Samuelsen delighted with 'mature' West Ham U21 showing against Swindon
WHUFC.com
Martin Samuelsen has hailed his side's 'mature performance' after the West Ham U21s bested Swindon Town in a thrilling 3-2 win in the Checkatrade Trophy.
Samuelsen put the Irons ahead inside six minutes of Tuesday's fixture at the County Ground, rounding the goalkeeper before slotting into the empty net. The midfielder also had a huge hand in West Ham's second finish, driving Terry Westley's side into a dangerous attacking position before Moses Makasi ended the move with a goal. Samuelsen admits Swindon posed a difficult and experienced test for West Ham but is thrilled with how he and his teammates responded to the League Two side's two equalisers. "I'm very happy with my performance," Samuelsen said: "It's always good to score in games that matter. I'm delighted to get the win. "Credit to Swindon, they were good. They were well structured defensively and they made it very hard for us to break through. However I think we were patient and we responded really well when they equalised twice. "We showed great character. It was a mature performance from us."
It took a late goal from substitute Dan Kemp to secure the three points for West Ham after the Hammers twice conceded the lead, thanks to a second-half penalty and a headed effort from a corner kick for Swindon. Samuelsen has earned experience of playing difficult English league opposition having spent time on loan with Peterborough in League One and Blackburn Rovers in the Championship, and knows silly errors at this level will always be punished. And the Norwegian is aware that such mistakes need to be eradicated for West Ham to progress through the Checkatrade Trophy and stand a chance of reaching the final next April at Wembley. He added: "I think going on loan into League One and the Championship taught me that every mistake at this level will be punished. We gave away a couple of silly free-kicks and their biggest and best chances came from set-pieces. "We have to be smarter when it comes to giving away these set-pieces – that's something I learned on loan and it's something my teammates are learning is essential if we want to go all the way to Wembley. "Ultimately I'm very happy. That's why I'm here – to help the team win. Hopefully there's more to come."
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Meet Chicharito and Zabaleta at the West Ham Stadium Store
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic has added plenty of star quality to his West Ham United squad this summer, with Chicharito and Pablo Zabaleta among the players to make their way to London Stadium – and you can meet the pair at a special signing event at the Hammers' Stadium Store next week!
Both Chicharito and Zabaleta have plenty of Premier League experience, each having two title-winners' medals to their names, so don't miss your chance to grab a photo and an autograph from the new boys.
Chicharito, Mexico's leading all-time goalscorer, will be with Argentina international Zabaleta in the Stadium Store on Monday 21 August.
The queue to meet the players will be open from 2pm until 4pm, with the session taking place between approximately 3pm to 5pm.
Please note that the number of photo opportunities will be limited to ensure as many supporters visiting the store get the chance to meet the players.
Supporters are reminded that they can access the Stadium Store via bridge five shown on the map here.
Players and times subject to change.
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West Ham wanted Costa
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 16th August 2017
By: Staff Writer
West Ham wanted to sign Chelsea outcast Diego Costa earlier in the current transfer window, KUMB has learned. The 28-year-old has been in dispute with his current club after claiming they had treated him "like a criminal" and has failed to return to England since flying to China with the Chelsea squad last month for a pre-season tour. That led to West Ham trying to capitalise on the situation by enquiring into the Spanish striker's availability earlier in the summer. However they were informed that the only club Costa is interested in joining is former employers Atletico Madrid, from whom he joined Chelsea in a £32million switch three summers ago. Costa fell out with current Chelsea manager Antonio Conte following a row with fitness coach Julio Tous midway through last season. It was subsequently claimed that Conte informed Costa by text that he was no longer wanted at Stamford Bridge. Madrid are understood to have made an offer to re-sign Costa, but are reported to be some distance away from Chelsea's valuation of the player. West Ham signed Javier Hernandez as their main striker for the 2017/18 campaign instead.
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Seven up
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 16th August 2017
By: Staff Writer
Marko Arnautovic has been granted special dispensation by the Premier League to change his squad number. The Austrian international initially took the #27 shirt upon signing for West Ham last month, which he wore in United's 4-0 thrashing at Old Trafford last weekend. However the departure of Sofiane Feghouli has since freed up the #7 shirt and the Premier League have ratified an application by West Ham to change Arnautovic's squad number. The change was made at the behest of the Austrian international, who has previously worn the #7 shirt for Werder Bremen and his national team.
West Ham United have since promised to replace any replica shirts bearing Arnautovic's name that feature his old squad number. He follows the likes of Christian Dailly, Ian Bishop and Liam Brady, who have all previously worn the shirt.
West Ham's last five number sevens
Freddie Ljungberg (2007-08)
Kieron Dyer (2007-11)
Sam Baldock (2011-12)
Matt Jarvis (2012-16)
Sofiane Feghouli (2016-17)
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Bacca's a bargain!
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 16th August 2017
By: Staff Writer
Former Hammers transfer target Carlos Bacca has joined La Liga side Villarreal on a season-long loan. And whereas the Hammers offered in the region of £26million to sign the Milan striker on a permanent basis this time last summer, Villarreal have snapped up Bacca for just €2.5million - with an option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season for £15.5million.
* In other transfer news, fresh reports emerging from Portugal this morning suggest that West Ham have increased their offer for Sporting midfielder William Carvalho. The Hammers are said to have improved their bid for the Portuguese international to €35million, plus add-ons.
* Tottenham's Austrian defender Kevin Wimmer claims he has rejected a move to West Ham. The 24-year-old, who could potentially have teamed up with compatriot Marko Arnautovic told reporters that Irons boss Slaven Bilic wanted him to play at left back, rather than his preferred central position - enough to end his interest in switching from North to East London.
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WEST HAM REACH AGREEMENT WITH WILLIAM CARVALHO
MICHAEL OLIVER @MichaelOIiver
ReadWestHam
West Ham's deal to sign William Carvalho from Sporting has taken many turns over the last few days, but it seems as if a conclusion is on the horizon. Despite reports claiming that the deal was stalling, the Hammers expect talks with the Liga NOS side to be concluded soon after reaching an agreement in principle with the player to join them. This comes from Portuguese source Record who claim that West Ham want the deal wrapped up pretty soon. The clubs are close to an agreement over a fee, but aren't there yet. West Ham are offering a deal worth €37m, with €32m up front with a further €5m in bonuses while Sporting are still holding out for an up front €38m fee. Any deal would see Sporting entitled to 10% of Carvalho's future sell-on fee if he leaves the Hammers. A Bola are reporting that talks are dragging on because Sporting are hoping the longer they wait, the more money they can squeeze out of the Hammers for the 25-year-old midfielder, but a conclusion is expected to come relatively soon with developments expected this week. Sporting are preparing for Carvalho to say his goodbyes to the fans as a transfer edges closer to completion.
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West Ham should meet Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's wage demands and complete a dream window
HITC
Charlie Hayward
West Ham have already added proven Premier League quality this summer, would this ambitious swoop top the lot? According to a report from Goal, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain wants £150k-a-week if he is to leave Arsenal this summer, and West Ham should offer it. Chelsea are the favourites to land the England international, with Goal suggesting that the Blues would need to pay £35m to land their man. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain of Arsenal controls the ball during the match between the Western Sydney Wanderers and Arsenal FC at ANZ Stadium on July 15, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. But West Ham's willingness to spend big all summer means they could genuinely compete with the Premier League champions for Oxlade-Chamberlain's signature. Sky Sports reported that Javier Hernandez signed for the Hammers on £140k-a-week, while the Sun suggested that both Joe Hart and Marko Arnautovic received substantial pay packets when moving to east London.
And Oxlade-Chamberlain would be a fantastic addition at the London Stadium, where his versatility would improve the Hammers in a number of different positions.
He could complete a fearsome forward line alongside Arnautovic and Hernandez on the right wing, add pace and power to central midfield, or operate as a wing-back should Slaven Bilic follow the league's trend of playing three at the back. It appears that the Croatian wants one more marquee signing to complete his summer transfer business, with Portuguese midfielder William Carvalho thought to be the preferred option. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain of Arsenal enters the field of play during the match between the Western Sydney Wanderers and Arsenal FC at ANZ Stadium on July 15, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. However, the Sun have reported that talks with Sporting Lisbon have stalled over the asking price. The Liga Nos outfit are holding out for £40m, while West Ham are only willing to pay £36m. That money would be enough to land Oxlade-Chamberlain, and secure the biggest West Ham signing of an already star-studded transfer window.
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'Need their heads checked': West Ham fans react to Stoke signing Jese
HITC
Charlie Hayward
West Ham believe Marko Arnautovic is better than Stoke's new arrival. Stoke took a sly dig at West Ham star Marko Arnautovic as they unveiled the loan signing of former Real Madrid man Jese Rodriguez. In a Twitter video that ridiculed those that suggested Stoke were showing no ambition this summer, the Potters included a headline from Arnautovic's summer switch to the Hammers in the compilation.
Stoke City FC ✔ @stokecity
👀 We all need a bit of inspiration halfway through the working week...
We think this tweet will excite you all!#WelcomeJesé 👋 #SCFC 🔴⚪️
9:00 AM - Aug 16, 2017
283 283 Replies 2,583 2,583 Retweets 4,706 4,706 likes
Jese's arrival means the Potters now have more Champions League winners in their squad than any other top-flight team, with the Spaniard joining Xherdan Shaqiri, Darren Fletcher, Bojan Krkic and Ibrahim Afellay in that department. The announcement prompted a widespread response, particularly from West Ham fans who were quick to praise their recent acquisition. Many of them even suggested that Arnautovic is the better player when compared to the Paris Saint-Germain attacker:
Luke. @Iukeeeeee
Any Stoke fans that try to say Jesé is better than Arnautovic are lying to themselves
12:46 PM - Aug 16, 2017
Dom ⚒ @Dom_WHUFC1995
A Real Madrid and PSG reject? Wow
What a weird club they are https://twitter.com/stokecity/status/897729685202886664 …
Follow
J Pereira @JPereira441
"But he's better than Arnautovic" 👊🏼
12:14 PM - Aug 16, 2017
West Ham News @WHUFC_News
They're still not over Arnautovic leaving them hahahaha https://twitter.com/stokecity/status/897729685202886664 …
11:34 AM - Aug 16, 2017
1 1 Reply 3 3 Retweets 28 28 likes
Weѕt Hαm Sociαl @WestHamSocial
So bitter 😭
Hart
Hernandez
Arnautović
Zabaleta
Is a bit more ambitious than Jesé on loan 😂 https://twitter.com/stokecity/status/897729685202886664 …
11:00 AM - Aug 16, 2017
Nobes ⚽️ @Nobleology
LOOOOOL how bitter are Stoke about Arnautovic
10:55 AM - Aug 16, 2017
Marko Arnautović @ManLikeMarko
Stoke fans literally think Jesé is better than Arnautović, need their heads checked
9:26 AM - Aug 16, 2017
1 1 Reply Retweets 5 5 likes
Voble @VobleUK
Replying to @DieHardHammers and 3 others
stoke arent great either, so he's an improvement
⚒Ben⚒ @DieHardHammers
Not on Marko Arnautovic he isn't.
9:22 AM - Aug 16, 2017
Stoke City FC ✔ @stokecity
👀 We all need a bit of inspiration halfway through the working week...
We think this tweet will excite you all!#WelcomeJesé 👋 #SCFC 🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/FZQ7Zw3tw2
Follow
Simply_West Ham ⚒ @SimplyFeghouli
HAHAHAHAHAH a Las Palmas reject joined you. You think he is a better signing than Arnie? You need to go down.
9:17 AM - Aug 16, 2017
Bojan Krkic @SimplyBojan
Replying to @westhamtransfer @stokecity
Doesn't need be spent, we've got Bruno in and improved hardly spending.
West Ham Transfers @westhamtransfer
How have you improved? Jese isn't better than Arnie. You need a forward big time
9:11 AM - Aug 16, 2017
Stoke City FC ✔ @stokecity
👀 We all need a bit of inspiration halfway through the working week...
We think this tweet will excite you all!#WelcomeJesé 👋 #SCFC 🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/FZQ7Zw3tw2
Follow
Robin Kenstam @rkdoom
Stoke to be fair, Jese was average for Las-Palmas, he has played for big clubs but he is def not better than Arnautovic, best of luck though
9:08 AM - Aug 16, 2017
Jese spent the second half of last season on loan at Las Palmas in La Liga, scoring three goals in 16 games. Having struggled to find regular minutes at Los Blancos, the 24-year-old moved to PSG last summer but again failed to establish himself and started just one league game before heading back to Spain.
Meanwhile, Arnautovic made his league debut for the Hammers in their 4-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford. He scored 22 goals in 125 top-flight games for the Potters.
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WEST HAM LINKED WITH MOVE FOR ELIAQUIM MANGALA
MICHAEL OLIVER @MichaelOIiver
readWestHam
West Ham prioritised improving their attack this summer, and have done with aplomb, but perhaps they have been negligent in addressing their defensive issues.
After shipping four on the opening day to Manchester United with a first-choice back line available, Slaven Bilic may have had his eyes opened to the notion that defensive additions are needed before the transfer window shuts. ESPN are reporting that the Hammers are eyeing a shock move for out-of-favour Manchester City centre-back Eliaquim Mangala. Mangala has failed to impress in the Premier League since his £40m move from Porto, and spent last season on loan at Valencia as he wasn't part of Pep Guardiola's first-team plans. City plan on offloading the defender again this summer with Inter Milan linked with a season-long loan move for the France international, but City would prefer a permanent sale. West Ham could get Mangala for a cut-price fee, but his wages would likely be considerable. Perhaps a move for him wouldn't be wise.
