging 1.6 tackles and 2.3 clearances per encounter.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::
Ian Pearce: Bilic has helped himself with Dicks appointment
HITC
Lewis Doe
Former West Ham United defender Ian Pearce has suggested that Slaven Bilic
has helped himself by appointing Julian Dicks as a coach. Former West Ham
United defender Ian Pearce told talkSPORT show Sports Bar that he feels
Slaven Bilic has made a clever decision by bringing in Julian Dicks. Dicks
has been welcomed at Upton Park as a first team coach and Pearce has
suggested the decision on the part of Bilic will give him a little bit of
extra leeway with fans, because of how popular a figure the ex-defender is.
"I really hope so – I think he's got a real passion – He's very intellectual
and obviously very tactically astute and he's been very clever by getting
Dicksy in because he's West Ham through and through, the fans will see that
and the fans will like that and that will give him a bit of extra time," he
told talkSPORT.
Bilic's thinking over Dicks
Dicks is someone, as Pearce suggests, who knows the very fabric of the
football club. He's someone who knows what it means to represent West Ham
and he's someone who knows the importance of a positive relationship with
the club's fans. He can relay that importance to all players in the West Ham
squad, ensuring that they don't let their standards slip regardless of any
match or situation.
What can he offer as a coach?
Despite the fact that he's an ex-West Ham player, Dicks also has experience
as a defender to bring to the table. Dicks played for the Hammers during the
late 80s and early 90s, when the game was arguably much more physical. He
can help players adapt to that side of the game, as well as providing some
fresh insight into the current back four and how they can develop over the
course of the next ten months.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::
West Ham's renewed commitment to Mauro Zarate to be put to the test by
Bologna
HITC
Dan Coombs
After a loan at QPR, Mauro Zarate is back in favour at West Ham, but new
suitors are on the horizon. West Ham face a challenge to their commitment to
Mauro Zarate, with Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport claiming Bologna
are interested in the forward. Zarate signed with the Hammers last summer
and made a good early impression before falling out of favour under Sam
Allardyce, and being sent out on loan to relegated QPR. As far as 2015/16
goes, Zarate is already off to a positive start, being picked in the
starting line-up for Slaven Bilic's first game as manager, going on to
provide an assist in a 3-0 Europa League win over Lusitanos. The Hammers
appear keen on giving him a second chance, with co-chairman David Gold
saying on Twitter in late May the striker would be welcome back at the club.
Corriere dello Sport report Serie A side Bologna have identified Zarate as
an affordable transfer target after being priced out of the market for
Liverpool's Fabio Borini. The paper even claims Zarate is keen to leave West
Ham, but this information could very well be outdated considering his recent
return to the first team fold, so should be taken as conjecture rather than
fact. What West Ham decide to do if there is a bid could be interesting, and
will depend very much on whether Zarate keeps impressing during the early
Europa League matches and in pre-season. After the way he trailed off last
season there could be temptation to cash in while there is interest, but
this will depend on how much of this was attributed to the player, and how
much to then manager Sam Allardyce for failing to get a talented player
performing at his best.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::
'I would go to West Ham or Crystal Palace' £15million striker should ditch
Newcastle for London stay
London 24
06:40 08 July 2015 Brad Pinard
Former West Ham and Newcastle midfielder Rob Lee believes Charlie Austin
could reject a move to the north east this summer. Lee, who is a cult hero
at St James' Park, believes the Toon is no longer a big pull for big names
due to their poor form over the past two years or so. Selling off names such
as Demba Ba and Yohan Cabaye too makes Newcastle no bigger club than the
likes of West Ham and Palace, who could both pounce for Austin. "The problem
we are going to have is that two or three clubs want Austin. Why would he
choose Newcastle United?" Lee exclusively told the Evening Chronicle.
"Playing in front of 52,000 is still a pull - but Newcastle are struggling.
He had that last year with Queens Park Rangers and that will be my concern.
"Even if we agree a fee of £15million and pay him what he wants he still has
to choose to come to Newcastle. "I'd be asking: 'Who else will you buy
because the team isn't good enough?' If I didn't get the answers I would
possibly go to West Ham or Crystal Palace or whichever club he gets offered.
But you would have to ask for assurances. "He had a year of struggling now
he wants a team that can at least finish in mid-table." QPR want £15million
for Austin, but no club is keen on that fee. Leicester have seen a bid
rejected and Bournemouth are said to have joined the likes of West Ham,
Palace, Chelsea and Spurs. Latest Charlie Austin next club odds on SkyBet:
Newcastle 8/11 Bournemouth 3/1 West Ham 6/1 Chelsea 12/1 Spurs 16/1 To stay
at QPR 20/1
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::
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Thursday, July 9
Daily WHUFC News - FC Lusitans v West Ham United
Preview - FC Lusitans
WHUFC.com
The background
The Hammers head to the principality of Andorra for the second leg of their
UEFA Europa League first qualifying round tie against FC Lusitans on
Thursday. Holding a 3-0 lead from the first leg, the Hammers are odds-on
favourites to progress to a second round match-up against either Birkirkara
of Malta, or Armenia's Ulisses. A Diafra Sakho double in front of nearly
35,000 fans at the Boleyn Ground put the Hammers in command before half-time
last week. James Tomkins' second half header added a third and gave West Ham
the perfect start to the 2015/16 campaign.
For Lusitans to give themselves a chance, they will have to achieve
something they have never managed in their history – a victory in European
competition. Nine previous matches in the UEFA Champions League and Europa
League have yielded eight defeats and a draw. West Ham will be going all
out to extend that winless run to a tenth game.
The history
West Ham's trip to the Pyrenees gives an Andorran club side a first ever
opportunity to host a counterpart from England. West Ham last faced a
competitive away game in Europe nearly nine years ago, when Palermo secured
a 3-0 victory and sealed their progress in the UEFA Cup.
This is West Ham's seventh foray into European competition, with their
victory in the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1964 ranking as one of the
Club's most significant achievements.
The Hammers also reached the final on the same competition in 1976, while
this campaign is their third in the UEFA Europa League, or UEFA Cup as it
was previously known.
Lusitans' continental pedigree is restricted to more recent years, They have
been knocked out in the first qualifying round of all of their four
campaigns to date across the Europa and Champions Leagues.
The match
Team news
West Ham United
The Hammers' squad will again contain a mixture of senior and younger
players, with a group of first teamers still on a training camp in Ireland.
Diafra Sakho notched twice in the first leg and will be keen to add to his
tally on Thursday. Should he play, Joey O'Brien will make his 100th
appearance for the Club.
Youngsters Josh Cullen, Reece Burke, Reece Oxford, Elliot Lee and Djair
Parfitt-Williams will all hope for another opportunity after featuring last
week.
FC Lusitans
Experienced duo Oscar Sonejee and Edu Moya will both be looking for starts
after coming off the bench last week.
Sonejee is Andorra's most capped player, having turned out for his country
101 times, while Moya played in the Spanish top flight for Recreativo de
Huelva eight years ago.
Match facts
Thursday's match officials hail from Denmark, with 34-year-old Anders
Poulsen taking the whistle. As well as refereeing at the top level in his
native country, Poulsen also has previous experience in the UEFA Europa
League. He will be assisted by Henrik Larsen and Christian Brixen, while
Peter Kjaersgaard-Andersen will be the fourth official.
Should he be selected, Joey O'Brien will make his 100th appearance for West
Ham United on Thursday.
Diafra Sakho is already the Club's joint-12th highest scorer in European
competition following his brace last week. Another goal on Thursday would
propel him to joint-sixth in the list.
Lusitans have never won a game in European competition. Their previous four
home matches have brought them one win and three defeats, with two goals
scored and ten conceded.
Birkirkara, of Malta, or Ulisses from Armenia await in round two. The pair
drew 0-0 in the first leg.
Betting
The Club's principal partners Betway are again offering a huge range of
markets on the game. Check out their betting preview here.
Tickets, travel, weather and coverage
The game will be played at the Estadi Comunal d'Andorra la Vella. Our travel
advice, including directions and other vital information can be found here.
West Ham United's allocation of 450 tickets for this fixture have all SOLD
OUT.
The weather is set fair in Andorra la Vella for Thursday, with sun expected
all day and temperatures predicted to reach a high of 23C (73F).
Live text updates will be provided by whufc.com and our social media
channels throughout the game.
Please note that alcohol will not be sold inside the stadium in accordance
with UEFA regulations.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
View on the Opposition - Ivan Moure
WHUFC.com
What did you make of the first leg at the Boleyn Ground?
"Unfortunately I couldn't watch the first leg but I heard it was a
competitive game."
Which Lusitan players should we look out for?
"It's personal, and each person has a different opinion but for me, the two
best players are the two professional ones. At Lusitans, they're all amateur
except two, Edu Moya and Alfie Conteh, the goalkeeper is also a very good
player. In the first game, I heard he was very busy, I'm not surprised
really."
What kind of game are you expecting tomorrow night?
"I wasn't at Upton Park but I think it will be similar game. I think West
Ham will keep the pressure and have lots of chances. But Lusitans are at
home so they have the home advantage and the supporters behind them."
How well known are West Ham United in Andorra?
"They are a popular team, of course, every Premier League team is. Everyone
who knows about football knows West Ham."
There was a bit of controversy in the last game, but Slaven Bilic will be in
the dugout tomorrow night, is that a good thing?
"For me I think it is important, it is the right thing to do. I defend the
words of Xavi Roura."
What do you think of Xavi Roura, is he a popular manager?
"Yes, he is. He was managing in Andorra for quite a few years, then he left
to coach in Barcelona. But now he is back. He's a prestigious trainer."
Just finally, what do you think the score will be tomorrow evening?
"(Laughs) I don't know, it could be anything! I think the fact West Ham are
using a lot of U21 players is dangerous because they want to impress the
manager. They want to demonstrate what they can do.
"Usually teams stop if they're two or three up, but I don't think that will
happen in this case, they'll want to get as many as possible."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
FC Lusitans v West Ham preview: Hammers take healthy lead to Andorra
Last Updated: 08/07/15 8:35pm
SSN
West Ham head to Andorra on Thursday evening to face FC Lusitans in the
second leg of their Europa League qualifier. The Hammers entered in the
first qualifying round by virtue of topping the Fair Play League and hold a
3-0 advantage from the first-leg. A Diafra Sakho double in front of nearly
35,000 fans at the Boleyn Ground put the Hammers in command before James
Tomkins wrapped up the simple victory with a second half header.
FC Lusitans have been knocked out in the first qualifying round of all of
their four campaigns to date across the Europa and Champions Leagues. New
boss Slaven Bilic will once again be an on-looker as academy manager Terry
Westley takes charge.
Team news
The Hammers' squad will yet again contain a mixture of senior and younger
players, with a group of first teamers still on a training camp in Ireland.
Sakho should lead the line and fellow experienced squad member Joey O'Brien
will make his 100th appearance for the Club.
Youngsters Josh Cullen, Reece Burke, Reece Oxford, Elliot Lee and Djair
Parfitt-Williams will all hope for another opportunity after featuring last
week.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham in Andorra: What Europa League trip to Lusitans holds
By Tom McKeown
Last Updated: 08/07/15 8:28am
SSN
West Ham could face a capacity crowd for their trip to FC Lusitans on
Thursday night – of just 1,300 people. The Hammers travel to Andorra for the
second leg of their Europa League qualifying tie, having won 3-0 at Upton
Park last week against a team which was only formed in 1999. The sides meet
in the Estadi Comunal d'Andorra la Vella, which only caters for a small
crowd but boasts an incredible Pyrenean backdrop.
Slaven Bilic already knows the stadium, having travelled there with Croatia
during qualifying for Euro 2008, when his side ran out 6-0 winners. The new
West Ham boss left academy coach Terry Westley in charge for the first leg,
drawing criticism from Lusitans coach Xavi Roura for not showing his side
respect. Westley may well again take charge for Thursday's match, and it's
unclear whether Bilic will travel to Andorra with the squad. If he does go,
he'll undoubtedly have a simpler journey than the 450 travelling Hammers
fans, who have to make their own way to the ground with no official travel
set up by the club.
Supporters either face a flight to the north-east of Spain before a
three-hour drive into the mountains, or a train journey from London to the
Andorran border before a bus journey through the Pyrenees. West Ham's squad
won't be the first Premier League players to perform at the stadium. Robin
van Persie scored twice against Andorra as the Netherlands won 2-0 in front
of 500 people to secure their place in the 2014 World Cup finals.
Tottenham's Michel Vorm, Aston Villa's Ron Vlaar and former Liverpool
forward Dirk Kuyt were involved that night too.
Meanwhile, Kevin Doyle and Aiden McGeady netted for the Republic of Ireland
as they also won 2-0 at the Estadio Comunal, with Shay Given, John O'Shea
and Shane Long also among those involved. Lusitans do not have a set
stadium, with the Andorran Football Federation organising fixtures from
their Primera Divisio among the four stadiums they own in the principality.
However, they will hope home advantage plays its part on Thursday night,
when they attempt to overturn their first-leg deficit to Bilic's side.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::
West Ham arrive in Andorra
Posted by Sean Whetstone on July 8, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
The West Ham team coach left Barcelona around 10am UK time this morning for
their 4 hour trip to Andorra ahead of Thursday night's clash against FC
Lusitans.
The club posted pictures of manager Slaven Bilic and Darren Randolph on
Instagram boarding a plane to Barcelona. They later posted a photo Reece
Burke boarding the Hammers team coach bound for Andorra.
Around 1.30pm UK time the coach crossed the border to Andorra where the team
will be staying overnight ahead of their 2nd leg Europa league clash.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Confirmed: West Ham line-up vs Lusitanos: Full debut for exciting Academy
midfielder Josh Cullen
HITC
Damien Lucas
West Ham United will hand a full debut to exciting Academy prospect Josh
Cullen in the second leg of their Europa League qualifier at FC Lusitanos.
The Hammers take a 3-0 lead into the first qualifying round second leg
against the Andorran minnows after a Diafra Sakho brace and James Tomkins
goal sealed a comfortable first leg victory.
New West Ham boss Slaven Bilic watched on from the stands last time out and
is expected to do so again despite travelling with the team to Andorra for a
match which is already all but over as a contest.
However, it represents the perfect opportunity to give some of the club's
promising youngsters a run out in a competitive fixture in difficult
conditions as Lusitans play on an artificial pitch and judging by the first
leg like a tackle or two.
West Ham were the first Premier League side to be back in competitive action
after qualifying for Europe through the FIFA Fair Play rankings.
The club announced tomorrow's team via its official Twitter feed on
Wednesday night.
There will be two changes with academy starlet Cullen replacing West Ham's
youngest ever player Reece Oxford in the heart of midfield while another
youth player, striker Elliot Lee, replaces the injured Mauro Zarate up
front.