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West Ham striker Andy Carroll back in training and closing in on a Premier League return but unlikley to face former club Newcastle
West Ham's Andy Carroll has been suffering with a thigh injury since last season
The 28-year-old is back in training with his team-mates at Rush Green
Hammers boss Slaven Bilic is unlikely to risk him for upcoming trip to Newcastle
By Kieran Gill for the Daily Mail
PUBLISHED: 22:31, 16 August 2017 | UPDATED: 22:31, 16 August 2017
Andy Carroll is back in West Ham first-team training at Rush Green with the striker closing in on his Premier League return. Slaven Bilic will have to decide whether to risk the striker for their trip to Newcastle United in two weeks but the Hammers boss is likelier to wait until after the international break. The 28-year-old, who left Newcastle for Liverpool in a £30million move in 2011, has been suffering from a thigh injury since last season. Carroll's last appearance was on April 15 against Sunderland as he then missed the last five matches of the 2016-17 Premier League season. The forward, who has not given up on his England international career, trained on Wednesday and got through the session without any hiccups. He will have to fight for his place up front after the high-profile arrival of former Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez for £16million. Meanwhile, Michail Antonio has been back in training since last Monday and is in line for a return to the match-day squad against Southampton this weekend.
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Agent of reported West Ham & Spurs target Keita Balde drops massive hint over future
Balde has been linked with a big money move to the Premier League this summer and his agent has spoken out
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
15:37, 16 AUG 2017
The agent of Keita Balde has accused Lazio of disrespecting his client after the Senegal star was left out of the squad for last weekend's Supercoppa Italia. Balde, who was heavily linked with West Ham earlier this month and has also been rumoured to be attracting interest from Spurs, did not even make the bench for the 3-2 victory over Juventus - ironically, another tam interested in the player. It had been said the 22-year-old had refused to play so he could seal a move away - something Balde denied - but the attacking midfielder's agent Roberto Calenda has taken to Twitter to not just deny that but take a massive swipe at Lazio.
"I've read it all these two days. I can categorically deny that Keita refused to play or that he had any muscular problems [as he also clarified after being excluded].
"In fact, he has always put effort into training, preparing himself for games as normal [and everybody knows how well he prepares, considering how last season, even playing only a handful of games, he scored 16 goals]. "The truth is there for all to see. The club have not made a suitable offer to Keita to renew his contract and they did not call him up for the first important game of the season. I'm not saying that he didn't play -- they didn't even call him up. "Clearly the club do not intend to invest in the players. Everything else is just chatter aimed at covering up the truth." Keita himself has said he felt "profundly hurt" after being excluded by Lazio.
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West Ham's Marko Arnautovic takes No.7 shirt after Sofiane Feghouli exit
VAISHALI BHARDWAJ
ES Sport
Marko Arnautovic has decided to change his West Ham shirt number from 27 to 7 after it became vacant following the exit of Sofiane Feghouli this week. Arnautovic, who joined West Ham in a club-record deal from Stoke City this summer, had originally chosen to take the No.27 jersey, which he wore in the Hammers' first league game of the season against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday. However, following news of Feghouli's £3.9m departure to Galatasaray on Monday night, Arnautovic has opted to take up the Algerian's No.7 shirt - which will reunite him with the number he wore at Werder Bremen and for the Austria national team. With West Ham fans likely to have already bought Arnautovic No.27 shirts, the club have offered supporters the chance to change it for jerseys with the forward's new number on. The club have also contacted fans to offer an exchange.
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West Ham goalkeeper Joe Hart shows off new tattoo... following in footsteps of South American stars like Paulo Dybala
Joe Hart has got a new tattoo which is very similar to Juventus' Paulo Dybala
Hart went back to Shrewsbury where he is originally from to get the tattoo done
The 30-year-old posted a picture of his new ink on his official Instagram account
By Jordan Seward For Mail Online
PUBLISHED: 15:15, 16 August 2017 | UPDATED: 16:26, 16 August 2017
West Ham goalkeeper Joe Hart has got some new ink and it's scarily similar to Paulo Dybala's armband tattoo. Hart becomes the latest footballer to bear an armband tattoo with Dybala, Sergio Ramos, Wesley Sneijder, Oscar, Alejandro Gomez and Stefano Sturaro all having similar ink. The England international posted a picture of his new tattoo on his official Instagram account on Wednesday. He wrote: 'Great to go back to Shrewsbury and get some world class body art.'
The meaning behind Hart's new tattoo is unknown, but the commanding 30-year-old has always worn his heart on his sleeve and has been a leader on the pitch for many years. It's unlikely the former England and Manchester City captain will be taking the armband off long-time Hammers fan Mark Noble anytime soon, so perhaps it's his way of managing to get an armband of his own. Juventus striker Dybala, however, admitted he got his tattoo done purely for aesthetic reasons.
He told an Argentinian magazine: 'I did it because I liked it. A team mate had the same tattoo and I liked its aesthetic. It is similar to the bracelets used by the ancient Romans for war, but I did it for the aesthetic reasons, rather than for whatever meaning it may have.' West Ham face a trip to Southampton next and Bilic will be buoyed by a positive result at the Saint Mary's after their opening-day defeat to Manchester United.
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West Ham wonderkid targeting first team spot after impressive debut for U23s
The summer signing from Halmstads finally made his debut on Tuesday night and has lofty ambitions
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
14:01, 16 AUG 2017
Sead Haksabanovic is already targeting a place in the West Ham first team having made his debut for the club in the Checkatrade Trophy on Tuesday evening.
The 18-year-old starred as the Hammers U23s saw off Swindon Town 3-2 at the County Ground in their first game of the competition, taking the lead three times before finally sealing the victory through Dan Kemp's late strike. The 18-year-old Montengrin was the fifth summer signing for Slaven Bilic during this window and certainly came out of the blue, with the teenager having had trials at Manchester United and Liverpool before the Hammers swooped. He nearly scored just 11 minutes in to his first game but Haksabanovic rattled the crossbar with a thumping left-foot effort. The teenager said: "It felt good to be on the pitch in a West Ham shirt for the first time. The players were taking care of me well, and of course it felt good to win the first game. "It was good to play against a senior team for my first game as well, because I have been playing against senior teams in Sweden. It's a good experience to get in your first game. "I'm just focused on playing well for whatever team I am asked at the moment but yes, a first team spot is of course what I am hoping to achieve and hopefully that will come soon."
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West Ham talks over William Carvalho ongoing as Slaven Bilic targets club-record deal
ES Sport
Talks over a deal for midfielder William Carvalho are ongoing between West Ham and Sporting Lisbon. The Hammers want to make Carvalho their sixth signing of the summer following the arrivals of Pablo Zabaleta, Joe Hart, Marko Arnautovic, Javier Hernandez and Sead Haksabanovic. West Ham saw an initial bid worth £27million rejected, but had hoped a second offer of £30m, rising by another £6m with performance-related bonuses would seal the deal. Sporting are reportedly demanding £40million for the Portugal international, but the clubs remain in negotiation and it is understood the transfer is not dead. Carvalho is keen to make the move to London Stadium. Meanwhile, Haksabanovic played for West Ham's Under-23s on Tuesday and made his mark. "Haksabanovic should be very pleased with his debut," academy director Terry Westley said. "He cut inside once and hit a great shot off the top of the crossbar, and that side of the pitch and the front players were brilliant.
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'He is Premier League ready' - West Ham fans rave over Sead Haksabanovic's performance
The 18-year-old had a superb performance in the Checkatrade Trophy win at Swindon Town
Football London
BYOLIVER HARBORD
09:24, 16 AUG 2017
West Ham fans got their first chance to see new signing Sead Haksabanovic in action for the U21s and he certainly did not disappoint them. The Hammers youngsters squeezed past Swindon Town in the Checkatrade Trophy with a 3-2 win with goals from Martin Samuelsen, Moses Makasi and Dan Kemp. However, it was the 18-year-old summer signing from Swedish side Halmstad, that seemed to take the spotlight and he certainly caught the eye of his coach Terry Westley after the game. "Haksabanovic should be very pleased with his debut," Westley said. "He cut inside once and hit a great shot off the top of the crossbar, and that side of the pitch and the front players were brilliant. "I'm really looking forward to working with Sead and trying to help him. He didn't know all of our players – he's trained once with us – but he was a real threat today." And several Hammers fans were certainly thrilled by the performance of the youngster
Replying to @LANZINISWAY
Certainly deserves it. Holland is another player with pace and skill just on the small side. Haksabanovic looked good to and very fast
10:57 PM - Aug 15, 2017
1 1 Reply Retweets 1 1 like
Jack Lebeau @JackLebeau66
One thing about Haksabanovic is that I think he could easily slot straight into PL action. Looks fit enough & got the physical ability.
10:51 PM - Aug 15, 2017 · South East, England
Replies 3 3 Retweets 9 9 likes
Hammers Chat @hammers_chat
"Even if Haksabanovic doesn't make our first team, we can sell him like we did Fletcher for profit"#COYI #WHUFC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6dfo8cYkMg …
Follow
⚒ markwhu ⚒ @markrussell09
Haksabanovic will be quality just weather slav givs him a chance
8:56 PM - Aug 15, 2017
Steve Lebeau @Steve_whufc
Good first half by the youngsters who lead 1-0 at HT with a well taken goal by Samuelson. Been impressed by the new player Haksabanovic
8:41 PM - Aug 15, 2017
Replies Retweets 10 10 likes
Jack Lebeau @JackLebeau66
Haksabanovic. What a player he is. I'd have him straight into that first-team squad on Saturday. Definitely got the potential to be involved
8:39 PM - Aug 15, 2017 · Swindon, England
1 1 Reply 8 8 Retweets 30 30 likes
West Ham News @WHUFC_News
Sead Haksabanovic has hit the crossbar for the U23 side
8:15 PM - Aug 15, 2017
3 3 Replies Retweets 22 22 likes
John Reeves @johnwreeves
Fantastic experience watching our U21's start their @CheckatradeTrpy campaign with a win in my hometown #WHUFC pic.twitter.com/pyi0YT4JJW
Follow
John Reeves @johnwreeves
Mature performances from Makasi and Samuelsen, with new signing Haksabanovic showing promise. Kemp also played well when subbed on. #WHUFC
10:40 PM - Aug 15, 2017
Replies Retweets 1 1 like
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Thursday, August 17
Wednesday, August 16
Daily WHUFC News - 16th August 2017
Rice: I just embraced the challenge of playing at Old Trafford
WHUFC.com
Declan Rice has vowed to learn from the experience of facing Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic in Sunday's Premier League defeat at Manchester United. The 18-year-old spent 30 enlightening minutes playing in a central midfield role at Old Trafford, during which he completed 22 out of 23 passes and made two interceptions during an eye-catching cameo. The young Irishman was always available to receive possession from his more experienced teammates and held his own against seasoned internationals Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic. "I thought it was a very good challenge for me, coming on after my experiences with the U23s last year," said Rice, who made his first-team debut at Burnley in May. "It is my aim to play in the Premier League and I felt I did OK on the ball when I came on. "When you play against those players, you know you have got to be so good to compete against them every single week. "The pace of the game was frightening and Manchester United have got a very, very good side, but so have we and it just wasn't our day on Sunday."
Rice's pride in his own performance was tempered by the disappointment of suffering his first loss at senior level. "When Slaven told me, I just embraced it, to be honest," said the Irishman, who again filled the central midfield role he was cast in during pre-season. "I never really get nervous and I just tried to play my normal game. There were 70,000 people watching, but I just had to play how I do and show everyone what I can do. "To lose 4-0 does hurt. When you hear the ex-players and pundits talking about how much a big defeat in front of a big crowd hurts, I now understand and feel quite hurt about that result."
Rice was introduced with West Ham trailing 2-0 to Romelu Lukaku's double, but moments after Marko Arnautovic had hit the Manchester United crossbar with a header. Had the Hammers nicked a goal back, the teenager could have been part of a grandstand finish, but instead Pogba and fellow Frenchman Anthony Martial added late goals to put a one-sided look on the final scoreline. "They were a very good side and we can't take anything away from them," Rice observed. "For us, we've just got to get back on the training field and go again and keep pushing and working towards Southampton. "Personally, I've got to learn from this result and do what I can to help us put it right at Southampton, where we will do all we can to get three points on the table. "We've got a few players coming back who will massively strengthen the side and knowing they are on their way is a major boost for us. We've got to go out and put things right again."
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Spurs tickets on sale to Claret Members now!
WHUFC.com
Become a Claret Member now to give yourself the chance of securing tickets for the unmissable visit of Tottenham Hotspur.
Tickets for our London Stadium Premier League meeting with Spurs are now sale to Members.
Slaven Bilic's men secured a memorable 1-0 victory over the north Londoners on a thrilling Friday night at London Stadium last term, and will be going for a third successive home win against Mauricio Pochettino's team when they meet on Saturday 23 September, kick-off 12.30pm.
Last season all but two Premier League fixtures sold out to Members, go make sure you're first in line for tickets by joining up today.
Claret Membership benefits include:
Ticket priority on Premier League and Cup fixtures
Access to the Ticket Exchange – once a fixture is sold out, you can purchase seats which have been relisted by Season Ticket Holders
£5 discount on official away coach travel
Exclusive Claret Member access card
Additional merchandise discounts and offers
NEW: Exclusive monthly competitions – prize draws for signed shirts, memorabilia and money-can't-buy experiences
NEW: Invite to Junior Hammers party for Claret Kids
NEW: Attend PL2 matches at London Stadium for free
NEW: Attend West Ham Ladies home matches for free
Claret Members will also receive an FREE West Ham branded portable phone charger with Claret Kids receiving a FREE gift pack including face paint sticks, a bedroom wall poster and an exclusive Claret Kids scarf which you can't get anywhere else!