GK: Randloph
The Republic of Ireland 'keeper plays his second game for the club after
signing on a free transfer from Birmingham City. Didn't do anything wrong
and looked at home in his first match last week but literally had nothing to
do so was hard to judge his performance. His kicking was slightly suspect
last time out so he will be looking to improve that aspect.
LB: Page
Homegrown starlet and boyhood West Ham fan Lewis Page is in line for his
second game after an impressive performance on his debut. Page is known to
like a tackle and have something of a temper so he will need to be careful
in testing conditions as the Andorran minnows will be trying everything they
can to claw their way back into the game.
CB: Tomkins
Captain 'Tomka' looked sharp on his return to the West Ham side after a
long-term shoulder injury last season and will be hoping to lead by example
again after a hassle free first leg where he also grabbed a goal.
CB: Burke
The 18-year-old is fast becoming a permanent fixture in the Hammers team
despite his tender years. Didn't put a foot wrong in the first leg, was nice
and positive on the ball and rightfully keeps his place.
RB: O-Brien
Veteran of the side plays his 100th game for the club, a scenario that
didn't seem likely last season after he was frozen out under Sam Allardyce
and looked set for pastures new this summer. That may well still happen but
for now is a dependable and versatile performer with bags of experience
which they could need if Lusitans get a shock goal early on.
ML: Jarvis
Arguably West Ham's best player last week and another who has come in from
the shadows with a point to prove to new boss Slaven Bilic. There were no
signs of rustiness from the winger who is another expected to leave this
summer after a disappointing spell since his £10 million move from
Wolverhampton Wanderers. Expect him to be involved in the goals again.
MC: Poyet
Played the holding midfield role well last time after a shaky start. Academy
manager Terry Westley, who has been in charge of the Europa League squad and
preparations so far, called on the young midfielder to start playing more
killer passes so expect to see him looking for that defence splitting pass
more often this time out.
MC: Cullen
Swashbuckling central midfielder is in the mould of the likes of Joe Cole
and makes his full debut in Andorra. Brave as a lion and likes to be direct
and run at defences expect to see him involved in the thick of the attacking
action. He was so unlucky not to score with a brilliant curling which hit
the bar in the home leg.
MR: Amalfitano
The vastly experienced Frenchman will give that much needed experience to
help link up West Ham's attacks. One of the most skilful players on the
pitch he will trouble Lusitans' left back all game long and I wouldn't bet
against him getting an assist or two.
ST: Sakho
With two goals to his name already from the first leg, the exciting striker
has just 18 to go to hit his season target. He could well get a few of them
here as he should have scored at least a hat-trick at home. He is so
valuable to the Hammers, though, so expect to see him withdrawn around
half-time depending on how things pan out.
ST: Lee
Lee finally gets his long awaited chance to show what he can do from the
start of a match. A player fans have wanted to see more of for nearly a year
now he was unlucky not to score in the first leg and will be itching to get
that first competitive West Ham goal which will be the cue for comparisons
to legend Tony Cottee.
SUBS: Spiegel (GK), Westley, Knoyle, Oxford, Nasha, Parfitt-Williams, Brown.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slaven Bilic to take charge of West Ham for the first time with new boss
sitting in the dug-out for Europa League trip to Lusitans
By SAMI MOKBEL FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 19:06, 8 July 2015 | UPDATED: 19:11, 8 July 2015
Slaven Bilic will take his place in the West Ham dug-out for the first time
against Lusitans on Thursday night. The Croatian sat in the Upton Park
directors box for last week's first leg 3-0 win over the Andorrans. His
decision not to sit on the bench drew criticism from Lusitans manager Xavi
Roura who branded Bilic disrespectful. Bilic was not expected to travel to
Andorra for the Europa League qualifier second leg but has since decided to
make the trip. And academy chief Terry Westley, who took charge of last
week's clash, says Bilic will be in the dug-out on Thursday night. 'Yes, I'd
expect him to be on the bench,' said Westley. 'But it's nothing to do with
their manager's comments last week. There has never been a plan, as such.
'He's returned from the first-team training camp in Cork and he wants to see
players in a competitive game that gives them a chance before he makes major
decisions.' Forward Mauro Zarate, who started last week's clash, will miss
the rematch in Andorra with a slight groin injury. But Westley has confirmed
midfielder Josh Cullen, 19, will be handed his full debut against the
European minnows as the Hammers field another young team. Lusitans coach
Roura failed to turn up for his pre-match press conference and could face
punishment from UEFA as a result.
West Ham (4-4-2 - expected): Randolph; O'Brien, Tomkins, Burke, Page;
Amalfitano, Poyet, Cullen, Jarvis; Lee, Sakho
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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WHUFC.com
The background
The Hammers head to the principality of Andorra for the second leg of their
UEFA Europa League first qualifying round tie against FC Lusitans on
Thursday. Holding a 3-0 lead from the first leg, the Hammers are odds-on
favourites to progress to a second round match-up against either Birkirkara
of Malta, or Armenia's Ulisses. A Diafra Sakho double in front of nearly
35,000 fans at the Boleyn Ground put the Hammers in command before half-time
last week. James Tomkins' second half header added a third and gave West Ham
the perfect start to the 2015/16 campaign.
For Lusitans to give themselves a chance, they will have to achieve
something they have never managed in their history – a victory in European
competition. Nine previous matches in the UEFA Champions League and Europa
League have yielded eight defeats and a draw. West Ham will be going all
out to extend that winless run to a tenth game.
The history
West Ham's trip to the Pyrenees gives an Andorran club side a first ever
opportunity to host a counterpart from England. West Ham last faced a
competitive away game in Europe nearly nine years ago, when Palermo secured
a 3-0 victory and sealed their progress in the UEFA Cup.
This is West Ham's seventh foray into European competition, with their
victory in the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1964 ranking as one of the
Club's most significant achievements.
The Hammers also reached the final on the same competition in 1976, while
this campaign is their third in the UEFA Europa League, or UEFA Cup as it
was previously known.
Lusitans' continental pedigree is restricted to more recent years, They have
been knocked out in the first qualifying round of all of their four
campaigns to date across the Europa and Champions Leagues.
The match
Team news
West Ham United
The Hammers' squad will again contain a mixture of senior and younger
players, with a group of first teamers still on a training camp in Ireland.
Diafra Sakho notched twice in the first leg and will be keen to add to his
tally on Thursday. Should he play, Joey O'Brien will make his 100th
appearance for the Club.
Youngsters Josh Cullen, Reece Burke, Reece Oxford, Elliot Lee and Djair
Parfitt-Williams will all hope for another opportunity after featuring last
week.
FC Lusitans
Experienced duo Oscar Sonejee and Edu Moya will both be looking for starts
after coming off the bench last week.
Sonejee is Andorra's most capped player, having turned out for his country
101 times, while Moya played in the Spanish top flight for Recreativo de
Huelva eight years ago.
Match facts
Thursday's match officials hail from Denmark, with 34-year-old Anders
Poulsen taking the whistle. As well as refereeing at the top level in his
native country, Poulsen also has previous experience in the UEFA Europa
League. He will be assisted by Henrik Larsen and Christian Brixen, while
Peter Kjaersgaard-Andersen will be the fourth official.
Should he be selected, Joey O'Brien will make his 100th appearance for West
Ham United on Thursday.
Diafra Sakho is already the Club's joint-12th highest scorer in European
competition following his brace last week. Another goal on Thursday would
propel him to joint-sixth in the list.
Lusitans have never won a game in European competition. Their previous four
home matches have brought them one win and three defeats, with two goals
scored and ten conceded.
Birkirkara, of Malta, or Ulisses from Armenia await in round two. The pair
drew 0-0 in the first leg.
Betting
The Club's principal partners Betway are again offering a huge range of
markets on the game. Check out their betting preview here.
Tickets, travel, weather and coverage
The game will be played at the Estadi Comunal d'Andorra la Vella. Our travel
advice, including directions and other vital information can be found here.
West Ham United's allocation of 450 tickets for this fixture have all SOLD
OUT.
The weather is set fair in Andorra la Vella for Thursday, with sun expected
all day and temperatures predicted to reach a high of 23C (73F).
Live text updates will be provided by whufc.com and our social media
channels throughout the game.
Please note that alcohol will not be sold inside the stadium in accordance
with UEFA regulations.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
View on the Opposition - Ivan Moure
WHUFC.com
What did you make of the first leg at the Boleyn Ground?
"Unfortunately I couldn't watch the first leg but I heard it was a
competitive game."
Which Lusitan players should we look out for?
"It's personal, and each person has a different opinion but for me, the two
best players are the two professional ones. At Lusitans, they're all amateur
except two, Edu Moya and Alfie Conteh, the goalkeeper is also a very good
player. In the first game, I heard he was very busy, I'm not surprised
really."
What kind of game are you expecting tomorrow night?
"I wasn't at Upton Park but I think it will be similar game. I think West
Ham will keep the pressure and have lots of chances. But Lusitans are at
home so they have the home advantage and the supporters behind them."
How well known are West Ham United in Andorra?
"They are a popular team, of course, every Premier League team is. Everyone
who knows about football knows West Ham."
There was a bit of controversy in the last game, but Slaven Bilic will be in
the dugout tomorrow night, is that a good thing?
"For me I think it is important, it is the right thing to do. I defend the
words of Xavi Roura."
What do you think of Xavi Roura, is he a popular manager?
"Yes, he is. He was managing in Andorra for quite a few years, then he left
to coach in Barcelona. But now he is back. He's a prestigious trainer."
Just finally, what do you think the score will be tomorrow evening?
"(Laughs) I don't know, it could be anything! I think the fact West Ham are
using a lot of U21 players is dangerous because they want to impress the
manager. They want to demonstrate what they can do.
"Usually teams stop if they're two or three up, but I don't think that will
happen in this case, they'll want to get as many as possible."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
FC Lusitans v West Ham preview: Hammers take healthy lead to Andorra
Last Updated: 08/07/15 8:35pm
SSN
West Ham head to Andorra on Thursday evening to face FC Lusitans in the
second leg of their Europa League qualifier. The Hammers entered in the
first qualifying round by virtue of topping the Fair Play League and hold a
3-0 advantage from the first-leg. A Diafra Sakho double in front of nearly
35,000 fans at the Boleyn Ground put the Hammers in command before James
Tomkins wrapped up the simple victory with a second half header.
FC Lusitans have been knocked out in the first qualifying round of all of
their four campaigns to date across the Europa and Champions Leagues. New
boss Slaven Bilic will once again be an on-looker as academy manager Terry
Westley takes charge.
Team news
The Hammers' squad will yet again contain a mixture of senior and younger
players, with a group of first teamers still on a training camp in Ireland.
Sakho should lead the line and fellow experienced squad member Joey O'Brien
will make his 100th appearance for the Club.
Youngsters Josh Cullen, Reece Burke, Reece Oxford, Elliot Lee and Djair
Parfitt-Williams will all hope for another opportunity after featuring last
week.
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West Ham in Andorra: What Europa League trip to Lusitans holds
By Tom McKeown
Last Updated: 08/07/15 8:28am
SSN
West Ham could face a capacity crowd for their trip to FC Lusitans on
Thursday night – of just 1,300 people. The Hammers travel to Andorra for the
second leg of their Europa League qualifying tie, having won 3-0 at Upton
Park last week against a team which was only formed in 1999. The sides meet
in the Estadi Comunal d'Andorra la Vella, which only caters for a small
crowd but boasts an incredible Pyrenean backdrop.
Slaven Bilic already knows the stadium, having travelled there with Croatia
during qualifying for Euro 2008, when his side ran out 6-0 winners. The new
West Ham boss left academy coach Terry Westley in charge for the first leg,
drawing criticism from Lusitans coach Xavi Roura for not showing his side
respect. Westley may well again take charge for Thursday's match, and it's
unclear whether Bilic will travel to Andorra with the squad. If he does go,
he'll undoubtedly have a simpler journey than the 450 travelling Hammers
fans, who have to make their own way to the ground with no official travel
set up by the club.
Supporters either face a flight to the north-east of Spain before a
three-hour drive into the mountains, or a train journey from London to the
Andorran border before a bus journey through the Pyrenees. West Ham's squad
won't be the first Premier League players to perform at the stadium. Robin
van Persie scored twice against Andorra as the Netherlands won 2-0 in front
of 500 people to secure their place in the 2014 World Cup finals.
Tottenham's Michel Vorm, Aston Villa's Ron Vlaar and former Liverpool
forward Dirk Kuyt were involved that night too.
Meanwhile, Kevin Doyle and Aiden McGeady netted for the Republic of Ireland
as they also won 2-0 at the Estadio Comunal, with Shay Given, John O'Shea
and Shane Long also among those involved. Lusitans do not have a set
stadium, with the Andorran Football Federation organising fixtures from
their Primera Divisio among the four stadiums they own in the principality.
However, they will hope home advantage plays its part on Thursday night,
when they attempt to overturn their first-leg deficit to Bilic's side.
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West Ham arrive in Andorra
Posted by Sean Whetstone on July 8, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
The West Ham team coach left Barcelona around 10am UK time this morning for
their 4 hour trip to Andorra ahead of Thursday night's clash against FC
Lusitans.
The club posted pictures of manager Slaven Bilic and Darren Randolph on
Instagram boarding a plane to Barcelona. They later posted a photo Reece
Burke boarding the Hammers team coach bound for Andorra.
Around 1.30pm UK time the coach crossed the border to Andorra where the team
will be staying overnight ahead of their 2nd leg Europa league clash.
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Confirmed: West Ham line-up vs Lusitanos: Full debut for exciting Academy
midfielder Josh Cullen
HITC
Damien Lucas
West Ham United will hand a full debut to exciting Academy prospect Josh
Cullen in the second leg of their Europa League qualifier at FC Lusitanos.
The Hammers take a 3-0 lead into the first qualifying round second leg
against the Andorran minnows after a Diafra Sakho brace and James Tomkins
goal sealed a comfortable first leg victory.
New West Ham boss Slaven Bilic watched on from the stands last time out and
is expected to do so again despite travelling with the team to Andorra for a
match which is already all but over as a contest.
However, it represents the perfect opportunity to give some of the club's
promising youngsters a run out in a competitive fixture in difficult
conditions as Lusitans play on an artificial pitch and judging by the first
leg like a tackle or two.
West Ham were the first Premier League side to be back in competitive action
after qualifying for Europe through the FIFA Fair Play rankings.
The club announced tomorrow's team via its official Twitter feed on
Wednesday night.
There will be two changes with academy starlet Cullen replacing West Ham's
youngest ever player Reece Oxford in the heart of midfield while another
youth player, striker Elliot Lee, replaces the injured Mauro Zarate up
front.
GK: Randloph
The Republic of Ireland 'keeper plays his second game for the club after
signing on a free transfer from Birmingham City. Didn't do anything wrong
and looked at home in his first match last week but literally had nothing to
do so was hard to judge his performance. His kicking was slightly suspect
last time out so he will be looking to improve that aspect.
LB: Page
Homegrown starlet and boyhood West Ham fan Lewis Page is in line for his
second game after an impressive performance on his debut. Page is known to
like a tackle and have something of a temper so he will need to be careful
in testing conditions as the Andorran minnows will be trying everything they
can to claw their way back into the game.
CB: Tomkins
Captain 'Tomka' looked sharp on his return to the West Ham side after a
long-term shoulder injury last season and will be hoping to lead by example
again after a hassle free first leg where he also grabbed a goal.
CB: Burke
The 18-year-old is fast becoming a permanent fixture in the Hammers team
despite his tender years. Didn't put a foot wrong in the first leg, was nice
and positive on the ball and rightfully keeps his place.
RB: O-Brien
Veteran of the side plays his 100th game for the club, a scenario that
didn't seem likely last season after he was frozen out under Sam Allardyce
and looked set for pastures new this summer. That may well still happen but
for now is a dependable and versatile performer with bags of experience
which they could need if Lusitans get a shock goal early on.
ML: Jarvis
Arguably West Ham's best player last week and another who has come in from
the shadows with a point to prove to new boss Slaven Bilic. There were no
signs of rustiness from the winger who is another expected to leave this
summer after a disappointing spell since his £10 million move from
Wolverhampton Wanderers. Expect him to be involved in the goals again.
MC: Poyet
Played the holding midfield role well last time after a shaky start. Academy
manager Terry Westley, who has been in charge of the Europa League squad and
preparations so far, called on the young midfielder to start playing more
killer passes so expect to see him looking for that defence splitting pass
more often this time out.
MC: Cullen
Swashbuckling central midfielder is in the mould of the likes of Joe Cole
and makes his full debut in Andorra. Brave as a lion and likes to be direct
and run at defences expect to see him involved in the thick of the attacking
action. He was so unlucky not to score with a brilliant curling which hit
the bar in the home leg.
MR: Amalfitano
The vastly experienced Frenchman will give that much needed experience to
help link up West Ham's attacks. One of the most skilful players on the
pitch he will trouble Lusitans' left back all game long and I wouldn't bet
against him getting an assist or two.
ST: Sakho
With two goals to his name already from the first leg, the exciting striker
has just 18 to go to hit his season target. He could well get a few of them
here as he should have scored at least a hat-trick at home. He is so
valuable to the Hammers, though, so expect to see him withdrawn around
half-time depending on how things pan out.
ST: Lee
Lee finally gets his long awaited chance to show what he can do from the
start of a match. A player fans have wanted to see more of for nearly a year
now he was unlucky not to score in the first leg and will be itching to get
that first competitive West Ham goal which will be the cue for comparisons
to legend Tony Cottee.
SUBS: Spiegel (GK), Westley, Knoyle, Oxford, Nasha, Parfitt-Williams, Brown.
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Slaven Bilic to take charge of West Ham for the first time with new boss
sitting in the dug-out for Europa League trip to Lusitans
By SAMI MOKBEL FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 19:06, 8 July 2015 | UPDATED: 19:11, 8 July 2015
Slaven Bilic will take his place in the West Ham dug-out for the first time
against Lusitans on Thursday night. The Croatian sat in the Upton Park
directors box for last week's first leg 3-0 win over the Andorrans. His
decision not to sit on the bench drew criticism from Lusitans manager Xavi
Roura who branded Bilic disrespectful. Bilic was not expected to travel to
Andorra for the Europa League qualifier second leg but has since decided to
make the trip. And academy chief Terry Westley, who took charge of last
week's clash, says Bilic will be in the dug-out on Thursday night. 'Yes, I'd
expect him to be on the bench,' said Westley. 'But it's nothing to do with
their manager's comments last week. There has never been a plan, as such.
'He's returned from the first-team training camp in Cork and he wants to see
players in a competitive game that gives them a chance before he makes major
decisions.' Forward Mauro Zarate, who started last week's clash, will miss
the rematch in Andorra with a slight groin injury. But Westley has confirmed
midfielder Josh Cullen, 19, will be handed his full debut against the
European minnows as the Hammers field another young team. Lusitans coach
Roura failed to turn up for his pre-match press conference and could face
punishment from UEFA as a result.
West Ham (4-4-2 - expected): Randolph; O'Brien, Tomkins, Burke, Page;
Amalfitano, Poyet, Cullen, Jarvis; Lee, Sakho
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Wednesday, July 8
Daily WHUFC News -
Tomkins wants fast start in Andorra
WHUFC.com
James Tomkins wants West Ham United to make a faster start when they take on FC Lusitans in the second leg of their UEFA Europa League first qualifying round tie on Thursday. The Hammers defeated their Andorran opponents 3-0 at the Boleyn Ground, but had to wait until the 40th minute for Diafra Sakho to open the scoring. Tomkins, who skippered the hosts, was happy with the result but wants to dampen Lusitans' enthusiasm early on this time around. It's always important to get on the scoresheet early on against teams like this, as that makes them quiet straight away," he explained. "We could have got the goal earlier than we did. It felt like a long time coming, but when it came we got another one quickly and that killed them off.
"We could have got more out of it, but we took the positives. It was the first game back we're still trying to pick up our fitness. A win's a win and 3-0 was quite convincing in the end."
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FC Lusitans v West Ham United – Travel Advice
WHUFC.com
Advice for fans making the trip to Andorra for our UEFA Europa League first qualifying round second leg tie
Introduction
West Ham United would like to thank the Club's loyal supporters for following the team to Andorra for the UEFA Europa League first qualifying round second leg tie with FC Lusitans.
The Club is rightly proud of its fans and would ask that you uphold the Hammers' reputation by respecting local customs, amenities and cultures.
Fixture information
FC Lusitans v West Ham United
UEFA Europa League first qualifying round second leg, Estadi Comunal d'Andorra la Vella, Thursday 9 July 2015, 7.30pm CET (6.30pm BST)
Stadium information
The Estadi Comunal d'Andorra la Vella is situated on the main CG1 road, the Avinguda de Salou, 22, AD 500 – Andorra la Vella, west of the town centre.
The stadium has an all-seated capacity of around 1,100 fans, a grass pitch and has hosted a number of senior international matches in recent years, with Andorra hosting the Netherlands, Republic of Ireland and Slaven Bilic's Croatia.
The stadium is only accessible from one side – the Avinguda de Salou – and supporters should be aware that potentially fast-moving traffic will be passing. Police will control this traffic flow before the match and plan to close the road for a period after the final whistle.
On entering the stadium, fans will be ticket checked and be searched by security staff for any prohibited items before being allowed through a security gate granting access to the visiting supporters' seated area behind the goal.
Flags and banners are welcome, but not those on sticks, but may be checked prior to entry. Please bear in mind that flags of an overtly political, sectarian or religious nature will not be permitted and may be confiscated.
West Ham United stewards will be travelling to Andorra and will be present at the stadium to assist supporters.
Toilet and catering facilities will be available inside the stadium. However, UEFA regulations stipulate that alcohol will NOT be on sale inside the stadium.
Any fans without tickets will NOT be granted access and will be removed from the stadium area by police.
Getting to Andorra La Vella
The Club is not arranging any official travel to Andorra.
By plane…
Andorra is a remote principality perched high in the Pyrenean mountains and therefore it is not easy to get to. The easiest and 'quickest' way to reach Andorra is by flying to north eastern Spain (Barcelona via Easyjet or British Airways) or southern France (Toulouse via Easyjet, British Airways or Perpignan via Ryanair). From all three, it is about a three-hour drive by hire car. You do not need an international driving licence to drive in Andorra if you are visiting solely for the match.
Fans driving from Barcelona should take the B22, C32 and B20 to junction nine, where you join the E9/C16 road for 72 miles. The remaining part of the trip on single carriageway roads – N260, N145, CG1, CG3 A. Drivers taking this route have to pay four tolls totalling €21.
From Toulouse, you need to skirt the city's west edge, take the E80/A620 toll road before heading south down the E9. At L'Hospitalet-pres-l'Andorre, turn left onto the N22. You will travel through the Tunel d'Envalira into Andorra (a toll road) before joining the CG2 and CG1 to Andorra La Vella.
If you fly into Perpginan, you will be on the road for a little longer, as the D614, D117, D107, D222 and D613 are all slow roads until you pick up the N22 at L'Hospitalet-pres-l'Andorre, then follow the route as above.
If you do not want to hire your own vehicle, you can take an express bus service from the airports in Barcelona, Girona and Toulouse Airports, as well as the town of L'Hospitalet-pres-l'Andorre.
By train…
Even though Andorra itself has no railway station, travelling by train is possibly easier than flying and driving! You can take the train from London via Paris to L'Hospitalet-pres-l'Andorre – the gateway to Andorra. From there, it is a spectacular bus ride up through the mountains to Andorra la Vella. For more information, please visit Seat61.com.
Andorra La Vella
Andorra La Vella (population 22,500) is the capital of the Principality of Andorra, and is located high in the east Pyrenean mountain range between France and Spain.
The town has many hotels, bars and restaurants, all within a fairly concentrated area.
Supporters should note that drinking alcohol on the streets is not permitted. The Andorran police have told the Club that West Ham United fans will be made very welcome in Andorra la Vella, but that anyone causing trouble can expect to be arrested and detained for 48 hours. Supporters should also note that UEFA rules ban the sale of alcoholic drinks within the ground.
Among the many local cultural attractions, are the Casa de la Vall – the parliament building, which was built in 1580 – and the 12th-century Sant Esteve Church with its fine carved woodwork.
With its tax-free status, Andorra is also popular with shoppers.
General information
The official language of Andorra is Catalan, while Spanish and French are also widely spoken.
The currency of Andorra is the Euro.
Andorra is on Central European Time (CET), one hour ahead of British Summer Time (BST).
Crime
Street crime is rare in Andorra, but you should take care of your personal belongings. Don't keep money and valuables all in one place.
Emergency contacts
You may telephone the Emergency Services on the following numbers:
112 – General Emergencies / Mountain Rescue
118 – Ambulance/Fire Brigade
110 – Police
116 – Medical Emergency Service
Passports
Passports or copies of your passport should be carried with you at all times for identification purposes if required by the authorities.
British Embassy Contact Details
British Consulate-General Edifico Torre de Barcelona, Avenida Diagonal 477 – 13, 08036 Barcelona
Email – spain.consulate@fco.gov.uk
Telephone – 902 109 356 (if calling from within Spain)/+34 91 334 2194 (International/alternative number)
Fax – +34 933 666 221
For further FCO advice regarding a visit to Andorra, please click here.
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Noble ready for biggest season in Club's history
WHUFC.com
West Ham United midfielder Mark Noble is relishing the chance to play in one of the biggest season's in the Club's history and knows the fans are going to make it an unforgettable final year at the Boleyn Ground. Noble will be full of emotions as the Club prepare to face their final ever home game against Swansea on May 8 as he made his debut at the Boleyn Ground and has so many special memories. With Slaven Bilic arriving as the new manager during the summer and several new additions including French superstar Dimitri Payet, Noble feels these are exciting times for West Ham United.
The Club are still working hard to bring in more new signings and Noble says the squad needs to be strong so they can cope with the busy schedule in both domestic and European competition. Noble said: "With European football hopefully we are going to have a lot of games and we need a big squad to deal with that. With the quality of players that are coming in it is only going to help us. "I have said this is a big season for us to stay in the Premier League and to go into the new Stadium on a high. This season is probably the biggest in the club's history and we need all the players that we can get. "I made my debut at Upton Park and have had some amazing times there. Hopefully we can go out on a bang and I'm sure the fans will be with us. "To sell out the ground for the first qualifying round of the Europa League is a credit to the fans and I'm sure we will sell out every week. "The new Stadium will be one of the best in Europe. The facilities are unbelievable and when we come to the end of the season it will be exciting to know that we are moving into a Stadium like that. Hopefully we can go into it playing European football.
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Former Hammer Joe Cole to feature in Chigwell charity match
WHUFC.com
West Ham United legend Joe Cole will lead a star studded line up of former players and famous faces in a charity match held at Chigwell School on Wednesday 8 July.
Cole will take his place in Celebrity Headmasters XI featuring Mark Wright, Ben Shephard, Bradley Walsh, Joint-Chairman David Sullivan's son David and former Hammers first-team coach Ian Hendon. The impressive collection of names will face a Sixth Form XI in the 4pm kick off, which will raise funds for the local charity Smiles with Grace.
Tickets cost just £5 and are available on the door with free car parking at Old Chigwellian's car park. Your support will be hugely appreciated for this worthwhile cause.
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Jack Sullivan Column
WHUFC.com
Jack Sullivan is the youngest son of West Ham United Joint-Chairman David Sullivan and is a huge Hammers fan. Jack will be giving his exclusive views to the official website in a regular new column...
Hello everyone,
I cannot believe the new season is already underway, but what a fantastic way for us to get started coming away with a 3-0 win in our first game in the Europa League. The scoreline could have been a lot more but we are able to take with us a comfortable lead to Andorra and hopefully we can make it through to the second qualifying round. I thought Mauro Zarate played really well and it will be great if he can keep up this form and show Slaven Bilic that he is ready to fight for a place in the starting line-up.
It was also good to see Diafra Sakho get among the goals straight away. We all know the quality he has got in front of goal and if we can keep him fit this could be another big season for him at West Ham United. I was able to meet Slaven for the first time which I was really excited about. He was in a really good mood and looked very happy to be back at the Club. I listened to what James Tomkins had to say after the game and that you cannot hear a pin drop when the manager speaks in the dressing room. That shows the respect that all the players have towards him. There were so many positives to come out of the game and I think a lot of people would have gone away impressed with the performance of Reece Oxford. He started in midfield and then went back to a defensive role where I thought he looked very strong.
Lewis Page also looked very comfortable playing on that stage and it was exciting to see Josh Cullen come on and almost get on the scoresheet with a fantastic shot which struck the crossbar. I like watching Josh in action and whenever I have been to see the Under-21s in action he has already impressed me. The atmosphere at the Boleyn Ground was excellent and you can sense that the fans are really excited by the arrival of the new manager and the new signings.
We now look forward to making the trip to Andorra and I know a few people who are going to the game. I am sure we are going to get a great reception over there. The directors of FC Lusitans were really nice people and they brought us a plate for the first game which had a horse on it. We gave them a meal the night before the game and it was all good sportsmanship. I cannot wait to see the team play abroad and I will be going to the game with my dad. We are flying to Spain and will then drive over to the game and will not get back until the early hours of Friday morning. It promises to be an extremely long day with a lot of travelling involved but it is all part of the European experience. I know the other first-team players who are not involved in this stage of the Europa League are out working hard in Ireland at their fitness camp. It is nice for the players to bond with each other at this stage of pre-season and especially the new signings who have come into the squad.
We hope to bring even more new signings into the squad, but it is a slow process and there is no rush at the moment.