Claret Membership costs £40 for Adults and £25 for Kids, with International Membership subject to an additional £5 to cover shipping.
If you are on the Season Ticket Waiting List, you can take advantage of a £10 discount on Membership if you sign up before 8 September
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Westley: We fully deserved our win over Swindon
WHUFC.com
Terry Westley praised his West Ham United U21 side after they were 3-2 winners over Swindon Town on Tuesday night in the Checkatrade Trophy and said his youngsters fully deserved the victory. The Hammers were twice pegged back on the night after Martin Samuelsen and Moses Makasi goals were cancelled out by the hosts. But Dan Kemp scored an unanswered third to round off the goals at the County Ground and see West Ham pick up their first ever three points in the competition. Sead Haksabanovic impressed on his Hammers debut and there were a number of other attacking youngsters whose performances pleased Academy Director Westley. He said: "To come here against a full strength side of Swindon and to get our first ever win in this competition is a great boost for us. I have to say, I think we dominated the game. We were the team creating most of the chances. "Sead was dangerous, [Nathan] Holland was a real threat, [Toni] Martinez's work and goal threat was very good and Samuelsen is starting to get back to something we know he can do; our attacking players were great. "Moses and Domingos [Quina] behind that, that section of a team was really effective tonight and we made numerous chances to stretch the lead even further than is was.
"Haksabanovic should be very pleased with his debut. He cut inside once and hit a great shot off the top of the crossbar, and that side of the pitch and the front players were brilliant. "I'm really looking forward to working with Sead and trying to help him. He didn't know all of our players – he's trained once with us – but he was a real threat today."
The east Londoners have already bettered their involvement last year in the competition having not won a tie in 2016/17, and Westley is confident the experience of facing senior Football League sides this year will be crucial for the development of his squad. "When you play in the Premier League, it's a possession based game and you need to keep the ball and if you lose it, the opposition will hurt you," he explained. "That wasn't the case tonight; they were direct and we had to deal with long balls and those second balls and then try and establish our own game. "Swindon were dangerous from corners and set-pieces with their physical presence, but in the end I think we came out on top and deserved the victory."
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Former Hammer condemns 'Wall to defeat
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 15th August 2017
By: Staff Writer
Former Hammer Jordan Spence is the toast of Suffolk tonight after scoring the last minute goal that downed Millwall. Spence, who spent a decade at the Boleyn Ground before being released on a free transfer in 2014 struck in the 88th minute to score the winning goal in a seven-goal thriller at the New Den tonight.
Having led twice and been behind on the same number of occasions, Town snatched all three points in tonight's Championship clash courtesy of Spence's last-gasp header, which came from a Grant Ward free-kick. The three points lift his current side up to third in the table and leaves poor Millwall just one place above the relegation zone. West Ham's bitter rivals are yet to win a game since being promoted from League One last season.
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HAMMERS ON HIGH ALERT AFTER LAZIO STAR'S SUPER CUP ABSENCEFeatured Image
Date: 15th August 2017 at 9:45pm
Written by: Forever Westham
West Ham are on high alert following the absence of transfer target Keita Balde Diao from Lazio's tunning 3-2 Supeercoppa victory over rivals Juventus. The Senegal international played no part in the clash after being sidelined with injury, however his non-attendance alerted the attention of both West Ham and Tottenham with both clubs linked with a move for the star this summer. Keita is reportedly keen to leave the Serie A club, and has allegedly handed in a transfer request and refused to a sign a new deal in an attempt to push a move away from Stadio Olimpico through. Keita has only one year left on his current contract with the Italian giants. West Ham reportedly agreed a €32 million deal for the Senegal international earlier this summer, but no such move materialised. However after his Super Cup absence the Hammers could revive their interest in the highly rated forward. The 22-year-old scored an impressive 16 times in 31 appearances for Simone Inzaghi's side.
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SWINDON TOWN 2 V WEST HAM UNITED UNDER 21S 3
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 15 AUGUST 2017 AT 10:27PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Jack Lebeau
West Ham U21 started this season's Checkatrade Trophy campaign with a thrilling 3-2 away win over professional League Two side Swindon Town.
It was an absolutely incredible game at the County Ground resulting in no less than five goals, two disallowed goals, the woodwork hit three times, a red card and a few controversial referee decisions!
West Ham U21 lined up 4-2-3-1 with new boy Haksabanovic playing out wide right, Holland on the other wing and the returning Quina in DM. Makasi retained the captaincy from the 0-0 draw with Everton U23.
West Ham U21 started the better side with a good couple of early chances. This was shown with Samuelsen grabbing a goal after six minutes when he nicked the ball off the defender, then rounded the keeper before cooly slotting home into the back of the net. West Ham U21 continued to dominate their professional opponents, with impressive debutant Haksabanovic hitting the bar with a beautiful curling shot shortly after going 1-0 up.
Within the next 20 minutes, Haksabanovic & Martinez both had brilliant chances to extend West Ham's lead but the former forced the goalkeeper into a good save whilst the latter shot just wide after some brilliant movement from Holland. Swindon had the ball in the back of the net too but the linesman correctly called out for offside.
The last 15 minutes of the first half brought little to write about and West Ham entered the break very deservedly 1-0 up. Immediately after half-time the referee controversies started to begin.
Firstly, the referee awards a correct free-kick just outside the box to Swindon for hand-ball. Except just as Swindon are about to take the free-kick, he changes his mind and rules it as a penalty – despite not talking to his linesman at all. Swindon stepped up and sent Trott the wrong way for 1-1.
Then within a minute of kick-off, the ball had ended up sitting still dead on the side-line, then the linesman crazily flagged for a throw-in. Despite the referee not blowing his whistle & giving the throw-in, one of Swindon's defenders picked the ball up. As it was right in front of the away fans, everyone stood up and was screaming at the referee for hand-ball. Luckily, he correctly awarded West Ham with a free-kick! But he was quickly losing control of the game and this was just the beginning of awful decisions because the referee John Busby also failed to book one of Swindon's players for pushing one of West Ham's during this fiasco.
Five minutes later the referee gave a free-kick to West Ham just outside the box, but very evidently only got the wall to move back 7 yards instead of the required 10. Shortly after, West Ham made the first sub of the game with Diangana replacing Quina, who definitely wasn't up to his usual standards tonight.
Just before the 75th minute mark and West Ham had regained the lead to make it 2-1. The ball dropped to Makasi about 8 yards out and he managed to curl the ball home past the keeper into the bottom corner. Straight after the goal and it was time for very impressive debutant Haksabanovic to come off for Dan Kemp. Dan Kemp was barely on the pitch two minutes though when one of Swindon's players rose high to head home an equaliser for 2-2.
Martinez had been a nightmare for the defenders all night long and it looked like he had finally got the goal he deserved when he rounded the keeper to score, but the linesman was quick to rule that one out for offside.
It didn't take long for West Ham to take back control of the scores though with substitute Dan Kemp tapping home from three yards on the rebound from Martinez hitting the post. Six minutes were added on at the end of full-time but West Ham had to try to hold on with ten men after left-back Neufville had been sent off for two yellow cards. The game certainly wasn't over with Trott having to make an excellent save from the resulting free-kick to keep West Ham in-front!
The full-time whistle blew though & West Ham U21 had deservedly won 3-2! My Man of the Match had to be Samuelsen, he controlled the game going forward and created an endless amount of chances. Closely followed by Haksabanovic, Holland & Makasi but everyone was good tonight, with the exception of Quina who was probably lacking a bit of match fitness.
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New signing features as West Ham youngsters win at Swindon
BY LONDON FOOTBALL NEWS 15/08/2017
Sead Haksabanovic made his debut and Dan Kemp scored a late winner as West Ham's Under-21 side began their Checkatrade Trophy campaign with a 3-2 victory at Swindon Town. Teenager Haksabanovic, recently signed from Swedish club Halmstads BK, started at the County Ground, where Martin Samuelsen opened the scoring early on. Samuelsen pounced on a defensive mix-up and rounded the keeper to put the Hammers ahead after just six minutes. Nathan Trott equalised with a penalty two minutes into the second half following a handball by Moses Makasi, who atoned by restoring the lead on 68 minutes. Paul Mullin levelled for Swindon but West Ham again regained the lead, this time when Kemp scored from the rebound after Toni Martinez's shot had hit the post.
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FORMER HAMMERS STAR ON TRIAL WITH CARDIFF CITYFeatured Image
Date: 15th August 2017 at 10:30pm
Written by: Forever Westham
Former West Ham youngster and son of Premier League legend Gus Poyet, Diego Poyet is on trial with Cardiff City. Poyet was released by West Ham last summer having made 10 appearances for the Hammers in all competitions during three year spell with the club, and subsequently moved to Argentina with Godoy Cruz.
However after an unsuccessful spell with the club, Poyet found himself unattached and as since joined Cardiff City on trial. The 22-year-old played the full 90 minutes for the Bluebirds' Under-23 side in a 2-1 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday on Monday afternoon. His trial is believed to be on a game-by-game basis, with Cardiff not ready to commit to a contract with the youngster as it stands. Should he impress, Poyet could be offered a permanent return to English football, with development manager at Cardiff Craig Bellamy in charge of the midfielder's future at the club. Poyet has 13 caps for England at youth level, but has since switched his allegiance to Uruguay for whom he has earned 7 caps at U20 level.
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LJUBOMIR FEJSA CONSIDERED AS CARVALHO ALTERNATIVE
MICHAEL OLIVER @MichaelOIiver
ReadWestHam
Much to the dismay of West Ham fans on social media, the club's reported pursuit of William Carvalho is stalling. The belief is that Sporting aren't budging on their £36m asking price for their star midfielder and would like that fee to be paid up front, while the Hammers were hoping to secure a deal nearer to £31m with that fee spread across two years. While the player wants the move and the Hammers are continuing to work towards and agreement with the Liga NOS side, if no agreement can be reached, they will turn their attentions elsewhere. Ljubomir Fejsa is said to be a player who has caught Slaven Bilic's eye in recent times and the Benfica holding midfielder is being considered as an option if they can't agree a deal for Carvalho. The 29-year-old is regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in Portugal, along with Carvalho and Porto's Danilo Pereira, who has also been identified as a contingency plan for the Sporting midfielder. Fejsa has also been linked with Tottenham and has won 10 successive league titles, four with Benfica, three at Olympiacos and three at Partizan
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WEST HAM'S KOUYATE COULD RETURN AFTER FIFA BREAK
AfricanFootball.com
by Austin Ditlhobolo
Tuesday Aug 15, 2017. 16:00
English Premier League (EPL) side West Ham United have provided an injury update regarding Senegalese international Cheikhou Kouyate. Kouyate, who is nursing knee injuries, missed the Hammers' 4-0 defeat to Manchester United in their first 2017/18 EPL game this past weekend. West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has since revealed that the central midfielder will be fit for their EPL clash with Newcastle United on Saturday, 26 August 2017. The Hammers welcomed Diafra Sakho, who is also a Senegalese international, back from a back injury this past weekend. "We are expecting a few of them who were injured last season, along with Cheikhou and Manuel (Lanzini) from this pre-season," Bilic told the club's official website. "Michail Antonio should be back for the game against Southampton and then Cheikhou, Manuel and even Andy Carroll should be there for the game against Newcastle in the third game of the season, or latest after the international break which is after that game. "All of them will be back very soon and we can talk about that, but we had a decent team out on Sunday and I expected more."
Sakho was introduced on the hour-mark against Manchester United. He made only four league appearances for the Hammers last season due to injuries.
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West Ham to target Arsenal-scouted Danilo Pereira as Carvalho deal stalls over late demands
HITC
Olly Dawes
West Ham United's deal for William Carvalho may be stalling. According to The Mirror, West Ham United will target Porto star Danilo Pereira as they contemplate pulling the plug on a deal for Sporting CP's William Carvalho at the last minute. The Hammers snapped up four major signings over the summer as Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez all arrived at the London Stadium - but they couldn't stop West Ham from being thrashed 4-0 at Manchester United on Sunday afternoon. That thumping at Old Trafford may now force manager Slaven Bilic to dip back into the transfer market, with a powerful holding midfielder seemingly on his wish list - but a move for William Carvalho could fall through. The Mirror claim that whilst West Ham were poised to seal a deal for Sporting CP star William Carvalho, the move is stalling as Sporting are making demands for more money late in the day, with West Ham potentially moving on to Porto's Danilo Pereira instead.
Pereira, 25, has starred for Porto since joining from Maritimo in 2015, scoring ten goals in 61 appearances despite predominantly being a defensive midfielder for the Portuguese giants. A powerful midfielder who stands at 6ft 2in tall, Pereira has impressed with Porto and has even been scouted by Arsenal, with Arsene Wenger considering options to boost his midfield options. Now though, West Ham are considering a move to lure Pereira to the Premier League before this month's transfer deadline, as they weigh up alternatives to top target Carvalho. Pereira and Carvalho battle it out against each other when Porto take on Benfica, but also for a place in Portugal's midfield, with both players key figures in Fernando Santos' squad - and they could now be at the centre of a transfer dilemma for West Ham too.
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HAKSABANOVIC SET FOR HAMMERS DEBUT IN CHECKATRADE TROPHYFeatured Image
Date: 15th August 2017 at 5:30pm
Written by: Forever Westham
Summer signing Sead Haksabanovic is set for his debut in Claret and Blue after being named in Terry Westley's Academy side to take on Swindon Town in the Checkatrade Trophy this evening. The Montenegro international is one a number of stars named in the strong squad that will travel to the county ground, including Toni Martinez, Moses Makasi and Domigos Quina, all of whom spent pre-season training with Slaven Bilic's first team. Westley's U23s side will be looking to get their season up and running after a stalemate draw with Everton on the opening day of season. The young Hammers were held by the Toffees – the current PL2 champions – last Friday night in what was a tense affair. The competition allows for Academy sides to field five over 21's in their line-ups, however the Hammers will field none, with captain Makasi being the oldest participant at 21 years-of-age. Swindon are expected to field their strongest line-up as David Flitcroft's side aim for cup glory.
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What William Carvalho has said about his future as West Ham close in on £36m deal
The latest West Ham transfer news sees the club closing in on a deal to sign Portual Euro 2016 winner William Carvalho from Sporting Lisbon
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
10:14, 15 AUG 2017
West Ham are continuing to thrash out a deal to bring in William Carvalho from Sporting Lisbon this summer and the Hammers are certainly not the first English club to have been linked with a move for his services. We understand that the Hammers will launch a £30.1m bid at some stage this week - with add-ons - to seal a deal for the midfielder, with wages and personal terms already agreed on his move to the London Stadium. It's hoped a switch could be sealed by the end of the week, with the club having had a £27m bid knocked back already.
The Portugal international had been linked with the Gunners, as well as Chelsea and Manchester United in previous season, while West Bromwich Albion have also expressed an interest, as well as Liverpool. Back in 2015 in an interview with Portugues newspaper A Bola, Carvalho revealed his affection for the Premier League but touted himself for a move to Arsenal. He said: "I am where I want to be right now, which is Sporting, but if I ever do leave then it's a sign that my work here was well done. "I dream of winning the Primeira Liga here. "I prefer not to say too much, but there is a club with which I've always been fond of: Arsenal. Because of Thierry Henry, a player with whom I have always enjoyed watching. "Maybe this is why I look with so much affection to the Premier League."
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Danny Gabbidon shifts focus from Arthur Masuaku to Winston Reid in West Ham blame game twist
HITC
Damien Lucas
Former West Ham United defender Danny Gabbidon has some interesting views on his old club's 4-0 humbling to Manchester United. The Hammers got the new Premier League season off to the worst possible start at Old Trafford, putting in a timid performance in a resounding defeat at the hands of the title hopefuls.
A brace from Romelu Lukaku and goals from Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba brought Slaven Bilic's side crashing down to earth after what seemed a successful summer of recruitment. The likes of Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez could do little to prevent the kind of scoreline Hammers fans have long been accustomed to on visits to Old Trafford over the years. But the player who was on the receiving end of the most criticism from not only Hammers fans but pundits and supporters of other clubs too, was left-back Arthur Masuaku. West Ham fans have never taken to Masuaku. Castigated last season for one horror showing after another despite initially impressing on his debut against Chelsea, Masuaku started against Jose Mourinho's side with Aaron Cresswell not 100% fit. The defender is careless, at times lazy and often caught out at the back while very rarely getting beyond his man to deliver a telling pass or cross in attack.
So it didn't go down well with supporters or pundit Gary Neville when he was caught on camera laughing and joking while marking Lukaku on a set piece before fiddling with his shin pads just as the cross came in for the Red Devil's second goal - as reported by Sky Sports. But with Masuaku taking the brunt of West Ham fans' fury, former Hammer of the Year Danny Gabbidon has spoken out in defence of the Congo international, and blames Winston Reid instead. "(Winston) Reid's the leader in that back line he needs to take charge of it and know Masuaku can't be trusted to mark a player of that size/strength," Gabbidon said on Twitter.
Daniel Gabbidon ✔ @Gabbidon35
Reid's the leader in that back line he needs to take charge of it & know Masuaka can't be trusted to mark a player of the size/strength.
3:10 PM - Aug 14, 2017
1 1 Reply 1 1 Retweet 2 2 likes
Many West Ham fans feel the club has neglected to address real issues in their defence over the summer. Bilic's side were awful at the back last season but have only brought in ageing right back Pablo Zabaleta and handed a new deal to Angelo Ogbonna.
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Robert Snodgrass set for West Ham exit as Slaven Bilic continues clear-out
KEN DYER
Evening Standard
West Ham have sold Sofiane Feghouli to Galatasaray and Robert Snodgrass could be the next player to leave. Standard Sport revealed yesterday the Hammers are making a £30million bid for Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho. However, West Ham want to move out some players too, with winger Feghouli leaving last night for £3.8m while Snodgrass's time at the London Stadium could be over soon, just eight months after he joined from Hull. Feghouli spent one season at West Ham after joining from Valencia last summer. The Algeria international scored four goals in 27 games for the Hammers. He said: "I have been expecting to sign for Galatasaray for a long time. I am very happy to join a club which has such big support. "
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Liverpool fans react on Twitter to West Ham's imminent move for William Carvalho
HITC
Dan Coombs
Should Liverpool be making a move for West Ham target William Carvalho? West Ham are closing in on the signing of midfielder William Carvalho, with ESPN reporting a deal is imminent. The Portugal international is set to depart Sporting Club de Portugal for what would be a club record fee for the Hammers which could reach £40 million after add-ons. Sporting CP midfielder William Carvalho from Portugal during the Friendly match between Sporting CP and AS Monaco at Estadio Jose Alvalade on July 22, 2017 in Lisbon, Portugal. West Ham were battered at the weekend by Manchester United, conceding four goals, highlighting their need for a top defensive midfielder. Another team whose defensive frailties were evident was Liverpool, who conceded three goals at Watford as they drew 3-3.
Carvalho has been previously linked to the Reds, with ESPN reporting their interest back in January this year. He may lack the dynamism and attacking talent of top midfield target Naby Keita, but Carvalho is a gifted defensive midfielder who could allow the rest of the Reds attackers to thrive. Carvalho also has a physically imposing presence which could help defend set pieces, which proved to be their downfall at the weekend as was throughout last season. He is expensive, but Liverpool have bid more money unsuccessfully for players this summer, and if they really wanted to, potentially have could brought him in. As it stands West Ham are set to win the race, and Liverpool fans are a little perplexed at their club's decision to stand by...
Steve MacMillan @Steviem777
So, are we going to sit back and watch West Ham sign Carvalho for what is, in this current market a bargain of £30m ? #LFC
3:18 PM - Aug 14, 2017
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Tom @LFCTOMM
What's the deal with William Carvalho, few years ago was meant to be great. West Ham R close to signing him now, what about #LFC
4:51 PM - Aug 14, 2017
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Craig @craigest1979
Why aren't Liverpool in for Carvalho? #lfc great signing for #Westham
7:07 PM - Aug 14, 2017
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Life On Mars @jjassen
@LFC @ViktorFager LFC We need a DM or two, why aren't we in for William Carvalho? What's going on? #LFC #YNWA
7:26 PM - Aug 14, 2017
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Anthony @dickson87
Why on earth are we not going for Carvalho from Sporting be a boss signing add a bit of strength and height to our midfield #LFC
2:23 PM - Aug 14, 2017 · Liverpool, England
Replies Retweets 2 2 likes
oddjobbobajobbob!! @Robbiejohno
How can #LFC just let West ham sign Carvalho... Again no plan B
7:08 PM - Aug 13, 2017
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The Whites' loan star Burke maturing nicely
Mike Glendinning
BoltonNews.co.uk
HE is barely out of his teenage years but Phil Parkinson has an old head on young shoulders in Reece Burke. The 20-year-old anchored the Whites' back three in the cauldron of The Den and showed great poise and leadership way beyond his tender years. Burke who, along with another White-hot prospect in Josh Cullen, is with the Wanderers squad on loan from West Ham United until the turn of the year. And they are really catching the eye as they continue their development. While many will have been surprised it seems it is nothing less than Parkinson expected when he sent on a more-than able replacement for David Wheater in the opening-day defeat to Leeds. "I'm pleased with Reece, he's a player I've worked with before at Bradford," he told The Bolton News. "He adds something different to the team, so we were keen to bring him in, he's got qualities, good pace which is important but also he's got quality on the ball. "But first and foremost he's a defender and when he was called upon he defended well."
Parkinson knew what he was getting in Burke, as he took him to Bradford City on loan two years ago. His faith in the youngster was repaid when he won the club's player-of-the-year prize. And he is not short on experience either, having played top-flight and Europa League football for his parent club as well as gaining England under-18, u19 and u20s caps. So, despite him having had an injury-hit season with just 10 appearances for Wigan Athletic last time around, making the move to join up with him again was an easy decision for Parkinson. "I had no doubts about Reece going in the centre at all. In that position in the middle of the back three it's important to be a good communicator and he really is, and for a young man he's showed really good leadership qualities so far," he added.
Burke and his team-mates can expect another hard day's night tonight at Birmingham City, with the aerial threat Harry Redknapp's Blues possess.
And ahead of going up against one of the bigger clubs in the Championship Parkinson is relishing the challenge of once again pitting his wits against a manager he clearly has a great deal of respect for. "It's fantastic going to St Andrew's, the lads are relishing it," he said. "There's a spring in everyone's step after getting the point at the weekend and now we want to go and build on it. "The mentality will have to be right, it'll be everyone doing their job for the team first and foremost and we're going down there looking to give a good account of ourselves and send our travelling supporters back up the M6 in good spirits. "They're putting in long throws and they're a big, powerful side and we're going to have to be ready to stand up to that, we need to be conscious of their threat, and everyone needs to understand their role in the team, and know it's going to be similar to Millwall, that type of game, strong and physical. "Obviously they're a team where Harry's still looking to invest but he's spent a few quid already. "Harry always has time for everybody and he's always been good to me as a younger manager, it's good to see him back in the game. He's a character who should be in the game because of his record and it will be good to lock horns with him and (assistant manager) Kevin Bond.
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NO NEED TO PANIC JUST YET.
By Tony Hanna 15 Aug 2017 at 08:00
WTID
I am going to try and take out as many positives from our 4-0 defeat as possible before I state some alarming stats. Whilst no player was anywhere near their best it was not hard to look at this side and wonder what the addition of Lanzini, Antonio, Kouyate and hopefully Carvalho would make to it? Slaven Bilic has a really good squad of players this season and it his job to get the best out of it, but can anyone actually remember the last time he could pick our strongest team for a match? Iain made a comment on Sunday that Obiang, Noble and Fernandes is not a midfield that will ever play again. I am not so sure about that but I would bet that we would never win a Premier League game against a top 6 side playing that trio in a midfield triangle.
Now I watch a lot of football, not just West Ham, and I watched every preseason game that both Manchester clubs played. City were seriously under done in their first friendly against United, but one thing was very evident. United already in preseason had a real edge to them despite being outclassed against Real Madrid last week. They have come into the start of the Premier League season with a squad that is already firing on all cylinders. Whether they can keep that up for an entire season is unknown, but when any team playing them in this mood is not totally at the races it is not going to be pretty. I don't think I have ever seen Matic play so well but he also took his turn in the relay of punishment that was sent Chico's way. This is one thing that United and Spurs in particular do so well against teams they are dominating possession wise. Once any counter is on against them the professional foul is at a budget price, especially if you can rotate it around. The price of a warning or a yellow card is worth it if you can allow your team to reset defensively.
So, despite our lack of possession, it was us who got caught on the break with a four on three after that man Matic broke up play intervening on an attempted pass from an idling Obiang. Not sure who's idea it was for Masuaku to be marking Lukaku at set pieces, pure genius that one, but that was number two. However, I would be more concerned if we had been 4-0 down with half an hour to go and the opposition took the foot of the gas, rather than conceding two goals in the last 3 minutes of normal time when we were actually trying to get something out of the game.
For me, Arnie looks a really decent player and he didn't shirk his work in his defensive duties. I am sure he will be working on his set pieces this week though! Chico was brave and despite the score line Zabaleta had a fair enough game despite his rash challenge that gave away the free kick that led to the second goal. Obiang, probably understandably looked very rusty coming back from a lengthy injury and Masuaku disappointed. I am still not convinced Cresswell is the better option but time will tell. Mas had a pretty poor game as did some others, but if Cresswell had been marking Lukaku for goal number two the result would have been the same. Many on the blog complained about the level of commitment but I didn't see that. We had four players making their debut against a quality team that is already primed and at times we were really getting stuck in – well as much as you can in the modern game.
The one thing that I don't understand though is why did we revert back to four at the back? Whilst the Moaners have quality all over the pitch surely their main threat was always going to be Lukaku? Collins, Reid and Fonte did the job on him last time he played against us and at the end of last season we looked a much better side playing with three centre backs? I can appreciate the desire to play four at the back at home against equivalent or lesser opposition, but three centre backs away from home against top six clubs is surely our best option? Another tactic that is becoming very prevalent from sides playing against us is the extreme desire for the high press, especially when our keeper has the ball. Teams have sussed out our weakness in playing out from the back and with the way we are set up, tactically and personnel wise, the long ball is just handing back possession to them. Not sure if Carvalho will make a difference here but I hope so as it is a problem.
Whatever our tactical problems are, and I know many of you reading this will have your own opinions, the managers and coaches of the top 6 clubs have certainly known how to target them over the past year. Since the beginning of last season we have played 15 times against top 6 sides in the Premier League and Cups. In those matches we have scored eleven goals and conceded forty four. Six times we have conceded four or more and on nine occasions we have conceded three plus goals. Only once have we stopped the opposition scoring and that was in our 1-0 win at home to Spurs. That win against Tottenham provided three of just five points gained from an available thirty nine against top six sides.
Back to the positives. The first few weeks always throw up an array of results as all the teams are at different levels of fitness and cohesion. My view, based on over 50 years of watching football is that everything starts to take shape after about eight games. So, no need to panic just yet. City won their first five games in a breeze last season and looked unbeatable yet they finished fifteen points behind eventual winners Chelsea. After four games Hull and Boro were 7th and 9th respectively. After eight games last season the top eight clubs were the same top eight at the end of the season and the relegated clubs lay in 16th, 17th and 20th. It is not an exact science but it is a good guide of where the lay of the ground is. Our eighth game of the season is at home to Swansea on the 30th September.