I love all the games that are taking place at the moment and will try to see as many of them as possible.
I look forward to speaking with you all again soon.
Jack
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Defender snubs Blues bid in favour of West Ham
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 7th July 2015
By: Staff Writer
Angelo Ogbonna is close to completing a move to West Ham after rejecting an offer from fellow Premier League outfit Everton, according to reports. Sources in Italy (Di Marzio) are reporting this afternoon (Tuesday) that the 27-year-old Italian international defender is on the verge of sealing a switch to West Ham from Juventus for a fee in the region of €12million (£8.5million). West Ham are understood to have beaten off a rival bid from Everton who are reported to have offered a similar amount for the Italian, who has been capped on ten occasions by his country. Ironically perhaps, co-owner David Gold inadvertently tweeted a picture of Ogbonna when West Ham announced the capture of Pedro Obiang from Sampdoria last month.
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Payet jets in: more from Ireland
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 7th July 2015
By: Staff Writer
Slaven Bilic was delighted to welcome latest signing Dimitri Payet to Cork this morning when his latest signing joined up with the rest of the first team squad. Payet, who cost West Ham a shade under £11million when moving from Marseille met up with his new team mates for the first time today in Ireland, where those players not travelling to Andorra later this week are currently based. As you can see from our exclusive pictures below, Bilic and his coaching staff were fully involved once again as they took their new squad through its paces - and as has been the case every day, the players were also happy to pose for pictures with fans.
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The feeling of optimism has returned
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 7th July 2015
By: Matt Bell
Wonderful summer time in London. Lunchtime beers, evening beers, barbecues and girls wearing very little. Simple pleasures but ones that keep me happy while I expose my tattooed pink body to the sun. Regardless of the above distractions I still check any and all West Ham gossip links repeatedly through the day. Most summers I fear the departures of our star players but one of our biggest "stars" is Andy Carroll and I wouldn't cry if he were sold (NB - I really don't have it in for Carroll, I like him but I prefer Sakho who plays and scores). This summer the bubbles really are flying high.
Discounting our win against Lusitanos and the early date the game was played it was great to see the Board reduce ticket costs so the ground was full and for Betway to screen it live for free. Ok, the cameraman had a drink or two before starting his swooping shots and Stuart Slater told us a few times he had sweaty legs and the Betway chap was excited about the 9/4 possibility of Reece Oxford scoring with a header - but all in all we won and Sakho played and scored, twice. (That's why i prefer him to Carroll.)
The feeling of optimism has returned. As I've previously written I respect what Sam did and we are on a solid footing now because of his tenure. I don't go in for the less-favourable names that some have called him and not going to go back on my thoughts that if wasn't for his stubbornness he may have earned an additional two years from the Davids.
The West Ham chairmen are fans and they listened and brought in Bilic (I'm ignoring Benitez, Emery, Klopp, Ancelotti et al) because the fact is, it wasn't David Moyes or Steve McClaren - both of whom would've been abused for courting favour if they brought in Dicks as coach.
Now we have Bilic as boss, Dicks as coaching assistant and rumours of John Hartson coming in as striker coach. All sits well with me and I don't believe anyone would wish to argue with those three anyway. Things look good, really good.
We have signed Dmitri Payet, Pedro Obiang and Darren Randolph. Carl Jenkinson could soon be on his way as may be Alex Song. Ogbonna from Juve is close by all accounts to add to our strong pool of defenders, following recent news we had bid approximately £14million for Abdennour of Monaco.
There still seems to be a chance fo signing Yohan Cabaye which really does get me excited. Our midfield is strong, so for me it's another winger and maybe a new big-signing striker.
Which then leaves the question of who is sold to offset some of the outlay. Of course we need a strong number of players but let's not get carried away with needing a big squad for Europe. 23 games to win it and even BT don't start their coverage until September (mugs).
I was up for selling Jarvis but he is settled and looked sharp last week, so why not give him a chance to shine? I like Downing and he showed last season that as the "10" he is creative and knits the play together, but at his age if we can turn a profit by selling I say we sell. Payet looks good on YouTube (but then so did Faubert) but I do think he will soon become a Hammers hero.
We have Mauro Zarate in the mix as well. He has a few flashy touches but generally he doesn't look ready for 90 minutes, let alone two games a week. I don't think we would get much for him anyway, so he may as well be given another crack.
Modibo Maiga didn't make the cut of the squad players named for Europa action. I was open to giving him another chance, but that's a blow he won't recover from. Plus I would like to see Elliott Lee get a fair crack.
We won't make anything on Kevin Nolan and will probably end up paying half his wages while he runs his final year down out on loan, but that's football. Like Sam he was needed at the time and served us well for the first two years, but has looked out of date since.
So.... what wingers are there that we can buy ?
I'm not a big fan of Victor Moses, would take Salah on an unlikely loan from Chelsea and due to Man Citys "homegrown" quota issues I'd even get on the phone to City offering a loan swap of Jesus Navas for Nolan! Neither will play and someone needs to talk to Richard Wright on the bus.
Wingers seem bad investments. Even Manchester United may lose money on Angel Di Maria and we can't waste big money on players that don't deliver, so a loan is a better move.
As for the big money man up front, I now can't see that one happening, I've said before how much I like Charlie Austin but £15million is a bit high and yes, he has had injury problems.
I wouldn't take Mario Balotelli on loan as he is a Newcastle player if ever there was one. Or more likely, he will score 20 goals in Turkey. But we don't need his joke value - plus he looks a lazy sod, with an ego.
As it stands, even with Europa League action and the knock-on effect that has on the Premier League fixtures I now think we are strong in all areas and if we had to start the season as we are, then I would still look to top 10.
Sign Cabaye, a winger on loan here and there or a big money striker and I am then dreaming of the ultimate glory.... which for me is winning ANY cup and finishing higher than Tottenham.
Ah the delirious effect of sunshine drinking. But maybe - just maybe - we can enjoy a really exciting final season at the Boleyn and then come the Olympic Stadium and the staggering TV money, our bubbles really will be flying high. (Beyond that? Well this is West Ham, so those fears of trauma can wait for a rainy day)
Feel free to reply with some suggestions, I'll still read your comments even if I get stick for refusing to hate Nolan...
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The battle for the armband: Cheik-mate
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 7th July 2015
By: Gursimran Hans
It seems likely that Kevin Nolan will be playing away from Upton Park next year or play a much smaller role than he has in recent seasons. With Nolan being the current West Ham United captain, obvious questions have been asked, just who will replace him as skipper?
It seems likely Nolan will be club captain with a new team captain appointed given that he seems to be behind the likes of Mark Noble, Stewart Downing, Cheikou Kouyate, Pedro Obiang and Morgan Amalfitano in the pecking order. It also will not be surprising to see him behind Mauro Zarate and with rumours of more midfielders coming in, it seems as though it is unlikely that Nolan will remain a regular.
Slaven Bilic will have a big decision to make in replacing one of the best captains this club has ever had, who has been pivotal to the club's successes over the past four years. For many, the obvious choice seems to be the incumbent vice-captain Mark Noble. Noble is of course, a one club man (what do you mean he had loan spells at Hull City and Ipswich Town?), and has made more Premier League appearances for the club than any other player.
He seems full of passion whenever he plays, although this can get the better of him; back in February he was very close to getting himself sent-off against Spurs and was taken off due to fears he would. This caused the team to lose their shape and eventually let a 2-0 lead slip to a 2-2 draw.
Yes, the midfielder has captained England at various youth levels, but in the FA Cup 3rd Round replay against Everton he was involved in an on-field spat with teammate James Tomkins and had to be dragged away by Kevin Nolan. This suggests he can sometimes be caught in the occasion, something that definitely is not a quality befitting of a captain.
Noble was also badly out of form towards the end of the season and with the signings of Pedro Obiang and Dimitri Payet and rumours of more reinforcements he, like Nolan, could have a reduced role next year.
Not including Nolan, some of West Ham's greatest captains have been defenders - notably the likes of Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds, Alvin Martin, Julian Dicks and Lucas Neil. Two obvious candidates for captaincy from the current defence are New Zealand captain Winston Reid and James Collins.
Whilst both defenders are always 100 per cent committed and capable of helping out their less experienced partners, it is questionable if either are captain material - minly because of the amount of games they miss, as both are prone to injury. Reid missed three months of the 2013/14 season and both he and Collins have suffered niggling injuries during the past year.
The presence of James Tomkins and rumours that another central defender may be coming in makes it even less certain they will play as regularly as they would like. Having said that, they could both do a job if they do indeed play regularly.
A goalkeeping solution?
Some fans will say the captain should be the man who is currently our last line of defence, goalkeeper Adrian. Nobody could argue that Adrian does not loves West Ham, however he can be a little eccentric - illustrated most notably during the home game against Liverpool when he received a yellow card for a scuffle with Mario Balotelli, when it briefly looked like he was going to try and smash the Italian forward's face in.
That same day Adrian nearly got a second yellow and gave away a penalty for a foul on Fabio Borini. Whilst he escaped without punishment, his challenge was unnecessary and we could have gone down to ten men and Liverpool could have equalised with the resultant penalty.
He also received a red card against Southampton, which was later rescinded, but the fact of the matter remains - he should have cleared the ball first time rather than try to skill Sadio Mane; then it would not have been a problem.
West Ham then wasted a substitution which meant Andy Carroll had to stay on the field, despite the fact he could barely walk and never featured again after that. On both of those occasions Adrian caused a problem for the team, when it could've easily have been avoided.
A stick often used to beat Kevin Nolan with is his dismissals against Millwall, Liverpool and Fulham. So surely Adrian should have his sending off/near sending offs count against him? Make no doubt about it, he is another in a long line of excellent West Ham goalkeepers but that could count against him. He's a goalkeeper and many would argue that the captain should be a player who can be in the thick of the action.
The club seem to have an abundance of high quality midfielders. As mentioned before, Mark Noble is a well-supported candidate. Another potential candidate is Stewart Downing, but as his only previous experience as skipper was the 5-0 thrashing at Nottingham Forest and he seems to try and avoid tackles and tackling at all costs. Excellent player definitely, captain material? Certainly not.
Alex Song, who was pictured at the Boleyn Ground last Thursday night captained the club a few times during his season-long loan from Barcelona. However the main problem many have with Song is his loss of form during the latter part of the season. Whilst during the final few games he looked a lot better, he experienced what was surely the greatest dip on form that is known to man. In a matter of games he went from Trevor Brooking to Adam Nowland.
Consistency is key for a captain. When the heads begin to drop a captain has to be able to give his all and drive a team on. Whilst Song can be more than capable of that, he needs to prove he can do it consistently, which he didn't do last season. To sum it up, he hasn't shown enough to be captain material.
All these possible candidates have got great qualities, but it is another midfielder who seems to tick all the boxes required to be an excellent captain. That man in Cheikhou Kouyate.
Captain elect?
Kouyate is an absolute beast of a player, he is as good as Mo Diame thinks he is. The Senegalese midfielder has been played out of position and not thrown a strop about it. He was still able to put in magnificent performances, out of position, as a central defender against Manchester United (he played there with Collins and Reid injured).
Downing has not been able to perform out wide and Song suffered when pushed back to protecting the back four. Kouyate has been a consistent performer and brings good performances when it matters, scoring goals in big games against Arsenal, Spurs and Man Utd. He is also a great ambassador for the club, having worked hard to get to the position where he is, and is keen to spend time with his fans.
Whilst he isn't immune to injuries, Kouyate seems to be able to take a lot more knocks than most players and is able to recover a lot quicker, something which means strikers Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho are not realistic candidates. (You thought I was going to miss out strikers, didn't you?)
He also seems to be the only player that was almost guaranteed to play our matches last year (bar perhaps Adrian, Carl Jenkinson and Aaron Cresswell). So barring an extraordinarily-influential signing, it seems difficult to look further than Cheikou Kouyate as the next captain of West Ham United.
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IS IT TIME TO TELL CARL JENKINSON THAT IT'S A PERMANENT DEAL OR NOTHING?
By Iain Dale 7 Jul 2015 at 18:10
West Ham Till I Die
If Carl Jenkinson signs a new contract with Arsenal as the Mirror suggests HERE? should that alter our view that we should have him back at Upton Park for a second season? I'd love us to sign him permanently, but if he signs a new Arsenal contract he's going to cost us a lot more in wages and his heart clearly still lies at the Emirates. I'm not saying he wouldn't be fully committed to us, but maybe we should take this as a sign that we should look elsewhere. Wouldn't it be great to find another Aaron Cresswell in the Championship, for instance. Who would you suggest? Or do you think we should welcome Glen Johnson back to the club?
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West Ham closing in on £8million deal for Juventus defender Angelo Ogbonna
17:36, 7 JULY 2015
BY JOHN CROSS , DARREN LEWIS
Slaven Bilic is also eyeing a loan deal for Argentine playmaker Manuel Lanzini as he looks to build a squad capable of competing in Europe
The Mirror
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic is close to pulling off an £8million deal for Juventus defender Angelo Ogbonna. Italy centre half Ogbonna has been given permission to travel to London for a medical and to discuss personal terms on a four year deal with West Ham. The Hammers have beaten off competition from Everton to get their man after Juventus accepted an offer and will allow him to leave Turin. West Ham also hope to finalise the loan capture of playmaker Manuel Lanzini this week. Mirror Sport exclusively revealed last week that the Irons had moved for the 22-year-old Argentine on a season-long loan basis with an option for a permanent deal. He is understood to have an Italian passport which means he will not need a work permit to play for the Hammers. Hopes are high at Upton Park that he will develop into an important player as boss Slaven Bilic seeks to impose a more free-flowing style of play at Upton Park.
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Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson set to sign Gunners contract extension despite possible West Ham loan
17:13, 7 JULY 2015
BY DARREN LEWIS
The 23-year-old right-back, currently on £35,000-a-week, is poised to extend his Gunners contract which currently runs until 2018
The Mirror
Carl Jenkinson is set for a new deal at Arsenal despite being lined up for another loan move to West Ham. The 23-year-old right-back, currently on £35,000-a-week, is poised to extend his Gunners contract which currently runs until 2018. Jenkinson impressed at Upton Park last season. The Irons had sought to keep him on a permanent basis but Arsenal were unwilling to sell. West Ham are confident, however, of being able to announce his return for another year-long spell within the next week. He played in 32 of the Hammers' 38 Premier League games last term, starting 29 of them.
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Dimitri Payet to start training
Posted by Sean Whetstone on July 7, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
West Ham coach Julian Dicks has revealed new signing Dimitri Payet will commence full training with the Hammers for the first time this morning. The player flew out to Cork, Ireland on Sunday to meet up with his fellow team mates but the actual hard work begins today.
Yesterday Slaven Bilic told the club's official website:
"He is a great player and did really well at a big club like Marseille. He was fantastic last year and I really wanted him. The Club did a great job to get a player who had so many offers. We are expecting big things from him and we will help him to adjust. Everyone who is connected to West Ham will enjoy seeing him. The French League is one of the big five and we have seen so many good players who have come over from France and done well in the Premier League.He is a great player and was my number one target. I am delighted that he has joined us."