A quick bookies update; The odds on Carvalho coming to West Ham are now 1-6 (about 85%). There has been good money for Adrian to stay and he is now even money (50%) to remain a Hammer. Robert Snodgrass is now odds on (4-9 or 69% chance) to move to Villa and there has been more money (5-2) for Lanzini to go to Liverpool (28% chance)
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Declan Rice has vowed to learn from the experience of facing Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic in Sunday's Premier League defeat at Manchester United. The 18-year-old spent 30 enlightening minutes playing in a central midfield role at Old Trafford, during which he completed 22 out of 23 passes and made two interceptions during an eye-catching cameo. The young Irishman was always available to receive possession from his more experienced teammates and held his own against seasoned internationals Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic. "I thought it was a very good challenge for me, coming on after my experiences with the U23s last year," said Rice, who made his first-team debut at Burnley in May. "It is my aim to play in the Premier League and I felt I did OK on the ball when I came on. "When you play against those players, you know you have got to be so good to compete against them every single week. "The pace of the game was frightening and Manchester United have got a very, very good side, but so have we and it just wasn't our day on Sunday."
Rice's pride in his own performance was tempered by the disappointment of suffering his first loss at senior level. "When Slaven told me, I just embraced it, to be honest," said the Irishman, who again filled the central midfield role he was cast in during pre-season. "I never really get nervous and I just tried to play my normal game. There were 70,000 people watching, but I just had to play how I do and show everyone what I can do. "To lose 4-0 does hurt. When you hear the ex-players and pundits talking about how much a big defeat in front of a big crowd hurts, I now understand and feel quite hurt about that result."
Rice was introduced with West Ham trailing 2-0 to Romelu Lukaku's double, but moments after Marko Arnautovic had hit the Manchester United crossbar with a header. Had the Hammers nicked a goal back, the teenager could have been part of a grandstand finish, but instead Pogba and fellow Frenchman Anthony Martial added late goals to put a one-sided look on the final scoreline. "They were a very good side and we can't take anything away from them," Rice observed. "For us, we've just got to get back on the training field and go again and keep pushing and working towards Southampton. "Personally, I've got to learn from this result and do what I can to help us put it right at Southampton, where we will do all we can to get three points on the table. "We've got a few players coming back who will massively strengthen the side and knowing they are on their way is a major boost for us. We've got to go out and put things right again."
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Spurs tickets on sale to Claret Members now!
WHUFC.com
Become a Claret Member now to give yourself the chance of securing tickets for the unmissable visit of Tottenham Hotspur.
Tickets for our London Stadium Premier League meeting with Spurs are now sale to Members.
Slaven Bilic's men secured a memorable 1-0 victory over the north Londoners on a thrilling Friday night at London Stadium last term, and will be going for a third successive home win against Mauricio Pochettino's team when they meet on Saturday 23 September, kick-off 12.30pm.
Last season all but two Premier League fixtures sold out to Members, go make sure you're first in line for tickets by joining up today.
Claret Membership benefits include:
Ticket priority on Premier League and Cup fixtures
Access to the Ticket Exchange – once a fixture is sold out, you can purchase seats which have been relisted by Season Ticket Holders
£5 discount on official away coach travel
Exclusive Claret Member access card
Additional merchandise discounts and offers
NEW: Exclusive monthly competitions – prize draws for signed shirts, memorabilia and money-can't-buy experiences
NEW: Invite to Junior Hammers party for Claret Kids
NEW: Attend PL2 matches at London Stadium for free
NEW: Attend West Ham Ladies home matches for free
Claret Members will also receive an FREE West Ham branded portable phone charger with Claret Kids receiving a FREE gift pack including face paint sticks, a bedroom wall poster and an exclusive Claret Kids scarf which you can't get anywhere else!
Claret Membership costs £40 for Adults and £25 for Kids, with International Membership subject to an additional £5 to cover shipping.
If you are on the Season Ticket Waiting List, you can take advantage of a £10 discount on Membership if you sign up before 8 September
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Westley: We fully deserved our win over Swindon
WHUFC.com
Terry Westley praised his West Ham United U21 side after they were 3-2 winners over Swindon Town on Tuesday night in the Checkatrade Trophy and said his youngsters fully deserved the victory. The Hammers were twice pegged back on the night after Martin Samuelsen and Moses Makasi goals were cancelled out by the hosts. But Dan Kemp scored an unanswered third to round off the goals at the County Ground and see West Ham pick up their first ever three points in the competition. Sead Haksabanovic impressed on his Hammers debut and there were a number of other attacking youngsters whose performances pleased Academy Director Westley. He said: "To come here against a full strength side of Swindon and to get our first ever win in this competition is a great boost for us. I have to say, I think we dominated the game. We were the team creating most of the chances. "Sead was dangerous, [Nathan] Holland was a real threat, [Toni] Martinez's work and goal threat was very good and Samuelsen is starting to get back to something we know he can do; our attacking players were great. "Moses and Domingos [Quina] behind that, that section of a team was really effective tonight and we made numerous chances to stretch the lead even further than is was.
"Haksabanovic should be very pleased with his debut. He cut inside once and hit a great shot off the top of the crossbar, and that side of the pitch and the front players were brilliant. "I'm really looking forward to working with Sead and trying to help him. He didn't know all of our players – he's trained once with us – but he was a real threat today."
The east Londoners have already bettered their involvement last year in the competition having not won a tie in 2016/17, and Westley is confident the experience of facing senior Football League sides this year will be crucial for the development of his squad. "When you play in the Premier League, it's a possession based game and you need to keep the ball and if you lose it, the opposition will hurt you," he explained. "That wasn't the case tonight; they were direct and we had to deal with long balls and those second balls and then try and establish our own game. "Swindon were dangerous from corners and set-pieces with their physical presence, but in the end I think we came out on top and deserved the victory."
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Former Hammer condemns 'Wall to defeat
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 15th August 2017
By: Staff Writer
Former Hammer Jordan Spence is the toast of Suffolk tonight after scoring the last minute goal that downed Millwall. Spence, who spent a decade at the Boleyn Ground before being released on a free transfer in 2014 struck in the 88th minute to score the winning goal in a seven-goal thriller at the New Den tonight.
Having led twice and been behind on the same number of occasions, Town snatched all three points in tonight's Championship clash courtesy of Spence's last-gasp header, which came from a Grant Ward free-kick. The three points lift his current side up to third in the table and leaves poor Millwall just one place above the relegation zone. West Ham's bitter rivals are yet to win a game since being promoted from League One last season.
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HAMMERS ON HIGH ALERT AFTER LAZIO STAR'S SUPER CUP ABSENCEFeatured Image
Date: 15th August 2017 at 9:45pm
Written by: Forever Westham
West Ham are on high alert following the absence of transfer target Keita Balde Diao from Lazio's tunning 3-2 Supeercoppa victory over rivals Juventus. The Senegal international played no part in the clash after being sidelined with injury, however his non-attendance alerted the attention of both West Ham and Tottenham with both clubs linked with a move for the star this summer. Keita is reportedly keen to leave the Serie A club, and has allegedly handed in a transfer request and refused to a sign a new deal in an attempt to push a move away from Stadio Olimpico through. Keita has only one year left on his current contract with the Italian giants. West Ham reportedly agreed a €32 million deal for the Senegal international earlier this summer, but no such move materialised. However after his Super Cup absence the Hammers could revive their interest in the highly rated forward. The 22-year-old scored an impressive 16 times in 31 appearances for Simone Inzaghi's side.
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SWINDON TOWN 2 V WEST HAM UNITED UNDER 21S 3
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 15 AUGUST 2017 AT 10:27PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Jack Lebeau
West Ham U21 started this season's Checkatrade Trophy campaign with a thrilling 3-2 away win over professional League Two side Swindon Town.
It was an absolutely incredible game at the County Ground resulting in no less than five goals, two disallowed goals, the woodwork hit three times, a red card and a few controversial referee decisions!
West Ham U21 lined up 4-2-3-1 with new boy Haksabanovic playing out wide right, Holland on the other wing and the returning Quina in DM. Makasi retained the captaincy from the 0-0 draw with Everton U23.
West Ham U21 started the better side with a good couple of early chances. This was shown with Samuelsen grabbing a goal after six minutes when he nicked the ball off the defender, then rounded the keeper before cooly slotting home into the back of the net. West Ham U21 continued to dominate their professional opponents, with impressive debutant Haksabanovic hitting the bar with a beautiful curling shot shortly after going 1-0 up.
Within the next 20 minutes, Haksabanovic & Martinez both had brilliant chances to extend West Ham's lead but the former forced the goalkeeper into a good save whilst the latter shot just wide after some brilliant movement from Holland. Swindon had the ball in the back of the net too but the linesman correctly called out for offside.
The last 15 minutes of the first half brought little to write about and West Ham entered the break very deservedly 1-0 up. Immediately after half-time the referee controversies started to begin.
Firstly, the referee awards a correct free-kick just outside the box to Swindon for hand-ball. Except just as Swindon are about to take the free-kick, he changes his mind and rules it as a penalty – despite not talking to his linesman at all. Swindon stepped up and sent Trott the wrong way for 1-1.
Then within a minute of kick-off, the ball had ended up sitting still dead on the side-line, then the linesman crazily flagged for a throw-in. Despite the referee not blowing his whistle & giving the throw-in, one of Swindon's defenders picked the ball up. As it was right in front of the away fans, everyone stood up and was screaming at the referee for hand-ball. Luckily, he correctly awarded West Ham with a free-kick! But he was quickly losing control of the game and this was just the beginning of awful decisions because the referee John Busby also failed to book one of Swindon's players for pushing one of West Ham's during this fiasco.
Five minutes later the referee gave a free-kick to West Ham just outside the box, but very evidently only got the wall to move back 7 yards instead of the required 10. Shortly after, West Ham made the first sub of the game with Diangana replacing Quina, who definitely wasn't up to his usual standards tonight.
Just before the 75th minute mark and West Ham had regained the lead to make it 2-1. The ball dropped to Makasi about 8 yards out and he managed to curl the ball home past the keeper into the bottom corner. Straight after the goal and it was time for very impressive debutant Haksabanovic to come off for Dan Kemp. Dan Kemp was barely on the pitch two minutes though when one of Swindon's players rose high to head home an equaliser for 2-2.
Martinez had been a nightmare for the defenders all night long and it looked like he had finally got the goal he deserved when he rounded the keeper to score, but the linesman was quick to rule that one out for offside.
It didn't take long for West Ham to take back control of the scores though with substitute Dan Kemp tapping home from three yards on the rebound from Martinez hitting the post. Six minutes were added on at the end of full-time but West Ham had to try to hold on with ten men after left-back Neufville had been sent off for two yellow cards. The game certainly wasn't over with Trott having to make an excellent save from the resulting free-kick to keep West Ham in-front!
The full-time whistle blew though & West Ham U21 had deservedly won 3-2! My Man of the Match had to be Samuelsen, he controlled the game going forward and created an endless amount of chances. Closely followed by Haksabanovic, Holland & Makasi but everyone was good tonight, with the exception of Quina who was probably lacking a bit of match fitness.
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New signing features as West Ham youngsters win at Swindon
BY LONDON FOOTBALL NEWS 15/08/2017
Sead Haksabanovic made his debut and Dan Kemp scored a late winner as West Ham's Under-21 side began their Checkatrade Trophy campaign with a 3-2 victory at Swindon Town. Teenager Haksabanovic, recently signed from Swedish club Halmstads BK, started at the County Ground, where Martin Samuelsen opened the scoring early on. Samuelsen pounced on a defensive mix-up and rounded the keeper to put the Hammers ahead after just six minutes. Nathan Trott equalised with a penalty two minutes into the second half following a handball by Moses Makasi, who atoned by restoring the lead on 68 minutes. Paul Mullin levelled for Swindon but West Ham again regained the lead, this time when Kemp scored from the rebound after Toni Martinez's shot had hit the post.
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FORMER HAMMERS STAR ON TRIAL WITH CARDIFF CITYFeatured Image
Date: 15th August 2017 at 10:30pm
Written by: Forever Westham
Former West Ham youngster and son of Premier League legend Gus Poyet, Diego Poyet is on trial with Cardiff City. Poyet was released by West Ham last summer having made 10 appearances for the Hammers in all competitions during three year spell with the club, and subsequently moved to Argentina with Godoy Cruz.
However after an unsuccessful spell with the club, Poyet found himself unattached and as since joined Cardiff City on trial. The 22-year-old played the full 90 minutes for the Bluebirds' Under-23 side in a 2-1 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday on Monday afternoon. His trial is believed to be on a game-by-game basis, with Cardiff not ready to commit to a contract with the youngster as it stands. Should he impress, Poyet could be offered a permanent return to English football, with development manager at Cardiff Craig Bellamy in charge of the midfielder's future at the club. Poyet has 13 caps for England at youth level, but has since switched his allegiance to Uruguay for whom he has earned 7 caps at U20 level.