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Irons favourites as Toffees enter Ogbonna race
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 7, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Everton are this morning being linked with West Ham central defensive target Angel Ogbonna as a replacement for Sylvain Distin. The north western club have been monitoring the progress in talks between ourselves and Juventus and according to some reports will make a firm offer over the next few days. However, according to the Liverpool Echo, Ogbonna is on his way to London for talks with the Irons as manager Slaven Bilic aims to conclude his third signing since taking over as boss. The Hammers interest first became known via a case of mistaken identity when co chairman David Gold bizarrely welcomed Pedro Obiang, to the club. Gold tweeted: "I am delighted to announce the signing of 23 year old midfield Pedro Obiang from Sampdoria. Pedro, welcome. dg." but included a picture of Ogbonna rather than Obiang – before quickly deleting the message. According to one morning report, however, Toffees boss Roberto Martinez is willing to "spend big" in his bid to snatch Ogbonna away to Goodison. But West Ham insiders remain confident they are in the driving seat to conclude a deal with Juventus reported as wanting €10m plus a potential further €2m in bonus payments for Ogbonna
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£15m Townsend/Irons link
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 7, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Andros Townsend is a regular arrival in the West Ham silly season transfer news. He is again raised as a possible arrival in some morning newspapers although the stories look like a near repeat of those we were seeing in October 2014. Back then he was seen as a replacement for Matt Jarvis who – it was claimed – is edging towards the exit door . In fact he wasn"t THEN and he isn't NOW as ClaretandHugh reported yesterday. Indeed as we explained, the club have had no offers for either either a permanent or loan deal offered in the case of the former Wolves winger who cost us a cool £10 million. Today, however, despite the arrival of Dimitri Payet at £10 million and with talks going on for Carl Jenkinson, Angel Ogbonna and Alex Song, we are apparently ready to talk around a £15 million deal for the Spurs wide man. Given that Payet can play either on the left or right side it seems unlikely the position is currently a priority and it's a central striker the club is looking for anyway. With £20 million spent on Payet and a minimum £10 million set aside for a central defender only around £5m or £6 million will be left in the kitty – some way short of the reported £15 million Spurs valuation for Townsend. This one looks unlikely to put it kindly.
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TV Stream for Europa League 2nd leg possible
Posted by Sean Whetstone on July 7, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
West Ham media officer Rob Pritchard has confirmed that FC Lusitans has the rights to sell broadcast rights for Thursday night's 2nd Leg Europa league first qualifying round match but he admits if they don't exercise that right West Ham could ask them permission to stream it themselves.
However he does add on his personal twitter account "Obviously it also depends on the internet connection at the stadium, which we plan to investigate on arrival tomorrow"
The Estadi Comunal d'Andorra la Vella is situated in the mountains and has a seated capacity of around 1,100 fans.
West Ham own coverage via WHUFC.com last Thursday was beset with technical problems with many fans unable to watch the match on the club's own website although it was possible to watch the stream live on West Ham's youtube channel.
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Twin Reids born
Posted by Sean Whetstone on July 7, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Winston Reid's wife Yana has given birth to twins the club have announced this evening. The twins have been named Arianna and Damien.
Claret and Hugh wishes Mr and Mrs Reid all the best for their new life adventure.
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Payet 'nicked ' on speeding rap
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 7, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
West Ham United's Dimitri Payet is tonight reported as having received a driving ban and been summoned to appear in court in September after being caught by police driving at 170km an hour (105 mph). West Ham's new playmaker is reported in L'Equipe as having recorded the speed after travelling back to his birthplace, Reunion, for a short break ahead of pre-season training. He was allegedly 'nicked' while driving in a zone where there is a 110km limit. L'Equipe explain that speeding is a big problem on the island and causes an increasing numbers of deaths. That court appearance would be on Reunion, off Madagascar, not exactly a short hop from Chawell Heath and it's not clear whether he can send a legal representative to avoid any headaches for the Irons.
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Ogbonna medical imminent
Posted by Sean Whetstone on July 7, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
According to GianlucaDiMarzio.com, defender Angelo Ogbonna has rejected a move to Everton in favor of West Ham. They claim the centre back will sign a 4 year deal with the Hammers earning more than €2 million (£1.4m) net a season around £26,000 per week after tax.
The report suggests Juventus will receive €12 million (£8.5m) plus performance related bonuses. Once the last few details are settled with Juve they say he will travel to London to take his medical which they claim could be as early Wednesday or Thursday.
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Report: Ogbonna agrees Hammers terms
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 7, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Multiple media sources are currently reporting that Angelo Ogbonna has agreed to join West Ham ahead of Everton in an £8million deal.
It is understood that he held talks with the club today and has agreed a four year contract with us.
The left-sided was reported this morning to be a target for Everton but it seems from the unanimous coverage that he is now set to become the first choice partner to Winston Reid.
Juventus defender Angelo Ogbonna has agreed to join West Ham ahead of Everton in an £8million deal
Ogbonna was apparently attracted to London living and has opted to sign up for Slaven Bilic and will have his medical later this week.
The player was an unused substitute for Juventus when they were beaten by Barcelona in the Champions League final in May, and he has been linked with a host of Premier League clubs this summer.
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Report: Paul-Georges Ntep rejects West Ham offer, Tottenham also linked
HITC
Olly Dawes
Rennes forward Paul-Georges Ntep has reportedly snubbed a move to West Ham. According to the Daily Mail, West Ham have failed in a bid to sign Rennes winger Paul-Georges Ntep, who would prefer a move to a Champions League club. Ntep, 22, joined Rennes in January 2014 having impressed with Auxerre, and has now established himself as one of the top young players in French football. With 14 goals in 45 games for Rennes, Ntep has proven his quality with Philippe Montanier, and even earned his first cap for the French national team last month - despite being born in Cameroon. Ntep is bound to attract interest in the transfer market as a result of his fine performances for Rennes, and the Daily Mail believe that West Ham have failed in a bid to land him. The report states that Ntep has rejected the Hammers' advances as he wants to play for a club pushing for the Champions League if he is to leave Rennes. Intriguingly, it's also noted that Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham are also interested in signing Ntep, and offers from those clubs may be more appealing to the player having snubbed West Ham.
Next priority for West Ham?
West Ham have so far strengthen their midfield with the signing of Pedro Obiang, added a creative force in Dimitri Payet and snapped up cover for goalkeeper Adrian by signing Darren Randolph. Now, with Bilic having a history of playing with wingers at Besiktas, the new Hammers boss could turn his attention to landing a true, natural winger this summer. They may have failed to land Ntep, but it seems clear that Bilic and West Ham are now prioritising the signing of a natural winger, given that they are short of options in that area right now.
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West Ham in talks with Roma over Seydou Doumbia loan deal as Valencia are told Victor Valdes is staying at Man United
By SIMON JONES FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 14:23, 7 July 2015 | UPDATED: 14:23, 7 July 2015
West Ham have held discussions with Roma about a loan deal for Seydou Doumbia but have been rebuffed in an attempt to sign Paul-Georges Ntep from Rennes. West Ham manager Slaven Bilic wants a striker and a wide player with Stewart Downing interested in a return to the North East. Roma are confident the 29-year-old Dzeko wants to join but have yet to agree a fee with City who want around £20million for the Bosnian. Doumbia is interested in leaving but would prefer a permanent move. Watford have shown an interest but that deal is unlikely to move forward though West Ham is more appealing. West Ham have been talking to Roma about the possibility of signing another striker, Mattia Destro. The 24-year-old has been in discussions with Monaco and is waiting for interest from Fiorentina. Ntep, a £12m-rated France international winger, has been linked with Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham and would prefer to play for a club challenging for Champions League places. West Ham are having a go in this window though. They are pushing for a decision from Angelo Ogbonna of Juventus amid a strong challenge from Everton, have outlined a deal with Manuel Lanzini from Al Jazira and have agreements in place with Carl Jenkinson of Arsenal and Alex Song of Barcelona.
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Arsenal ready to offer Carl Jenkinson new contract
Published 20 minutes ago Add your comment
givemesport.com
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is ready to offer Carl Jenkinson an improved deal but still expects the defender to leave on loan, reports The Mail. The 23-year-old spent the whole of last season on loan to West Ham and quickly established himself as an important player under Sam Allardyce. But while he was lighting up east London, a Spanish teenager called Hector Bellerin was busy establishing himself as the best young right-back on Arsenal's books. Bellerin's emergence coupled with the continued presence of Mathieu Debuchy left Jenkinson with little or no future at the Emirates with reports tipping him to leave on a permanent basis. West Ham were keen to sign him and were ready to pay upwards of £7m while other reports suggested Arsenal were looking for close to £10m. It now seems as if Jenkinson's fine form has convinced Wenger that he may well have a future at the club and is ready to give him a pay rise on his current £35,000-a-week. However, the one-time England international is still expected to leave on loan with West Ham still interested in another temporary deal after failing to agree a permanent one. They will have to compete with Southampton though, who are are looking to replace their recently departed defender Nathaniel Clyne Sunderland have also showed an interest and had offered Arsenal a £2m loan fee, an offer that was accepted. However, Jenkinson, obviously a London lad through and through, rejected the chance to move to Wearside.
SIGNIFICANT NEWS
Arsenal's decision to give Jenkinson a new contract is nothing out of the ordinary for a player about to leave on loan. In fact, it is actually club policy for players to extend their contracts before leaving on temporary deals. Joel Campbell was essentially forced to extend his contract before leaving for Villarreal despite the fact he was never likely to play for Arsenal again. He is still at the club but is up for transfer this summer. Arsenal's decision to extend Jenkinson's contract may just be a safeguard should they decide to sell next summer, but it indicates that Wenger sees him as a future first-team star, potentially after Debuchy's contract expires in 2018. As a homegrown player, Jenkinson's presence in the squad will always be of added value to Arsenal, hence why they are likely to keep him on the books, if not the squad.
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Carl Jenkinson in line for improved contract at Arsenal but will still be sent out on loan with West Ham leading race for defender
By SAMI MOKBEL FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 11:29, 7 July 2015 | UPDATED: 12:16, 7 July 2015
Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson is in line for an improved contract, despite heading out on loan this summer. The Gunners will offer the defender a new contract, which will include an increase on his current £35,000-per-week wages. His existing deal expires in 2018, but he is now set to extend that period. That is despite the fact the right-back will move on loan to a Barclays Premier League rival this summer. West Ham are leading the race to take the former Charlton man on a second consecutive season-long loan spell ahead of next season. But Southampton and Sunderland have also shown an interest in the 23-year-old. Even though Arsene Wenger is prepared to let Jenkinson leave this summer, the Arsenal manager isn't ready to sell him on a permanent basis. Hector Bellerin and Mathieu Debuchy are both ahead of Jenkinson in the right-back pecking order for next season. But another impressive loan spell away could force Wenger into a rethink ahead of the 2016/17
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West Ham want £15million Andros Townsend but fear Tottenham won't deal with them
22:30, 6 JULY 2015
BY DARREN LEWIS
Bad blood between the clubs stems from their rival bids to move into the Olympic Stadium and a loan move for Emmanuel Adebayor which collapsed West Ham are keen on England winger Andros Townsend - but fear a deal is unlikely with Spurs because of their poor relationship. Aston Villa, Swansea, Newcastle and Sunderland are already interested in the 23-year-old wide man. Tottenham want around £15million for him. Townsend, who has three years left on his contract, wants to fight for his place at Spurs but is aware that he needs to be playing regularly with the European Championship next summer. Tottenham have already shown an interest in Monaco wide man Yannick Ferreira Carrasco. The bad blood with West Ham - who beat Spurs to the Olympic Stadium - hit a fresh low back in January when Spurs chairman Daniel Levy blocked the Hammers' loan move for striker Emmanuel Adebayor. Levy refused to pay part of the Togo front man's £100,000-a-week wages at Upton Park even though he was willing to do so if Adebayor played elsewhere. West Brom, Stoke and Crystal Palace were among the other clubs that had come in for the player but he preferred a move to the Boleyn.
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West Ham close to loan deal for Argentine Manuel Lanzini from UAE club Al Jazira
By SIMON JONES FOR THE DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED: 23:12, 6 July 2015 | UPDATED: 04:48, 7 July 2015
West Ham have agreed a deal in principle to sign Argentine midfielder Manuel Lanzini on loan from UAE-based club Al Jazira. The 22-year-old, who has an Italian passport, was considered by West Ham while at River Plate last summer but he moved to the Middle East instead for £5.25million. Known as 'La Joya' or 'The Jewel', Lanzini also has interest from Sharjah. He scored eight goals in 24 appearances to help Jazira to a second-place finish in the Arabian Gulf League last season. West Ham are continuing discussions over a proposed loan deal for Carl Jenkinson from Arsenal and are awaiting Alex Song's injury to clear up before proceeding with his proposed move from Barcelona. Meanwhile, Sunderland and Middlesbrough will continue their pursuit of Hammers winger Stewart Downing this week. West Ham have been surprised at the bidding particularly with Middlesbrough's efforts to take the 30-year-old England international back to the Riverside. Downing turns 31 later this month but Boro are willing to offer a four-year deal worth in excess of £55,000 a week and offer £6million plus add-ons to West Ham.
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Angelo Ogbonna 'agrees transfer deal to sign for West Ham'
Jamie Sanderson for Metro.co.uk
Tuesday 7 Jul 2015 12:16 am
West Ham have agreed a deal to sign Juventus star Angelo Ogbonna after weeks of talks, according to reports. The Hammers have been locked in negotiations to bring powerful centre back Ogbonna to England after he was made a top target by new boss Slaven Bilic. And now ESPN says an agreement has been reached for Ogbonna to move to Upton Park, with personal terms believed to have been sorted. No fee has been agreed but Juve are happy to sell the 27-year-old, who is also a target for Everton.
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Lanzini set to join West Ham on loan
West Ham United are closing in on a deal to sign Al Jazira midfielder Manuel Lanzini on a season-long loan.
foxsports
Tuesday 07th July 2015
Al Jazira paid River Plate nearly £10 million for the Argentine last year, but it appears that his spell with the club will be brief. After spending just one season with the Abu Dhabi-based club, where he scored eight goals in 22 appearances, the 22-year-old is set to get his first taste of the Premier League. Lanzini possesses an Italian passport and therefore he will not require a work permit to play for West Ham, who are pushing for a deal to be finalised this week. "Everything is agreed, the player is now sorting things out but if everything goes according to plan he will be flying to England for a medical at some point this week," a source in the Middle East told Goal.