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LJUBOMIR FEJSA CONSIDERED AS CARVALHO ALTERNATIVE
MICHAEL OLIVER @MichaelOIiver
ReadWestHam
Much to the dismay of West Ham fans on social media, the club's reported pursuit of William Carvalho is stalling. The belief is that Sporting aren't budging on their £36m asking price for their star midfielder and would like that fee to be paid up front, while the Hammers were hoping to secure a deal nearer to £31m with that fee spread across two years. While the player wants the move and the Hammers are continuing to work towards and agreement with the Liga NOS side, if no agreement can be reached, they will turn their attentions elsewhere. Ljubomir Fejsa is said to be a player who has caught Slaven Bilic's eye in recent times and the Benfica holding midfielder is being considered as an option if they can't agree a deal for Carvalho. The 29-year-old is regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in Portugal, along with Carvalho and Porto's Danilo Pereira, who has also been identified as a contingency plan for the Sporting midfielder. Fejsa has also been linked with Tottenham and has won 10 successive league titles, four with Benfica, three at Olympiacos and three at Partizan
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WEST HAM'S KOUYATE COULD RETURN AFTER FIFA BREAK
AfricanFootball.com
by Austin Ditlhobolo
Tuesday Aug 15, 2017. 16:00
English Premier League (EPL) side West Ham United have provided an injury update regarding Senegalese international Cheikhou Kouyate. Kouyate, who is nursing knee injuries, missed the Hammers' 4-0 defeat to Manchester United in their first 2017/18 EPL game this past weekend. West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has since revealed that the central midfielder will be fit for their EPL clash with Newcastle United on Saturday, 26 August 2017. The Hammers welcomed Diafra Sakho, who is also a Senegalese international, back from a back injury this past weekend. "We are expecting a few of them who were injured last season, along with Cheikhou and Manuel (Lanzini) from this pre-season," Bilic told the club's official website. "Michail Antonio should be back for the game against Southampton and then Cheikhou, Manuel and even Andy Carroll should be there for the game against Newcastle in the third game of the season, or latest after the international break which is after that game. "All of them will be back very soon and we can talk about that, but we had a decent team out on Sunday and I expected more."
Sakho was introduced on the hour-mark against Manchester United. He made only four league appearances for the Hammers last season due to injuries.
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West Ham to target Arsenal-scouted Danilo Pereira as Carvalho deal stalls over late demands
HITC
Olly Dawes
West Ham United's deal for William Carvalho may be stalling. According to The Mirror, West Ham United will target Porto star Danilo Pereira as they contemplate pulling the plug on a deal for Sporting CP's William Carvalho at the last minute. The Hammers snapped up four major signings over the summer as Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez all arrived at the London Stadium - but they couldn't stop West Ham from being thrashed 4-0 at Manchester United on Sunday afternoon. That thumping at Old Trafford may now force manager Slaven Bilic to dip back into the transfer market, with a powerful holding midfielder seemingly on his wish list - but a move for William Carvalho could fall through. The Mirror claim that whilst West Ham were poised to seal a deal for Sporting CP star William Carvalho, the move is stalling as Sporting are making demands for more money late in the day, with West Ham potentially moving on to Porto's Danilo Pereira instead.
Pereira, 25, has starred for Porto since joining from Maritimo in 2015, scoring ten goals in 61 appearances despite predominantly being a defensive midfielder for the Portuguese giants. A powerful midfielder who stands at 6ft 2in tall, Pereira has impressed with Porto and has even been scouted by Arsenal, with Arsene Wenger considering options to boost his midfield options. Now though, West Ham are considering a move to lure Pereira to the Premier League before this month's transfer deadline, as they weigh up alternatives to top target Carvalho. Pereira and Carvalho battle it out against each other when Porto take on Benfica, but also for a place in Portugal's midfield, with both players key figures in Fernando Santos' squad - and they could now be at the centre of a transfer dilemma for West Ham too.
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HAKSABANOVIC SET FOR HAMMERS DEBUT IN CHECKATRADE TROPHYFeatured Image
Date: 15th August 2017 at 5:30pm
Written by: Forever Westham
Summer signing Sead Haksabanovic is set for his debut in Claret and Blue after being named in Terry Westley's Academy side to take on Swindon Town in the Checkatrade Trophy this evening. The Montenegro international is one a number of stars named in the strong squad that will travel to the county ground, including Toni Martinez, Moses Makasi and Domigos Quina, all of whom spent pre-season training with Slaven Bilic's first team. Westley's U23s side will be looking to get their season up and running after a stalemate draw with Everton on the opening day of season. The young Hammers were held by the Toffees – the current PL2 champions – last Friday night in what was a tense affair. The competition allows for Academy sides to field five over 21's in their line-ups, however the Hammers will field none, with captain Makasi being the oldest participant at 21 years-of-age. Swindon are expected to field their strongest line-up as David Flitcroft's side aim for cup glory.
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What William Carvalho has said about his future as West Ham close in on £36m deal
The latest West Ham transfer news sees the club closing in on a deal to sign Portual Euro 2016 winner William Carvalho from Sporting Lisbon
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
10:14, 15 AUG 2017
West Ham are continuing to thrash out a deal to bring in William Carvalho from Sporting Lisbon this summer and the Hammers are certainly not the first English club to have been linked with a move for his services. We understand that the Hammers will launch a £30.1m bid at some stage this week - with add-ons - to seal a deal for the midfielder, with wages and personal terms already agreed on his move to the London Stadium. It's hoped a switch could be sealed by the end of the week, with the club having had a £27m bid knocked back already.
The Portugal international had been linked with the Gunners, as well as Chelsea and Manchester United in previous season, while West Bromwich Albion have also expressed an interest, as well as Liverpool. Back in 2015 in an interview with Portugues newspaper A Bola, Carvalho revealed his affection for the Premier League but touted himself for a move to Arsenal. He said: "I am where I want to be right now, which is Sporting, but if I ever do leave then it's a sign that my work here was well done. "I dream of winning the Primeira Liga here. "I prefer not to say too much, but there is a club with which I've always been fond of: Arsenal. Because of Thierry Henry, a player with whom I have always enjoyed watching. "Maybe this is why I look with so much affection to the Premier League."
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Danny Gabbidon shifts focus from Arthur Masuaku to Winston Reid in West Ham blame game twist
HITC
Damien Lucas
Former West Ham United defender Danny Gabbidon has some interesting views on his old club's 4-0 humbling to Manchester United. The Hammers got the new Premier League season off to the worst possible start at Old Trafford, putting in a timid performance in a resounding defeat at the hands of the title hopefuls.
A brace from Romelu Lukaku and goals from Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba brought Slaven Bilic's side crashing down to earth after what seemed a successful summer of recruitment. The likes of Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez could do little to prevent the kind of scoreline Hammers fans have long been accustomed to on visits to Old Trafford over the years. But the player who was on the receiving end of the most criticism from not only Hammers fans but pundits and supporters of other clubs too, was left-back Arthur Masuaku. West Ham fans have never taken to Masuaku. Castigated last season for one horror showing after another despite initially impressing on his debut against Chelsea, Masuaku started against Jose Mourinho's side with Aaron Cresswell not 100% fit. The defender is careless, at times lazy and often caught out at the back while very rarely getting beyond his man to deliver a telling pass or cross in attack.
So it didn't go down well with supporters or pundit Gary Neville when he was caught on camera laughing and joking while marking Lukaku on a set piece before fiddling with his shin pads just as the cross came in for the Red Devil's second goal - as reported by Sky Sports. But with Masuaku taking the brunt of West Ham fans' fury, former Hammer of the Year Danny Gabbidon has spoken out in defence of the Congo international, and blames Winston Reid instead. "(Winston) Reid's the leader in that back line he needs to take charge of it and know Masuaku can't be trusted to mark a player of that size/strength," Gabbidon said on Twitter.
Daniel Gabbidon ✔ @Gabbidon35
Reid's the leader in that back line he needs to take charge of it & know Masuaka can't be trusted to mark a player of the size/strength.
3:10 PM - Aug 14, 2017
1 1 Reply 1 1 Retweet 2 2 likes
Many West Ham fans feel the club has neglected to address real issues in their defence over the summer. Bilic's side were awful at the back last season but have only brought in ageing right back Pablo Zabaleta and handed a new deal to Angelo Ogbonna.
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Robert Snodgrass set for West Ham exit as Slaven Bilic continues clear-out
KEN DYER
Evening Standard
West Ham have sold Sofiane Feghouli to Galatasaray and Robert Snodgrass could be the next player to leave. Standard Sport revealed yesterday the Hammers are making a £30million bid for Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho. However, West Ham want to move out some players too, with winger Feghouli leaving last night for £3.8m while Snodgrass's time at the London Stadium could be over soon, just eight months after he joined from Hull. Feghouli spent one season at West Ham after joining from Valencia last summer. The Algeria international scored four goals in 27 games for the Hammers. He said: "I have been expecting to sign for Galatasaray for a long time. I am very happy to join a club which has such big support. "
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Liverpool fans react on Twitter to West Ham's imminent move for William Carvalho
HITC
Dan Coombs
Should Liverpool be making a move for West Ham target William Carvalho? West Ham are closing in on the signing of midfielder William Carvalho, with ESPN reporting a deal is imminent. The Portugal international is set to depart Sporting Club de Portugal for what would be a club record fee for the Hammers which could reach £40 million after add-ons. Sporting CP midfielder William Carvalho from Portugal during the Friendly match between Sporting CP and AS Monaco at Estadio Jose Alvalade on July 22, 2017 in Lisbon, Portugal. West Ham were battered at the weekend by Manchester United, conceding four goals, highlighting their need for a top defensive midfielder. Another team whose defensive frailties were evident was Liverpool, who conceded three goals at Watford as they drew 3-3.
Carvalho has been previously linked to the Reds, with ESPN reporting their interest back in January this year. He may lack the dynamism and attacking talent of top midfield target Naby Keita, but Carvalho is a gifted defensive midfielder who could allow the rest of the Reds attackers to thrive. Carvalho also has a physically imposing presence which could help defend set pieces, which proved to be their downfall at the weekend as was throughout last season. He is expensive, but Liverpool have bid more money unsuccessfully for players this summer, and if they really wanted to, potentially have could brought him in. As it stands West Ham are set to win the race, and Liverpool fans are a little perplexed at their club's decision to stand by...
Steve MacMillan @Steviem777
So, are we going to sit back and watch West Ham sign Carvalho for what is, in this current market a bargain of £30m ? #LFC
3:18 PM - Aug 14, 2017
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Tom @LFCTOMM
What's the deal with William Carvalho, few years ago was meant to be great. West Ham R close to signing him now, what about #LFC
4:51 PM - Aug 14, 2017
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Craig @craigest1979
Why aren't Liverpool in for Carvalho? #lfc great signing for #Westham
7:07 PM - Aug 14, 2017
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Life On Mars @jjassen
@LFC @ViktorFager LFC We need a DM or two, why aren't we in for William Carvalho? What's going on? #LFC #YNWA
7:26 PM - Aug 14, 2017
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Anthony @dickson87
Why on earth are we not going for Carvalho from Sporting be a boss signing add a bit of strength and height to our midfield #LFC
2:23 PM - Aug 14, 2017 · Liverpool, England
Replies Retweets 2 2 likes
oddjobbobajobbob!! @Robbiejohno
How can #LFC just let West ham sign Carvalho... Again no plan B
7:08 PM - Aug 13, 2017
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The Whites' loan star Burke maturing nicely
Mike Glendinning
BoltonNews.co.uk
HE is barely out of his teenage years but Phil Parkinson has an old head on young shoulders in Reece Burke. The 20-year-old anchored the Whites' back three in the cauldron of The Den and showed great poise and leadership way beyond his tender years. Burke who, along with another White-hot prospect in Josh Cullen, is with the Wanderers squad on loan from West Ham United until the turn of the year. And they are really catching the eye as they continue their development. While many will have been surprised it seems it is nothing less than Parkinson expected when he sent on a more-than able replacement for David Wheater in the opening-day defeat to Leeds. "I'm pleased with Reece, he's a player I've worked with before at Bradford," he told The Bolton News. "He adds something different to the team, so we were keen to bring him in, he's got qualities, good pace which is important but also he's got quality on the ball. "But first and foremost he's a defender and when he was called upon he defended well."
Parkinson knew what he was getting in Burke, as he took him to Bradford City on loan two years ago. His faith in the youngster was repaid when he won the club's player-of-the-year prize. And he is not short on experience either, having played top-flight and Europa League football for his parent club as well as gaining England under-18, u19 and u20s caps. So, despite him having had an injury-hit season with just 10 appearances for Wigan Athletic last time around, making the move to join up with him again was an easy decision for Parkinson. "I had no doubts about Reece going in the centre at all. In that position in the middle of the back three it's important to be a good communicator and he really is, and for a young man he's showed really good leadership qualities so far," he added.
Burke and his team-mates can expect another hard day's night tonight at Birmingham City, with the aerial threat Harry Redknapp's Blues possess.
And ahead of going up against one of the bigger clubs in the Championship Parkinson is relishing the challenge of once again pitting his wits against a manager he clearly has a great deal of respect for. "It's fantastic going to St Andrew's, the lads are relishing it," he said. "There's a spring in everyone's step after getting the point at the weekend and now we want to go and build on it. "The mentality will have to be right, it'll be everyone doing their job for the team first and foremost and we're going down there looking to give a good account of ourselves and send our travelling supporters back up the M6 in good spirits. "They're putting in long throws and they're a big, powerful side and we're going to have to be ready to stand up to that, we need to be conscious of their threat, and everyone needs to understand their role in the team, and know it's going to be similar to Millwall, that type of game, strong and physical. "Obviously they're a team where Harry's still looking to invest but he's spent a few quid already. "Harry always has time for everybody and he's always been good to me as a younger manager, it's good to see him back in the game. He's a character who should be in the game because of his record and it will be good to lock horns with him and (assistant manager) Kevin Bond.
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NO NEED TO PANIC JUST YET.
By Tony Hanna 15 Aug 2017 at 08:00
WTID
I am going to try and take out as many positives from our 4-0 defeat as possible before I state some alarming stats. Whilst no player was anywhere near their best it was not hard to look at this side and wonder what the addition of Lanzini, Antonio, Kouyate and hopefully Carvalho would make to it? Slaven Bilic has a really good squad of players this season and it his job to get the best out of it, but can anyone actually remember the last time he could pick our strongest team for a match? Iain made a comment on Sunday that Obiang, Noble and Fernandes is not a midfield that will ever play again. I am not so sure about that but I would bet that we would never win a Premier League game against a top 6 side playing that trio in a midfield triangle.
Now I watch a lot of football, not just West Ham, and I watched every preseason game that both Manchester clubs played. City were seriously under done in their first friendly against United, but one thing was very evident. United already in preseason had a real edge to them despite being outclassed against Real Madrid last week. They have come into the start of the Premier League season with a squad that is already firing on all cylinders. Whether they can keep that up for an entire season is unknown, but when any team playing them in this mood is not totally at the races it is not going to be pretty. I don't think I have ever seen Matic play so well but he also took his turn in the relay of punishment that was sent Chico's way. This is one thing that United and Spurs in particular do so well against teams they are dominating possession wise. Once any counter is on against them the professional foul is at a budget price, especially if you can rotate it around. The price of a warning or a yellow card is worth it if you can allow your team to reset defensively.
So, despite our lack of possession, it was us who got caught on the break with a four on three after that man Matic broke up play intervening on an attempted pass from an idling Obiang. Not sure who's idea it was for Masuaku to be marking Lukaku at set pieces, pure genius that one, but that was number two. However, I would be more concerned if we had been 4-0 down with half an hour to go and the opposition took the foot of the gas, rather than conceding two goals in the last 3 minutes of normal time when we were actually trying to get something out of the game.
For me, Arnie looks a really decent player and he didn't shirk his work in his defensive duties. I am sure he will be working on his set pieces this week though! Chico was brave and despite the score line Zabaleta had a fair enough game despite his rash challenge that gave away the free kick that led to the second goal. Obiang, probably understandably looked very rusty coming back from a lengthy injury and Masuaku disappointed. I am still not convinced Cresswell is the better option but time will tell. Mas had a pretty poor game as did some others, but if Cresswell had been marking Lukaku for goal number two the result would have been the same. Many on the blog complained about the level of commitment but I didn't see that. We had four players making their debut against a quality team that is already primed and at times we were really getting stuck in – well as much as you can in the modern game.
The one thing that I don't understand though is why did we revert back to four at the back? Whilst the Moaners have quality all over the pitch surely their main threat was always going to be Lukaku? Collins, Reid and Fonte did the job on him last time he played against us and at the end of last season we looked a much better side playing with three centre backs? I can appreciate the desire to play four at the back at home against equivalent or lesser opposition, but three centre backs away from home against top six clubs is surely our best option? Another tactic that is becoming very prevalent from sides playing against us is the extreme desire for the high press, especially when our keeper has the ball. Teams have sussed out our weakness in playing out from the back and with the way we are set up, tactically and personnel wise, the long ball is just handing back possession to them. Not sure if Carvalho will make a difference here but I hope so as it is a problem.
Whatever our tactical problems are, and I know many of you reading this will have your own opinions, the managers and coaches of the top 6 clubs have certainly known how to target them over the past year. Since the beginning of last season we have played 15 times against top 6 sides in the Premier League and Cups. In those matches we have scored eleven goals and conceded forty four. Six times we have conceded four or more and on nine occasions we have conceded three plus goals. Only once have we stopped the opposition scoring and that was in our 1-0 win at home to Spurs. That win against Tottenham provided three of just five points gained from an available thirty nine against top six sides.
Back to the positives. The first few weeks always throw up an array of results as all the teams are at different levels of fitness and cohesion. My view, based on over 50 years of watching football is that everything starts to take shape after about eight games. So, no need to panic just yet. City won their first five games in a breeze last season and looked unbeatable yet they finished fifteen points behind eventual winners Chelsea. After four games Hull and Boro were 7th and 9th respectively. After eight games last season the top eight clubs were the same top eight at the end of the season and the relegated clubs lay in 16th, 17th and 20th. It is not an exact science but it is a good guide of where the lay of the ground is. Our eighth game of the season is at home to Swansea on the 30th September.
A quick bookies update; The odds on Carvalho coming to West Ham are now 1-6 (about 85%). There has been good money for Adrian to stay and he is now even money (50%) to remain a Hammer. Robert Snodgrass is now odds on (4-9 or 69% chance) to move to Villa and there has been more money (5-2) for Lanzini to go to Liverpool (28% chance)
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Tuesday, August 15
Daily WHUFC News - 15th August 2017
Loan watch: Cullen and Burke start in Bolton draw
WHUFC.com
Both Josh Cullen and Reece Burke completed 90 minutes on Saturday as Bolton Wanderers were held 1-1 by Millwall at the New Den. The newly-promoted sides were both looking to bounce back after opening day defeats but were made to settle for a point in south London. Republic of Ireland U21 international Cullen was making his second league start in as many games for the Trotters, while Burke played his first entire Championship clash for the visitors having come off the bench in a defeat to Leeds United last weekend. For Cullen, it was an opportunity to get his revenge against the side who denied him promotion from the League One play-offs last season with Bradford City. But Millwall took the lead just four minutes after the break courtesy of George Saville's first goal for the Lions. It didn't take long, however, for Phil Parkinson's men to level. Substitute Filipe Morais, lining up a free-kick from 20 yards, spectacularly beat Jordan Archer in goal just after the hour mark, and the score was still level when Andy Davies blew his full time whistle. The fixtures now come thick and fast for Bolton, who travel to Birmingham City on Tuesday before hosting Derby County next weekend.
The third and final Hammer out on loan – Reece Oxford – remains sidelined with an ankle injury, though his Borussia Monchengladbach team did record a 2-1 DFB Pokal win over Rot-Weiss Essen on Friday.
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Bilic: Returning quartet will give Hammers welcome boost
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic is hoping the return of up to four senior stars will boost West Ham United as his squad seek to overcome Sunday's 4-0 defeat at Manchester United.
The Hammers kicked-off the new Premier League season in the worst possible way result-wise, slipping to the heaviest defeat of the opening weekend. However, the manager believes Michail Antonio (hamstring) will return to face his former club Southampton on Saturday, with Manuel Lanzini, Cheikhou Kouyate (both knee) and Andy Carroll (hip) set to make their comebacks at Newcastle United a week later. "We are expecting a few of them who were injured last season, along with Cheikhou and Manuel from this pre-season," said Bilic, who also welcomed Diafra Sakho back from a back injury at Old Trafford. "Michail Antonio should be back for the game against Southampton and then Cheikhou, Manuel and even Andy Carroll should be there for the game against Newcastle in the third game of the season, or latest after the international break which is after that game. "All of them will be back very soon and we can talk about that, but we had a decent team out on Sunday and I expected more."
Reflecting further his team's opening-day defeat, the Croatian was magnanimous, admitting his team had simply been outplayed by Jose Mourinho's full-strength side. West Ham came close to scoring at 1-0 and 2-0 down, and conceded two goals in the final three minutes to give the final score a one-sided appearance, but Bilic was making no excuses. "To be fair, the game could have finished 2-0 or we could have scored a goal or whatever, but it wasn't to be and it's a very bad result for us," he observed "They were much better than us in every department of the game. They were better with the ball and better without the ball and we knew that they had that quality and that pace and they have strength and everything. "That's why we didn't want to let them be in one-against-one situations. We wanted to create two-against-one because we could cope with that, but unfortunately it wasn't to be and if they are one-against-one or you give them time and space to turn in little pockets in dangerous areas, then they are lethal, as they showed."
While a 4-0 defeat will clearly not give anyone in Claret and Blue a morale boost at the start of the new campaign, Bilic says the Hammers have to examine what went wrong and use what they learn to make improvements in future fixtures – starting at St Mary's this weekend. "It should affect our confidence, although it will of course," he admitted. "We are very low at the moment and the players feel very bad, as do I also. "OK, it's Manchester United but we have no other option but to pick up ourselves and prepare for the second game of the season against Southampton. "We aren't going to forget about this game and say it just happened. We have to analyse this game. On the other hand, it is the first game of the season and we can't lose confidence just because of one game, especially if that game is against Man United."
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Declan Rice: A performance to be proud of
WHUFC.com
Seconds after replacing captain Mark Noble at Old Trafford on Sunday, Declan Rice collected a short free-kick from Arthur Masuaku, turned and completed a square ball to Winston Reid. Over the next half-hour, the 18-year-old would misplace just one of the 23 passes he attempted, ending his second Premier League appearance with a completion rate of 95.7%. Moments later, the Hammers won a corner. When Manchester United cleared the ball up field to the lightning-quick Marcus Rashford, it was Rice who raced back 60 yards to hold up the England forward on the edge of the Hammers penalty area. Despite his relative inexperience, Slaven Bilic handed the U23 captain a central midfield position alongside Pedro Obiang, where his positional sense and willingness to organise those around him were very much in evidence. The Republic of Ireland U19 international touched the ball 28 times in total and, despite being matched against established internationals Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic, was not dispossessed once. Rice's game awareness and versatility also saw him fill in for Pablo Zabaleta or Arthur Masuaku when the full-backs had joined the attack.
The interceptor
The Academy graduate does not mind putting his foot in either, as was illustrated by his interception of France international Pogba's pass and follow-up challenge on the Red Devils' towering centre-back Eric Bailly. He later made another timely interception to dispossess Serbia star Matic wide on the right touchline. As the game wore on, the No41 continued make intelligent angles to receive the ball and move it on quickly and accurately. Rice popped passes around the Old Trafford pitch, seemingly unaffected by playing in front of a 74,928-strong crowd, the vast majority of whom wanted him to misplace every one of them. Instead, the composed youngster showed off his ability to pass with both feet, including one incisive ball into Chicharito and two accurate cross field deliveries to Masuaku and Aaron Cresswell.
A valuable experience
As Rice's heatmap shows, he got around the pitch too, covering 3.89km at an average speed of 7.08km/h – second only to Noble's average of 7.45km/h. Extrapolated over a full 90 minutes, Rice would have expected to cover in excess of 11km, a distance only exceeded by opposite number Matic. While the overall picture was a positive one, there was still one sharp dose of reality for Rice late on as Pogba escaped his attention for a split second to score Manchester United's fourth and final goal. Even then, the teenager's maturity shone through in his post-match interview, when he vowed to learn from the experience of playing – and playing well – on English football's biggest stage. He will surely have plenty of opportunities to do so again in the future.
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Cheltenham tie picked for TV coverage
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Carabao Cup second round tie against Cheltenham Town has been selected for live broadcast by Sky Sports. The Hammers will travel to the LCI Stadium for a 7.45pm kick-off on Wednesday 23 August. West Ham take on the Robins at the same stage of the competition for the second time in five seasons, after a Boleyn Ground meeting between the clubs in August 2013. Goals from Ricardo Vaz Te and Ravel Morrison were enough to see off the League 2 side on that occasion, who registered through Matt Richards from the penalty spot. Gary Johnson's team defeated Oxford United 4-3 in the first round of this season's Carabao Cup, and have three points from their opening two league games.
Ticket information for Hammers fans will be announced shortly.
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Hammers handed northern tests in U18 Premier League Cup
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Academy scholars will take on Liverpool, Middlesbrough and Sunderland in the opening round of the new U18 Premier League Cup.
The competition, which has been introduced for the 2017/18 season, will add an extra competitive edge of knockout football to compliment the U18 Premier League schedule.
The U18 Premier League Cup is split into six groups of four teams, with clubs playing each other once in the group stage, either home or away.
Steve Potts' Hammers have been drawn in Group D alongside U18 Premier League North trio Liverpool, Middlesbrough and Sunderland, and will need to hit top form if they are to progress to the quarter-finals.
The six group winners and the two best runners-up, decided by total points and then goal difference followed by head-to-head record, will advance to the last eight. Group stage fixture dates, kick-off times and venues will be confirmed shortly.
Should the Hammers get through, knockout ties are all one-off matches, decided by extra-time if level after 90 minutes and then penalties if required.
The U18s, who kicked-off their U18 Premier League South campaign with a 3-1 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, will also compete in the FA Youth Cup. West Ham will enter that competition at the third-round stage in early December.
Meanwhile the U18 Premier League Cup group stage draw will be mirrored by the U16 Premier League Cup, another competition in its debut season, before the knockout rounds are dependent on finishing position within each age category.
U16 Premier League Cup ties will be played on the same dates as the U18 Premier League Cup fixtures.
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Sofiane Feghouli joins Galatasaray
WHUFC.com
West Ham United can confirm that Sofiane Feghouli has joined Galatasaray on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee. The Algeria winger moves to the Turkish Super Lig club after a single season in Claret and Blue, having joined the Hammers from Spanish side Valencia in summer 2016. Feghouli totalled 27 appearances and four goals for West Ham, including one against Slovenian UEFA Europa League opponents NK Domzale in the first-ever fixture at London Stadium in July last year. He added further strikes in Premier League fixtures against Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion in Stratford before netting at Burnley in what turned out to be his final appearance for the Club in May. West Ham United would like to thank Sofiane for his efforts and wish him well in his future career.