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Everton set to challenge West Ham over the signing of £8million-rated Juventus defender Angelo Ogbonna
By SIMON JONES FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 00:37, 7 July 2015 | UPDATED: 00:37, 7 July 2015
Everton are challenging West Ham to sign Juventus defender Angelo Ogbonna. The Italian club and the 27-year-old are poised to make a decision on Tuesday, with West Ham having the slight edge. Ogbonna's agent has spoken to both clubs and Juventus want £8m for the former Torino defender. Last month, West Ham co-chairman David Gold accidentally tweeted a picture of Ogbonna when welcoming new signing Pedro Obiang to the club. He wrote: 'I am delighted to announce the signing of 23 year old midfield Pedro Obiang from Sampdoria. Pedro, welcome. dg.', but accidentally used a picture of Ogbonna alongside the text. Ogbonna was an unused substitute for Juventus when they were beaten by Barcelona in the Champions League final in May, and he has been linked with a host of Premier League clubs this summer. Elsewhere, West Ham have agreed a deal in principle to sign Argentine midfielder Manuel Lanzini on loan from UAE-based club Al Jazira. The 22-year-old, who has an Italian passport, was considered by West Ham while at River Plate last summer but he moved to the Middle East instead for £5.25million.
Known as 'La Joya' or 'The Jewel', Lanzini also has interest from Sharjah. He scored eight goals in 24 appearances to help Jazira to a second-place finish in the Arabian Gulf League last season.
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Angelo Ogbonna, West Ham agree a deal, according to sources
ESPN
Angelo Ogbonna failed to secure a starting spot at Juventus since moving from Torino in 2013. West Ham United have agreed a deal with Juventus for defender Angelo Ogbonna, sources have told ESPN FC. ESPN FC revealed earlier on Monday that West Ham were battling Premier League rivals Everton for the 27-year-old's signature, but now West Ham have moved into pole position to land the Italian international. Juventus are willing to cash-in on Ogbonna as he has been unable to hold down a regular place in the side since his arrival from Torino on 2013.
West Ham have been tracking Ogbonna for some time and they have been locked in talks with Juventus for the past few weeks as they look to bring the defender to Upton Park New West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has made a commanding central defender one of his top targets since taking charge at Upton Park this summer and Ogbonna fits the bill. West Ham have been busy so far in this summer's transfer window bringing in the likes of Pedro Obiang, Dimitri Payet, Darren Randolph and Martin Samuelsen.
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WHUFC.com
James Tomkins wants West Ham United to make a faster start when they take on FC Lusitans in the second leg of their UEFA Europa League first qualifying round tie on Thursday. The Hammers defeated their Andorran opponents 3-0 at the Boleyn Ground, but had to wait until the 40th minute for Diafra Sakho to open the scoring. Tomkins, who skippered the hosts, was happy with the result but wants to dampen Lusitans' enthusiasm early on this time around. It's always important to get on the scoresheet early on against teams like this, as that makes them quiet straight away," he explained. "We could have got the goal earlier than we did. It felt like a long time coming, but when it came we got another one quickly and that killed them off.
"We could have got more out of it, but we took the positives. It was the first game back we're still trying to pick up our fitness. A win's a win and 3-0 was quite convincing in the end."
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FC Lusitans v West Ham United – Travel Advice
WHUFC.com
Advice for fans making the trip to Andorra for our UEFA Europa League first qualifying round second leg tie
Introduction
West Ham United would like to thank the Club's loyal supporters for following the team to Andorra for the UEFA Europa League first qualifying round second leg tie with FC Lusitans.
The Club is rightly proud of its fans and would ask that you uphold the Hammers' reputation by respecting local customs, amenities and cultures.
Fixture information
FC Lusitans v West Ham United
UEFA Europa League first qualifying round second leg, Estadi Comunal d'Andorra la Vella, Thursday 9 July 2015, 7.30pm CET (6.30pm BST)
Stadium information
The Estadi Comunal d'Andorra la Vella is situated on the main CG1 road, the Avinguda de Salou, 22, AD 500 – Andorra la Vella, west of the town centre.
The stadium has an all-seated capacity of around 1,100 fans, a grass pitch and has hosted a number of senior international matches in recent years, with Andorra hosting the Netherlands, Republic of Ireland and Slaven Bilic's Croatia.
The stadium is only accessible from one side – the Avinguda de Salou – and supporters should be aware that potentially fast-moving traffic will be passing. Police will control this traffic flow before the match and plan to close the road for a period after the final whistle.
On entering the stadium, fans will be ticket checked and be searched by security staff for any prohibited items before being allowed through a security gate granting access to the visiting supporters' seated area behind the goal.
Flags and banners are welcome, but not those on sticks, but may be checked prior to entry. Please bear in mind that flags of an overtly political, sectarian or religious nature will not be permitted and may be confiscated.
West Ham United stewards will be travelling to Andorra and will be present at the stadium to assist supporters.
Toilet and catering facilities will be available inside the stadium. However, UEFA regulations stipulate that alcohol will NOT be on sale inside the stadium.
Any fans without tickets will NOT be granted access and will be removed from the stadium area by police.
Getting to Andorra La Vella
The Club is not arranging any official travel to Andorra.
By plane…
Andorra is a remote principality perched high in the Pyrenean mountains and therefore it is not easy to get to. The easiest and 'quickest' way to reach Andorra is by flying to north eastern Spain (Barcelona via Easyjet or British Airways) or southern France (Toulouse via Easyjet, British Airways or Perpignan via Ryanair). From all three, it is about a three-hour drive by hire car. You do not need an international driving licence to drive in Andorra if you are visiting solely for the match.
Fans driving from Barcelona should take the B22, C32 and B20 to junction nine, where you join the E9/C16 road for 72 miles. The remaining part of the trip on single carriageway roads – N260, N145, CG1, CG3 A. Drivers taking this route have to pay four tolls totalling €21.
From Toulouse, you need to skirt the city's west edge, take the E80/A620 toll road before heading south down the E9. At L'Hospitalet-pres-l'Andorre, turn left onto the N22. You will travel through the Tunel d'Envalira into Andorra (a toll road) before joining the CG2 and CG1 to Andorra La Vella.
If you fly into Perpginan, you will be on the road for a little longer, as the D614, D117, D107, D222 and D613 are all slow roads until you pick up the N22 at L'Hospitalet-pres-l'Andorre, then follow the route as above.
If you do not want to hire your own vehicle, you can take an express bus service from the airports in Barcelona, Girona and Toulouse Airports, as well as the town of L'Hospitalet-pres-l'Andorre.
By train…
Even though Andorra itself has no railway station, travelling by train is possibly easier than flying and driving! You can take the train from London via Paris to L'Hospitalet-pres-l'Andorre – the gateway to Andorra. From there, it is a spectacular bus ride up through the mountains to Andorra la Vella. For more information, please visit Seat61.com.
Andorra La Vella
Andorra La Vella (population 22,500) is the capital of the Principality of Andorra, and is located high in the east Pyrenean mountain range between France and Spain.
The town has many hotels, bars and restaurants, all within a fairly concentrated area.
Supporters should note that drinking alcohol on the streets is not permitted. The Andorran police have told the Club that West Ham United fans will be made very welcome in Andorra la Vella, but that anyone causing trouble can expect to be arrested and detained for 48 hours. Supporters should also note that UEFA rules ban the sale of alcoholic drinks within the ground.
Among the many local cultural attractions, are the Casa de la Vall – the parliament building, which was built in 1580 – and the 12th-century Sant Esteve Church with its fine carved woodwork.
With its tax-free status, Andorra is also popular with shoppers.
General information
The official language of Andorra is Catalan, while Spanish and French are also widely spoken.
The currency of Andorra is the Euro.
Andorra is on Central European Time (CET), one hour ahead of British Summer Time (BST).
Crime
Street crime is rare in Andorra, but you should take care of your personal belongings. Don't keep money and valuables all in one place.
Emergency contacts
You may telephone the Emergency Services on the following numbers:
112 – General Emergencies / Mountain Rescue
118 – Ambulance/Fire Brigade
110 – Police
116 – Medical Emergency Service
Passports
Passports or copies of your passport should be carried with you at all times for identification purposes if required by the authorities.
British Embassy Contact Details
British Consulate-General Edifico Torre de Barcelona, Avenida Diagonal 477 – 13, 08036 Barcelona
Email – spain.consulate@fco.gov.uk
Telephone – 902 109 356 (if calling from within Spain)/+34 91 334 2194 (International/alternative number)
Fax – +34 933 666 221
For further FCO advice regarding a visit to Andorra, please click here.
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Noble ready for biggest season in Club's history
WHUFC.com
West Ham United midfielder Mark Noble is relishing the chance to play in one of the biggest season's in the Club's history and knows the fans are going to make it an unforgettable final year at the Boleyn Ground. Noble will be full of emotions as the Club prepare to face their final ever home game against Swansea on May 8 as he made his debut at the Boleyn Ground and has so many special memories. With Slaven Bilic arriving as the new manager during the summer and several new additions including French superstar Dimitri Payet, Noble feels these are exciting times for West Ham United.
The Club are still working hard to bring in more new signings and Noble says the squad needs to be strong so they can cope with the busy schedule in both domestic and European competition. Noble said: "With European football hopefully we are going to have a lot of games and we need a big squad to deal with that. With the quality of players that are coming in it is only going to help us. "I have said this is a big season for us to stay in the Premier League and to go into the new Stadium on a high. This season is probably the biggest in the club's history and we need all the players that we can get. "I made my debut at Upton Park and have had some amazing times there. Hopefully we can go out on a bang and I'm sure the fans will be with us. "To sell out the ground for the first qualifying round of the Europa League is a credit to the fans and I'm sure we will sell out every week. "The new Stadium will be one of the best in Europe. The facilities are unbelievable and when we come to the end of the season it will be exciting to know that we are moving into a Stadium like that. Hopefully we can go into it playing European football.
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Former Hammer Joe Cole to feature in Chigwell charity match
WHUFC.com
West Ham United legend Joe Cole will lead a star studded line up of former players and famous faces in a charity match held at Chigwell School on Wednesday 8 July.
Cole will take his place in Celebrity Headmasters XI featuring Mark Wright, Ben Shephard, Bradley Walsh, Joint-Chairman David Sullivan's son David and former Hammers first-team coach Ian Hendon. The impressive collection of names will face a Sixth Form XI in the 4pm kick off, which will raise funds for the local charity Smiles with Grace.
Tickets cost just £5 and are available on the door with free car parking at Old Chigwellian's car park. Your support will be hugely appreciated for this worthwhile cause.
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Jack Sullivan Column
WHUFC.com
Jack Sullivan is the youngest son of West Ham United Joint-Chairman David Sullivan and is a huge Hammers fan. Jack will be giving his exclusive views to the official website in a regular new column...
Hello everyone,
I cannot believe the new season is already underway, but what a fantastic way for us to get started coming away with a 3-0 win in our first game in the Europa League. The scoreline could have been a lot more but we are able to take with us a comfortable lead to Andorra and hopefully we can make it through to the second qualifying round. I thought Mauro Zarate played really well and it will be great if he can keep up this form and show Slaven Bilic that he is ready to fight for a place in the starting line-up.
It was also good to see Diafra Sakho get among the goals straight away. We all know the quality he has got in front of goal and if we can keep him fit this could be another big season for him at West Ham United. I was able to meet Slaven for the first time which I was really excited about. He was in a really good mood and looked very happy to be back at the Club. I listened to what James Tomkins had to say after the game and that you cannot hear a pin drop when the manager speaks in the dressing room. That shows the respect that all the players have towards him. There were so many positives to come out of the game and I think a lot of people would have gone away impressed with the performance of Reece Oxford. He started in midfield and then went back to a defensive role where I thought he looked very strong.
Lewis Page also looked very comfortable playing on that stage and it was exciting to see Josh Cullen come on and almost get on the scoresheet with a fantastic shot which struck the crossbar. I like watching Josh in action and whenever I have been to see the Under-21s in action he has already impressed me. The atmosphere at the Boleyn Ground was excellent and you can sense that the fans are really excited by the arrival of the new manager and the new signings.
We now look forward to making the trip to Andorra and I know a few people who are going to the game. I am sure we are going to get a great reception over there. The directors of FC Lusitans were really nice people and they brought us a plate for the first game which had a horse on it. We gave them a meal the night before the game and it was all good sportsmanship. I cannot wait to see the team play abroad and I will be going to the game with my dad. We are flying to Spain and will then drive over to the game and will not get back until the early hours of Friday morning. It promises to be an extremely long day with a lot of travelling involved but it is all part of the European experience. I know the other first-team players who are not involved in this stage of the Europa League are out working hard in Ireland at their fitness camp. It is nice for the players to bond with each other at this stage of pre-season and especially the new signings who have come into the squad.
We hope to bring even more new signings into the squad, but it is a slow process and there is no rush at the moment.
I love all the games that are taking place at the moment and will try to see as many of them as possible.
I look forward to speaking with you all again soon.
Jack
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Defender snubs Blues bid in favour of West Ham
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 7th July 2015
By: Staff Writer
Angelo Ogbonna is close to completing a move to West Ham after rejecting an offer from fellow Premier League outfit Everton, according to reports. Sources in Italy (Di Marzio) are reporting this afternoon (Tuesday) that the 27-year-old Italian international defender is on the verge of sealing a switch to West Ham from Juventus for a fee in the region of €12million (£8.5million). West Ham are understood to have beaten off a rival bid from Everton who are reported to have offered a similar amount for the Italian, who has been capped on ten occasions by his country. Ironically perhaps, co-owner David Gold inadvertently tweeted a picture of Ogbonna when West Ham announced the capture of Pedro Obiang from Sampdoria last month.
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Payet jets in: more from Ireland
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 7th July 2015
By: Staff Writer
Slaven Bilic was delighted to welcome latest signing Dimitri Payet to Cork this morning when his latest signing joined up with the rest of the first team squad. Payet, who cost West Ham a shade under £11million when moving from Marseille met up with his new team mates for the first time today in Ireland, where those players not travelling to Andorra later this week are currently based. As you can see from our exclusive pictures below, Bilic and his coaching staff were fully involved once again as they took their new squad through its paces - and as has been the case every day, the players were also happy to pose for pictures with fans.
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The feeling of optimism has returned
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 7th July 2015
By: Matt Bell
Wonderful summer time in London. Lunchtime beers, evening beers, barbecues and girls wearing very little. Simple pleasures but ones that keep me happy while I expose my tattooed pink body to the sun. Regardless of the above distractions I still check any and all West Ham gossip links repeatedly through the day. Most summers I fear the departures of our star players but one of our biggest "stars" is Andy Carroll and I wouldn't cry if he were sold (NB - I really don't have it in for Carroll, I like him but I prefer Sakho who plays and scores). This summer the bubbles really are flying high.
Discounting our win against Lusitanos and the early date the game was played it was great to see the Board reduce ticket costs so the ground was full and for Betway to screen it live for free. Ok, the cameraman had a drink or two before starting his swooping shots and Stuart Slater told us a few times he had sweaty legs and the Betway chap was excited about the 9/4 possibility of Reece Oxford scoring with a header - but all in all we won and Sakho played and scored, twice. (That's why i prefer him to Carroll.)
The feeling of optimism has returned. As I've previously written I respect what Sam did and we are on a solid footing now because of his tenure. I don't go in for the less-favourable names that some have called him and not going to go back on my thoughts that if wasn't for his stubbornness he may have earned an additional two years from the Davids.
The West Ham chairmen are fans and they listened and brought in Bilic (I'm ignoring Benitez, Emery, Klopp, Ancelotti et al) because the fact is, it wasn't David Moyes or Steve McClaren - both of whom would've been abused for courting favour if they brought in Dicks as coach.
Now we have Bilic as boss, Dicks as coaching assistant and rumours of John Hartson coming in as striker coach. All sits well with me and I don't believe anyone would wish to argue with those three anyway. Things look good, really good.
We have signed Dmitri Payet, Pedro Obiang and Darren Randolph. Carl Jenkinson could soon be on his way as may be Alex Song. Ogbonna from Juve is close by all accounts to add to our strong pool of defenders, following recent news we had bid approximately £14million for Abdennour of Monaco.
There still seems to be a chance fo signing Yohan Cabaye which really does get me excited. Our midfield is strong, so for me it's another winger and maybe a new big-signing striker.
Which then leaves the question of who is sold to offset some of the outlay. Of course we need a strong number of players but let's not get carried away with needing a big squad for Europe. 23 games to win it and even BT don't start their coverage until September (mugs).
I was up for selling Jarvis but he is settled and looked sharp last week, so why not give him a chance to shine? I like Downing and he showed last season that as the "10" he is creative and knits the play together, but at his age if we can turn a profit by selling I say we sell. Payet looks good on YouTube (but then so did Faubert) but I do think he will soon become a Hammers hero.
We have Mauro Zarate in the mix as well. He has a few flashy touches but generally he doesn't look ready for 90 minutes, let alone two games a week. I don't think we would get much for him anyway, so he may as well be given another crack.
Modibo Maiga didn't make the cut of the squad players named for Europa action. I was open to giving him another chance, but that's a blow he won't recover from. Plus I would like to see Elliott Lee get a fair crack.
We won't make anything on Kevin Nolan and will probably end up paying half his wages while he runs his final year down out on loan, but that's football. Like Sam he was needed at the time and served us well for the first two years, but has looked out of date since.
So.... what wingers are there that we can buy ?
I'm not a big fan of Victor Moses, would take Salah on an unlikely loan from Chelsea and due to Man Citys "homegrown" quota issues I'd even get on the phone to City offering a loan swap of Jesus Navas for Nolan! Neither will play and someone needs to talk to Richard Wright on the bus.
Wingers seem bad investments. Even Manchester United may lose money on Angel Di Maria and we can't waste big money on players that don't deliver, so a loan is a better move.
As for the big money man up front, I now can't see that one happening, I've said before how much I like Charlie Austin but £15million is a bit high and yes, he has had injury problems.
I wouldn't take Mario Balotelli on loan as he is a Newcastle player if ever there was one. Or more likely, he will score 20 goals in Turkey. But we don't need his joke value - plus he looks a lazy sod, with an ego.
As it stands, even with Europa League action and the knock-on effect that has on the Premier League fixtures I now think we are strong in all areas and if we had to start the season as we are, then I would still look to top 10.
Sign Cabaye, a winger on loan here and there or a big money striker and I am then dreaming of the ultimate glory.... which for me is winning ANY cup and finishing higher than Tottenham.
Ah the delirious effect of sunshine drinking. But maybe - just maybe - we can enjoy a really exciting final season at the Boleyn and then come the Olympic Stadium and the staggering TV money, our bubbles really will be flying high. (Beyond that? Well this is West Ham, so those fears of trauma can wait for a rainy day)
Feel free to reply with some suggestions, I'll still read your comments even if I get stick for refusing to hate Nolan...
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The battle for the armband: Cheik-mate
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 7th July 2015
By: Gursimran Hans
It seems likely that Kevin Nolan will be playing away from Upton Park next year or play a much smaller role than he has in recent seasons. With Nolan being the current West Ham United captain, obvious questions have been asked, just who will replace him as skipper?
It seems likely Nolan will be club captain with a new team captain appointed given that he seems to be behind the likes of Mark Noble, Stewart Downing, Cheikou Kouyate, Pedro Obiang and Morgan Amalfitano in the pecking order. It also will not be surprising to see him behind Mauro Zarate and with rumours of more midfielders coming in, it seems as though it is unlikely that Nolan will remain a regular.
Slaven Bilic will have a big decision to make in replacing one of the best captains this club has ever had, who has been pivotal to the club's successes over the past four years. For many, the obvious choice seems to be the incumbent vice-captain Mark Noble. Noble is of course, a one club man (what do you mean he had loan spells at Hull City and Ipswich Town?), and has made more Premier League appearances for the club than any other player.
He seems full of passion whenever he plays, although this can get the better of him; back in February he was very close to getting himself sent-off against Spurs and was taken off due to fears he would. This caused the team to lose their shape and eventually let a 2-0 lead slip to a 2-2 draw.
Yes, the midfielder has captained England at various youth levels, but in the FA Cup 3rd Round replay against Everton he was involved in an on-field spat with teammate James Tomkins and had to be dragged away by Kevin Nolan. This suggests he can sometimes be caught in the occasion, something that definitely is not a quality befitting of a captain.
Noble was also badly out of form towards the end of the season and with the signings of Pedro Obiang and Dimitri Payet and rumours of more reinforcements he, like Nolan, could have a reduced role next year.
Not including Nolan, some of West Ham's greatest captains have been defenders - notably the likes of Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds, Alvin Martin, Julian Dicks and Lucas Neil. Two obvious candidates for captaincy from the current defence are New Zealand captain Winston Reid and James Collins.
Whilst both defenders are always 100 per cent committed and capable of helping out their less experienced partners, it is questionable if either are captain material - minly because of the amount of games they miss, as both are prone to injury. Reid missed three months of the 2013/14 season and both he and Collins have suffered niggling injuries during the past year.
The presence of James Tomkins and rumours that another central defender may be coming in makes it even less certain they will play as regularly as they would like. Having said that, they could both do a job if they do indeed play regularly.
A goalkeeping solution?
Some fans will say the captain should be the man who is currently our last line of defence, goalkeeper Adrian. Nobody could argue that Adrian does not loves West Ham, however he can be a little eccentric - illustrated most notably during the home game against Liverpool when he received a yellow card for a scuffle with Mario Balotelli, when it briefly looked like he was going to try and smash the Italian forward's face in.
That same day Adrian nearly got a second yellow and gave away a penalty for a foul on Fabio Borini. Whilst he escaped without punishment, his challenge was unnecessary and we could have gone down to ten men and Liverpool could have equalised with the resultant penalty.
He also received a red card against Southampton, which was later rescinded, but the fact of the matter remains - he should have cleared the ball first time rather than try to skill Sadio Mane; then it would not have been a problem.
West Ham then wasted a substitution which meant Andy Carroll had to stay on the field, despite the fact he could barely walk and never featured again after that. On both of those occasions Adrian caused a problem for the team, when it could've easily have been avoided.
A stick often used to beat Kevin Nolan with is his dismissals against Millwall, Liverpool and Fulham. So surely Adrian should have his sending off/near sending offs count against him? Make no doubt about it, he is another in a long line of excellent West Ham goalkeepers but that could count against him. He's a goalkeeper and many would argue that the captain should be a player who can be in the thick of the action.
The club seem to have an abundance of high quality midfielders. As mentioned before, Mark Noble is a well-supported candidate. Another potential candidate is Stewart Downing, but as his only previous experience as skipper was the 5-0 thrashing at Nottingham Forest and he seems to try and avoid tackles and tackling at all costs. Excellent player definitely, captain material? Certainly not.
Alex Song, who was pictured at the Boleyn Ground last Thursday night captained the club a few times during his season-long loan from Barcelona. However the main problem many have with Song is his loss of form during the latter part of the season. Whilst during the final few games he looked a lot better, he experienced what was surely the greatest dip on form that is known to man. In a matter of games he went from Trevor Brooking to Adam Nowland.
Consistency is key for a captain. When the heads begin to drop a captain has to be able to give his all and drive a team on. Whilst Song can be more than capable of that, he needs to prove he can do it consistently, which he didn't do last season. To sum it up, he hasn't shown enough to be captain material.
All these possible candidates have got great qualities, but it is another midfielder who seems to tick all the boxes required to be an excellent captain. That man in Cheikhou Kouyate.
Captain elect?
Kouyate is an absolute beast of a player, he is as good as Mo Diame thinks he is. The Senegalese midfielder has been played out of position and not thrown a strop about it. He was still able to put in magnificent performances, out of position, as a central defender against Manchester United (he played there with Collins and Reid injured).
Downing has not been able to perform out wide and Song suffered when pushed back to protecting the back four. Kouyate has been a consistent performer and brings good performances when it matters, scoring goals in big games against Arsenal, Spurs and Man Utd. He is also a great ambassador for the club, having worked hard to get to the position where he is, and is keen to spend time with his fans.
Whilst he isn't immune to injuries, Kouyate seems to be able to take a lot more knocks than most players and is able to recover a lot quicker, something which means strikers Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho are not realistic candidates. (You thought I was going to miss out strikers, didn't you?)
He also seems to be the only player that was almost guaranteed to play our matches last year (bar perhaps Adrian, Carl Jenkinson and Aaron Cresswell). So barring an extraordinarily-influential signing, it seems difficult to look further than Cheikou Kouyate as the next captain of West Ham United.
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IS IT TIME TO TELL CARL JENKINSON THAT IT'S A PERMANENT DEAL OR NOTHING?
By Iain Dale 7 Jul 2015 at 18:10
West Ham Till I Die
If Carl Jenkinson signs a new contract with Arsenal as the Mirror suggests HERE? should that alter our view that we should have him back at Upton Park for a second season? I'd love us to sign him permanently, but if he signs a new Arsenal contract he's going to cost us a lot more in wages and his heart clearly still lies at the Emirates. I'm not saying he wouldn't be fully committed to us, but maybe we should take this as a sign that we should look elsewhere. Wouldn't it be great to find another Aaron Cresswell in the Championship, for instance. Who would you suggest? Or do you think we should welcome Glen Johnson back to the club?
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West Ham closing in on £8million deal for Juventus defender Angelo Ogbonna
17:36, 7 JULY 2015
BY JOHN CROSS , DARREN LEWIS
Slaven Bilic is also eyeing a loan deal for Argentine playmaker Manuel Lanzini as he looks to build a squad capable of competing in Europe
The Mirror
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic is close to pulling off an £8million deal for Juventus defender Angelo Ogbonna. Italy centre half Ogbonna has been given permission to travel to London for a medical and to discuss personal terms on a four year deal with West Ham. The Hammers have beaten off competition from Everton to get their man after Juventus accepted an offer and will allow him to leave Turin. West Ham also hope to finalise the loan capture of playmaker Manuel Lanzini this week. Mirror Sport exclusively revealed last week that the Irons had moved for the 22-year-old Argentine on a season-long loan basis with an option for a permanent deal. He is understood to have an Italian passport which means he will not need a work permit to play for the Hammers. Hopes are high at Upton Park that he will develop into an important player as boss Slaven Bilic seeks to impose a more free-flowing style of play at Upton Park.
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Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson set to sign Gunners contract extension despite possible West Ham loan
17:13, 7 JULY 2015
BY DARREN LEWIS
The 23-year-old right-back, currently on £35,000-a-week, is poised to extend his Gunners contract which currently runs until 2018
The Mirror
Carl Jenkinson is set for a new deal at Arsenal despite being lined up for another loan move to West Ham. The 23-year-old right-back, currently on £35,000-a-week, is poised to extend his Gunners contract which currently runs until 2018. Jenkinson impressed at Upton Park last season. The Irons had sought to keep him on a permanent basis but Arsenal were unwilling to sell. West Ham are confident, however, of being able to announce his return for another year-long spell within the next week. He played in 32 of the Hammers' 38 Premier League games last term, starting 29 of them.
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Dimitri Payet to start training
Posted by Sean Whetstone on July 7, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
West Ham coach Julian Dicks has revealed new signing Dimitri Payet will commence full training with the Hammers for the first time this morning. The player flew out to Cork, Ireland on Sunday to meet up with his fellow team mates but the actual hard work begins today.
Yesterday Slaven Bilic told the club's official website:
"He is a great player and did really well at a big club like Marseille. He was fantastic last year and I really wanted him. The Club did a great job to get a player who had so many offers. We are expecting big things from him and we will help him to adjust. Everyone who is connected to West Ham will enjoy seeing him. The French League is one of the big five and we have seen so many good players who have come over from France and done well in the Premier League.He is a great player and was my number one target. I am delighted that he has joined us."
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Irons favourites as Toffees enter Ogbonna race
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 7, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Everton are this morning being linked with West Ham central defensive target Angel Ogbonna as a replacement for Sylvain Distin. The north western club have been monitoring the progress in talks between ourselves and Juventus and according to some reports will make a firm offer over the next few days. However, according to the Liverpool Echo, Ogbonna is on his way to London for talks with the Irons as manager Slaven Bilic aims to conclude his third signing since taking over as boss. The Hammers interest first became known via a case of mistaken identity when co chairman David Gold bizarrely welcomed Pedro Obiang, to the club. Gold tweeted: "I am delighted to announce the signing of 23 year old midfield Pedro Obiang from Sampdoria. Pedro, welcome. dg." but included a picture of Ogbonna rather than Obiang – before quickly deleting the message. According to one morning report, however, Toffees boss Roberto Martinez is willing to "spend big" in his bid to snatch Ogbonna away to Goodison. But West Ham insiders remain confident they are in the driving seat to conclude a deal with Juventus reported as wanting €10m plus a potential further €2m in bonus payments for Ogbonna
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£15m Townsend/Irons link
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 7, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Andros Townsend is a regular arrival in the West Ham silly season transfer news. He is again raised as a possible arrival in some morning newspapers although the stories look like a near repeat of those we were seeing in October 2014. Back then he was seen as a replacement for Matt Jarvis who – it was claimed – is edging towards the exit door . In fact he wasn"t THEN and he isn't NOW as ClaretandHugh reported yesterday. Indeed as we explained, the club have had no offers for either either a permanent or loan deal offered in the case of the former Wolves winger who cost us a cool £10 million. Today, however, despite the arrival of Dimitri Payet at £10 million and with talks going on for Carl Jenkinson, Angel Ogbonna and Alex Song, we are apparently ready to talk around a £15 million deal for the Spurs wide man. Given that Payet can play either on the left or right side it seems unlikely the position is currently a priority and it's a central striker the club is looking for anyway. With £20 million spent on Payet and a minimum £10 million set aside for a central defender only around £5m or £6 million will be left in the kitty – some way short of the reported £15 million Spurs valuation for Townsend. This one looks unlikely to put it kindly.
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TV Stream for Europa League 2nd leg possible
Posted by Sean Whetstone on July 7, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
West Ham media officer Rob Pritchard has confirmed that FC Lusitans has the rights to sell broadcast rights for Thursday night's 2nd Leg Europa league first qualifying round match but he admits if they don't exercise that right West Ham could ask them permission to stream it themselves.
However he does add on his personal twitter account "Obviously it also depends on the internet connection at the stadium, which we plan to investigate on arrival tomorrow"
The Estadi Comunal d'Andorra la Vella is situated in the mountains and has a seated capacity of around 1,100 fans.
West Ham own coverage via WHUFC.com last Thursday was beset with technical problems with many fans unable to watch the match on the club's own website although it was possible to watch the stream live on West Ham's youtube channel.
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Twin Reids born
Posted by Sean Whetstone on July 7, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Winston Reid's wife Yana has given birth to twins the club have announced this evening. The twins have been named Arianna and Damien.
Claret and Hugh wishes Mr and Mrs Reid all the best for their new life adventure.
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Payet 'nicked ' on speeding rap
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 7, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
West Ham United's Dimitri Payet is tonight reported as having received a driving ban and been summoned to appear in court in September after being caught by police driving at 170km an hour (105 mph). West Ham's new playmaker is reported in L'Equipe as having recorded the speed after travelling back to his birthplace, Reunion, for a short break ahead of pre-season training. He was allegedly 'nicked' while driving in a zone where there is a 110km limit. L'Equipe explain that speeding is a big problem on the island and causes an increasing numbers of deaths. That court appearance would be on Reunion, off Madagascar, not exactly a short hop from Chawell Heath and it's not clear whether he can send a legal representative to avoid any headaches for the Irons.
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Ogbonna medical imminent
Posted by Sean Whetstone on July 7, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
According to GianlucaDiMarzio.com, defender Angelo Ogbonna has rejected a move to Everton in favor of West Ham. They claim the centre back will sign a 4 year deal with the Hammers earning more than €2 million (£1.4m) net a season around £26,000 per week after tax.
The report suggests Juventus will receive €12 million (£8.5m) plus performance related bonuses. Once the last few details are settled with Juve they say he will travel to London to take his medical which they claim could be as early Wednesday or Thursday.
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Report: Ogbonna agrees Hammers terms
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 7, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Multiple media sources are currently reporting that Angelo Ogbonna has agreed to join West Ham ahead of Everton in an £8million deal.
It is understood that he held talks with the club today and has agreed a four year contract with us.
The left-sided was reported this morning to be a target for Everton but it seems from the unanimous coverage that he is now set to become the first choice partner to Winston Reid.
Juventus defender Angelo Ogbonna has agreed to join West Ham ahead of Everton in an £8million deal
Ogbonna was apparently attracted to London living and has opted to sign up for Slaven Bilic and will have his medical later this week.
The player was an unused substitute for Juventus when they were beaten by Barcelona in the Champions League final in May, and he has been linked with a host of Premier League clubs this summer.
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Report: Paul-Georges Ntep rejects West Ham offer, Tottenham also linked
HITC
Olly Dawes
Rennes forward Paul-Georges Ntep has reportedly snubbed a move to West Ham. According to the Daily Mail, West Ham have failed in a bid to sign Rennes winger Paul-Georges Ntep, who would prefer a move to a Champions League club. Ntep, 22, joined Rennes in January 2014 having impressed with Auxerre, and has now established himself as one of the top young players in French football. With 14 goals in 45 games for Rennes, Ntep has proven his quality with Philippe Montanier, and even earned his first cap for the French national team last month - despite being born in Cameroon. Ntep is bound to attract interest in the transfer market as a result of his fine performances for Rennes, and the Daily Mail believe that West Ham have failed in a bid to land him. The report states that Ntep has rejected the Hammers' advances as he wants to play for a club pushing for the Champions League if he is to leave Rennes. Intriguingly, it's also noted that Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham are also interested in signing Ntep, and offers from those clubs may be more appealing to the player having snubbed West Ham.
Next priority for West Ham?
West Ham have so far strengthen their midfield with the signing of Pedro Obiang, added a creative force in Dimitri Payet and snapped up cover for goalkeeper Adrian by signing Darren Randolph. Now, with Bilic having a history of playing with wingers at Besiktas, the new Hammers boss could turn his attention to landing a true, natural winger this summer. They may have failed to land Ntep, but it seems clear that Bilic and West Ham are now prioritising the signing of a natural winger, given that they are short of options in that area right now.
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West Ham in talks with Roma over Seydou Doumbia loan deal as Valencia are told Victor Valdes is staying at Man United
By SIMON JONES FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 14:23, 7 July 2015 | UPDATED: 14:23, 7 July 2015
West Ham have held discussions with Roma about a loan deal for Seydou Doumbia but have been rebuffed in an attempt to sign Paul-Georges Ntep from Rennes. West Ham manager Slaven Bilic wants a striker and a wide player with Stewart Downing interested in a return to the North East. Roma are confident the 29-year-old Dzeko wants to join but have yet to agree a fee with City who want around £20million for the Bosnian. Doumbia is interested in leaving but would prefer a permanent move. Watford have shown an interest but that deal is unlikely to move forward though West Ham is more appealing. West Ham have been talking to Roma about the possibility of signing another striker, Mattia Destro. The 24-year-old has been in discussions with Monaco and is waiting for interest from Fiorentina. Ntep, a £12m-rated France international winger, has been linked with Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham and would prefer to play for a club challenging for Champions League places. West Ham are having a go in this window though. They are pushing for a decision from Angelo Ogbonna of Juventus amid a strong challenge from Everton, have outlined a deal with Manuel Lanzini from Al Jazira and have agreements in place with Carl Jenkinson of Arsenal and Alex Song of Barcelona.
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Arsenal ready to offer Carl Jenkinson new contract
Published 20 minutes ago Add your comment
givemesport.com
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is ready to offer Carl Jenkinson an improved deal but still expects the defender to leave on loan, reports The Mail. The 23-year-old spent the whole of last season on loan to West Ham and quickly established himself as an important player under Sam Allardyce. But while he was lighting up east London, a Spanish teenager called Hector Bellerin was busy establishing himself as the best young right-back on Arsenal's books. Bellerin's emergence coupled with the continued presence of Mathieu Debuchy left Jenkinson with little or no future at the Emirates with reports tipping him to leave on a permanent basis. West Ham were keen to sign him and were ready to pay upwards of £7m while other reports suggested Arsenal were looking for close to £10m. It now seems as if Jenkinson's fine form has convinced Wenger that he may well have a future at the club and is ready to give him a pay rise on his current £35,000-a-week. However, the one-time England international is still expected to leave on loan with West Ham still interested in another temporary deal after failing to agree a permanent one. They will have to compete with Southampton though, who are are looking to replace their recently departed defender Nathaniel Clyne Sunderland have also showed an interest and had offered Arsenal a £2m loan fee, an offer that was accepted. However, Jenkinson, obviously a London lad through and through, rejected the chance to move to Wearside.
SIGNIFICANT NEWS
Arsenal's decision to give Jenkinson a new contract is nothing out of the ordinary for a player about to leave on loan. In fact, it is actually club policy for players to extend their contracts before leaving on temporary deals. Joel Campbell was essentially forced to extend his contract before leaving for Villarreal despite the fact he was never likely to play for Arsenal again. He is still at the club but is up for transfer this summer. Arsenal's decision to extend Jenkinson's contract may just be a safeguard should they decide to sell next summer, but it indicates that Wenger sees him as a future first-team star, potentially after Debuchy's contract expires in 2018. As a homegrown player, Jenkinson's presence in the squad will always be of added value to Arsenal, hence why they are likely to keep him on the books, if not the squad.
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Carl Jenkinson in line for improved contract at Arsenal but will still be sent out on loan with West Ham leading race for defender
By SAMI MOKBEL FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 11:29, 7 July 2015 | UPDATED: 12:16, 7 July 2015
Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson is in line for an improved contract, despite heading out on loan this summer. The Gunners will offer the defender a new contract, which will include an increase on his current £35,000-per-week wages. His existing deal expires in 2018, but he is now set to extend that period. That is despite the fact the right-back will move on loan to a Barclays Premier League rival this summer. West Ham are leading the race to take the former Charlton man on a second consecutive season-long loan spell ahead of next season. But Southampton and Sunderland have also shown an interest in the 23-year-old. Even though Arsene Wenger is prepared to let Jenkinson leave this summer, the Arsenal manager isn't ready to sell him on a permanent basis. Hector Bellerin and Mathieu Debuchy are both ahead of Jenkinson in the right-back pecking order for next season. But another impressive loan spell away could force Wenger into a rethink ahead of the 2016/17
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West Ham want £15million Andros Townsend but fear Tottenham won't deal with them
22:30, 6 JULY 2015
BY DARREN LEWIS
Bad blood between the clubs stems from their rival bids to move into the Olympic Stadium and a loan move for Emmanuel Adebayor which collapsed West Ham are keen on England winger Andros Townsend - but fear a deal is unlikely with Spurs because of their poor relationship. Aston Villa, Swansea, Newcastle and Sunderland are already interested in the 23-year-old wide man. Tottenham want around £15million for him. Townsend, who has three years left on his contract, wants to fight for his place at Spurs but is aware that he needs to be playing regularly with the European Championship next summer. Tottenham have already shown an interest in Monaco wide man Yannick Ferreira Carrasco. The bad blood with West Ham - who beat Spurs to the Olympic Stadium - hit a fresh low back in January when Spurs chairman Daniel Levy blocked the Hammers' loan move for striker Emmanuel Adebayor. Levy refused to pay part of the Togo front man's £100,000-a-week wages at Upton Park even though he was willing to do so if Adebayor played elsewhere. West Brom, Stoke and Crystal Palace were among the other clubs that had come in for the player but he preferred a move to the Boleyn.
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West Ham close to loan deal for Argentine Manuel Lanzini from UAE club Al Jazira
By SIMON JONES FOR THE DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED: 23:12, 6 July 2015 | UPDATED: 04:48, 7 July 2015
West Ham have agreed a deal in principle to sign Argentine midfielder Manuel Lanzini on loan from UAE-based club Al Jazira. The 22-year-old, who has an Italian passport, was considered by West Ham while at River Plate last summer but he moved to the Middle East instead for £5.25million. Known as 'La Joya' or 'The Jewel', Lanzini also has interest from Sharjah. He scored eight goals in 24 appearances to help Jazira to a second-place finish in the Arabian Gulf League last season. West Ham are continuing discussions over a proposed loan deal for Carl Jenkinson from Arsenal and are awaiting Alex Song's injury to clear up before proceeding with his proposed move from Barcelona. Meanwhile, Sunderland and Middlesbrough will continue their pursuit of Hammers winger Stewart Downing this week. West Ham have been surprised at the bidding particularly with Middlesbrough's efforts to take the 30-year-old England international back to the Riverside. Downing turns 31 later this month but Boro are willing to offer a four-year deal worth in excess of £55,000 a week and offer £6million plus add-ons to West Ham.
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Angelo Ogbonna 'agrees transfer deal to sign for West Ham'
Jamie Sanderson for Metro.co.uk
Tuesday 7 Jul 2015 12:16 am
West Ham have agreed a deal to sign Juventus star Angelo Ogbonna after weeks of talks, according to reports. The Hammers have been locked in negotiations to bring powerful centre back Ogbonna to England after he was made a top target by new boss Slaven Bilic. And now ESPN says an agreement has been reached for Ogbonna to move to Upton Park, with personal terms believed to have been sorted. No fee has been agreed but Juve are happy to sell the 27-year-old, who is also a target for Everton.
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Lanzini set to join West Ham on loan
West Ham United are closing in on a deal to sign Al Jazira midfielder Manuel Lanzini on a season-long loan.
foxsports
Tuesday 07th July 2015
Al Jazira paid River Plate nearly £10 million for the Argentine last year, but it appears that his spell with the club will be brief. After spending just one season with the Abu Dhabi-based club, where he scored eight goals in 22 appearances, the 22-year-old is set to get his first taste of the Premier League. Lanzini possesses an Italian passport and therefore he will not require a work permit to play for West Ham, who are pushing for a deal to be finalised this week. "Everything is agreed, the player is now sorting things out but if everything goes according to plan he will be flying to England for a medical at some point this week," a source in the Middle East told Goal.
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Everton set to challenge West Ham over the signing of £8million-rated Juventus defender Angelo Ogbonna
By SIMON JONES FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 00:37, 7 July 2015 | UPDATED: 00:37, 7 July 2015
Everton are challenging West Ham to sign Juventus defender Angelo Ogbonna. The Italian club and the 27-year-old are poised to make a decision on Tuesday, with West Ham having the slight edge. Ogbonna's agent has spoken to both clubs and Juventus want £8m for the former Torino defender. Last month, West Ham co-chairman David Gold accidentally tweeted a picture of Ogbonna when welcoming new signing Pedro Obiang to the club. He wrote: 'I am delighted to announce the signing of 23 year old midfield Pedro Obiang from Sampdoria. Pedro, welcome. dg.', but accidentally used a picture of Ogbonna alongside the text. Ogbonna was an unused substitute for Juventus when they were beaten by Barcelona in the Champions League final in May, and he has been linked with a host of Premier League clubs this summer. Elsewhere, West Ham have agreed a deal in principle to sign Argentine midfielder Manuel Lanzini on loan from UAE-based club Al Jazira. The 22-year-old, who has an Italian passport, was considered by West Ham while at River Plate last summer but he moved to the Middle East instead for £5.25million.
Known as 'La Joya' or 'The Jewel', Lanzini also has interest from Sharjah. He scored eight goals in 24 appearances to help Jazira to a second-place finish in the Arabian Gulf League last season.
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Angelo Ogbonna, West Ham agree a deal, according to sources
ESPN
Angelo Ogbonna failed to secure a starting spot at Juventus since moving from Torino in 2013. West Ham United have agreed a deal with Juventus for defender Angelo Ogbonna, sources have told ESPN FC. ESPN FC revealed earlier on Monday that West Ham were battling Premier League rivals Everton for the 27-year-old's signature, but now West Ham have moved into pole position to land the Italian international. Juventus are willing to cash-in on Ogbonna as he has been unable to hold down a regular place in the side since his arrival from Torino on 2013.
West Ham have been tracking Ogbonna for some time and they have been locked in talks with Juventus for the past few weeks as they look to bring the defender to Upton Park New West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has made a commanding central defender one of his top targets since taking charge at Upton Park this summer and Ogbonna fits the bill. West Ham have been busy so far in this summer's transfer window bringing in the likes of Pedro Obiang, Dimitri Payet, Darren Randolph and Martin Samuelsen.
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