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Makasi ready to lead at Swindon Town
WHUFC.com
Moses Makasi is hoping to take his first team pre-season experiences into Tuesday night's Checkatrade Trophy clash and be the Hammers' leader against Swindon Town. The midfielder was handed the captain's armband on Friday night when Terry Westley's men kicked-off their Premier League 2 campaign with a goalless draw against last season's champions Everton. And the 21-year-old believes, as one of the senior heads in the Club's U23s, he can lead by example this season, starting with a trip to the County Ground on Tuesday. He said: "There is a responsibility to be the experienced player in this team for me, as we have a young team. The likes of Conor [Coventry] alongside me is young, and then Aji [Alese] came into the team too on Friday. "I'm a senior player, I've got to show them how U23s football is played and be a leader out there. "Pre-season with the first team was good for me because I got a lot of minutes in the side. I got experience with the team so I've come back down now and I've got to show that I'm one of the older lads and try and lead the younger players. "I've got to show them what I've learnt with the first team and also for myself, try and kick on and get back into that squad. "I think that experience this summer will definitely help with these matches against senior teams in the Checkatrade Trophy. There are different scenarios that happen in senior games so hopefully that gives the ones that have had that experience an edge in these games."
West Ham came third in Group D of last season's competition, having lost their opening ties against Coventry City and Wycombe Wanderers – who will again be an opponent this season. They bounced back with a 1-1 draw and subsequent penalty shootout victory at Northampton Town and this season have Swindon and Bristol Rovers – as well as the Chairboys – to contend with. And having faced League Two outfits Barnet and Colchester United in pre-season friendlies, Makasi thinks the team are well prepared. "The lads faced those two League Two teams, and this will be a similar test, so that will help the boys going into the game and hopefully that will get us a good head start in the Group," he continued. "I thought we played well on Friday [against Everton] and we have got to go again and get off to a good start. "Our former player Kyle Knoyle plays for them, too, so we're looking forward to that. It will be good to see Kyle – he's a great lad and I always played alongside him throughout the youth ranks at West Ham, so it will be good to see him again."
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Reid: We will put in a much better performance at Southampton
WHUFC.com
Winston Reid has vowed that West Ham United will put in a 'much better performance' at Southampton on Saturday. The Hammers were humbled 4-0 at Manchester United in their opening Premier League fixture – their heaviest opening-day defeat since being thrashed by the same scoreline at Newcastle United in August 2002. With work to return London Stadium to football mode following the 2017 IAAF World Championships ongoing, Reid and company travel to the Saints and the Magpies over the next two weekends before hosting Huddersfield Town in their opening home fixture on 11 September. While some players would see that as an excuse for an indifferent start to the campaign, the No2 is having none of it. "To be fair, I don't look at it that way, because you have to play the same amount of home games and same amount of away games as everyone else over the course of the season," he said. "Obviously, we would have liked to have played one of those games at home, but that's not the main issue as arguably we were better away from home than we were at home last year! "We are starting a new season and we obviously didn't do well on Sunday, so we have to move forward, learn from our mistakes and watch the video and make sure that, come next week, we put in a much better performance."
Another reason for Reid's optimism is the presence in the West Ham squad of the Club's four experienced summer signings – Pablo Zabaleta, Joe Hart, Marko Arnautovic and Chicharito. "It does help that the players we have signed have played in the Premier League before," he said. "I'm sure that, once we get things gelling and have had another week working hard on the training pitch, we'll be a lot better. "The new players have fitted in perfectly and they'll help us move forward."
Reflecting on Sunday's defeat in Salford, Reid admitted the Hammers had simply been second best to one of the best sides in the Premier League, if not Europe.
"They made us pay for every mistake," he said. "We have to be tough on ourselves, because some of those mistakes we caused ourselves. "Coming to Old Trafford, you need to minimise your mistakes and work your way out from there, but they were the far superior team and they outclassed us in every aspect of the game."
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Spurs tickets on sale to Members from 11am Tuesday
WHUFC.com
Become a Claret Member now to give yourself the best chance of securing tickets for the unmissable visit of Tottenham Hotspur.
Tickets for our London Stadium Premier League meeting with Spurs go on sale to Members from 11am on Tuesday 15 August, so join now to get to the front of the queue - and if you are on the Season Ticket Waiting List, you can take advantage of a £10 discount on Membership if you sign up before 8 September
Slaven Bilic's men secured a memorable 1-0 victory over the north Londoners on a thrilling Friday night at London Stadium last term, and will be going for a third successive home win against Mauricio Pochettino's team when they meet on Saturday 23 September, kick-off 12.30pm.
Sign up for Membership now here
Last season all but two Premier League fixtures sold out to Members, go make sure you're first in line for tickets by joining up today.
Claret Membership benefits include:
Ticket priority on Premier League and Cup fixtures
Access to the Ticket Exchange – once a fixture is sold out, you can purchase seats which have been relisted by Season Ticket Holders
£5 discount on official away coach travel
Exclusive Claret Member access card
Additional merchandise discounts and offers
NEW: Exclusive monthly competitions – prize draws for signed shirts, memorabilia and money-can't-buy experiences
NEW: Invite to Junior Hammers party for Claret Kids
NEW: Attend PL2 matches at London Stadium for free
NEW: Attend West Ham Ladies home matches for free
Claret Members will also receive an FREE West Ham branded portable phone charger with Claret Kids receiving a FREE gift pack including face paint sticks, a bedroom wall poster and an exclusive Claret Kids scarf which you can't get anywhere else!
Claret Membership costs £40 for Adults and £25 for Kids, with International Membership subject to an additional £5 to cover shipping.
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Manchester United 4-0 West Ham (And Other Ramblings)
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 14th August 2017
By: HeadHammerShark
Yesterday I drove for the best part of twelve hours from Essex to Southern France, which is roughly enough time to get me halfway to Manchester based on some reports I read today, and I'm completely knackered.
In fact my back hurts more than Joe Hart's currently does after he spent the afternoon examining the back of the Old Trafford goals.
So this is an abbreviated holiday H List, available only because while I was channelling my inner F. Scott Fitzgerald today, I stumbled across a Dutch satellite feed of this game and decided to waste an hour and a half of my family holiday watching it.
Which was a mistake.
This is what happens when you look directly at a downward spiral
You see, to my mind there is a tacit, unspoken agreement between football fans and players that the opening game of any season is different. It just is. Over the course of the next ten months there are going to be days when the team won't play well, fans will lose faith and players will lose form but the one thing we can agree on is that opening day is non negotiable. No matter who you play, the sunshine will be glorious, the tans haven't yet faded and the team will champing at the bit after pre-season training and will give everything in pursuit of victory.
The positive line of thinking is that new signings will be desperate to impress, existing players will be playing for their places and new contracts and in that golden, sunlit moment the entire world is pregnant with possibility. And yet watching us play this game I was instead reduced to wondering whether Pedro Obiang was actually pregnant, so immobile and off the pace was he.
The team didn't uphold their end of the bargain today.
***
I don't really object to us losing to Manchester United. The question with them is never "Why did we lose to them?", but rather "How can it be that we've ever beaten them?". At £24m Marko Arnautovic is our largest ever signing, and yet he would be 23rd in the equivalent list of transfers for the Red Devils. They spent more on Anderson than we've ever spent on a player, and they bought him a decade ago.
Their financial superiority is such that we always travel to these games more in hope than expectation. It's how the Premier League is drawn up. Teams like West Ham are supposed to turn up, put up a bit of a fight and then have the good grace to concede a late winner right in front of the advertising hoarding hawking such wares as the official Manchester United tractor, as happened today.
What was so crushing about this performance was therefore not the content but the style. It was as if the team had been set a ninety minute test by the Oxford English Dictionary to redefine the word "insipid".
This is literally the best combination produced by two West Ham players today
Looking around the Premier League this weekend was to see hungry teams battling for points everywhere. By all reports ours was the worst, most spineless performance of the lot. No ambition, no organisation, no fight and most alarmingly of all - no change from last year. Here are our results against the current best six teams in the division since the start of last season:
Man Utd 4 - 0 West Ham
West Ham 0 - 4 Liverpool
West Ham 1 - 0 Spurs
Arsenal 3 - 0 West Ham
West Ham 1 - 2 Chelsea
West Ham 0 - 4 Man City
West Ham 0 - 2 Man Utd
Liverpool 2 - 2 West Ham
West Ham 1 - 5 Arsenal
Man Utd 1 - 1 West Ham
Spurs 3 - 2 West Ham
Man City 3 - 1 West Ham
Chelsea 2 - 1 West Ham
This also ignores a 5-0 home defeat to Man City in the FA Cup and a 4-1 loss at Old Trafford in the EFL Cup.
It's easy to brush off games such as this, and consign them to memory. They are kind of like the sequels to The Matrix in that respect: I accept they happened and that I paid money to see them but I refuse to acknowledge their existence in my decision making.
So, Joe, can you describe how it felt making your West Ham debut?
So we continue to make excuses and continue to look forward. These are the default responses for football fans because it's just how we are wired - there is always something on the horizon that is cause for optimism. There is always another game and always someone coming back from injury to make things right, especially at West Ham. Indeed, we are fans so desperate for something to wish on that we all decided Gary Lewin was our signing of the summer back in July. And then everyone was still injured for the first game.
But these are not the results of a good team. They are not the results of a resolute, well drilled, organised team. They are the results of a group of players who face a gaping gulf in class every time they face this opposition, and have no idea how to traverse it. Sure, an away defeat at Manchester United isn't anything to get too concerned about, given they'll beat most teams at home this year, but I think we're allowed to raise an eyebrow at the manner of it all. If Bilic is able to introduce anything before next Saturday, I would hope it would be some semblance of a backbone. I find it exasperating how rarely these days we can even compete in these fixtures, let alone win them.
So, yes, I understand those who will say that this is just one game. But isn't it the same one game we've seen this team play over and over again for a year?
***
At the end of the calamitous 16/17 season Slaven Bilic identified pace as the single biggest feature lacking from his team. Our summer transfer policy not only ignored this, but somehow appears to have made things worse. I've seen tides come back quicker than our midfield today when we were hit on the counter. This is just one of the many problems when the Chairman buys the players for a manager in the last year of his contract, and with little apparent ability to convince the former of his suitability for an extension. The distance between Bilic's desired type of player and his real ones seems quite hefty.
As such, we today fielded quite possibly the slowest West Ham team I can remember seeing in my lifetime, and I was there when we had Andy Melville at centre back. We were without Lanzini and Antonio, which always made it unlikely we would play well, but the pedestrian nature of it all was a shock. Chicharito looked so isolated he may soon have his nickname changed to "Siberia" and Arnautovic did enough to suggest that he will mix moments of magic and moaning with all the adroitness of the departed Payet.
But we cannot play at this walking pace in the Premier League and survive. With Feghouli and Snodgrass AWOL, Fernandes was pressed into a number ten role and did a passable impression of a square peg. What brief moments of attacking intent we did have seemed to spring from Noble and yet he was surprisingly replaced instead of the possibly expectant Obiang. The centre of the team is a huge hole that the summer signings don't address, and if the rumours linking us to William Carvalho are true then he can't arrive soon enough.
But where is the joie de vivre of that 15/16 season? Certainly the league was weaker then, but we never played so shapelessly or with such little belief even once that season. Now it is de rigeur for us to get a hiding, blame it on injuries or new stadiums or disruptive Frenchmen or bad horoscopes or the Boogie and just muddle on with no apparent improvement. My upper lip doesn't seem to be stiff enough for this line of thinking.
***
If one wants to look for positives, I thought Zabaleta battled well, especially as he was up against the quicksilver Rashford and being 54 years old means he usually spends Sundays at his allotment. I also thought Joe Hart did alright considering the relentless barrage he faced. He should perhaps have stopped Pogba's effort - down low to that troublesome left side again - but that wasn't the reason we lost today. If he wants an opportunity to show Gareth Southgate he is still England's best shot stopper then the logic of his move becomes clear very quickly. He's going to get plenty of chance to do it with us.
Declan Rice made a surprising cameo from the bench and looked pretty decent. Perhaps the logic of that perplexing decision to loan out Reece Oxford is simply that they think Rice is better? I have no idea - divining a strategy in any of our moves these days is like watching toddlers play chess.
Elsewhere, I don't really have very much to cling on to. It perhaps speaks volumes that having watched the game in its entirety I still have no idea what our gameplan was today. We seem tactically bereft, like one of those early 20th century British army units marching with great gusto toward certain defeat, led by a general with no military ideas beyond a belief that everything will be alright in the end.
We're away next week again, of course, courtesy of the gift that keeps on taking - the athletics stadium with a football pitch on it. This makes it difficult to regroup and difficult to roar back. Maybe we'll win 3-1 again at Southampton, and all of this will just be yet more of that negative whinging so many of you criticise me for, but for now the pessimists are winning, I'm afraid.
It's early of course, and nothing is won or lost on opening day, but I'm waiting on a sign. I want to see something to tell me that this year will be different to last. Something to encourage me that we are going to be more competitive, more organised, more steely when the going gets tough. Even for those who believe these articles to be too negative must concede that performances like today are a disgrace, just as I will concede that there were some mitigating factors.
Tomorrowland - are we nearly there yet?
My main overarching issue with the current leadership of the club is the failure to develop and adhere to a cogent overarching strategy to develop the team over time. Instead everything is done reactively, expensively and on such a short term basis that it all has to be ripped down and rebuilt again every couple of years.
I would happily accept performances like today if I felt it was the necessary cost of progression. But it's not. It's just the result of having an old, slow team, a terrible injury record and the opposition being as rich as Croesus. And Lukaku. Always fucking Lukaku.
If we have to think in such a short term way, then it doesn't seem unreasonable to want some returns on a fairly short term basis. Our next three games are Southampton, Newcastle and Huddersfield - each tricky in their own way but there are points to be taken there. And they'd better be taken. This is Sullivan's borrowed time and therefore it's Bilic's too. We can't keep waiting for tomorrow because at some point we have to win today.
So I've had enough with the injuries and the good young players a couple of years away and the settling into the new stadium and all the other stuff that stops the team playing well. When your Director of Football admits he is implementing a strategy that is "not good for the long term" then you lose the right to bring those things up. It's tough shit.
We're all about the here and now, so I want some fucking results here and now. I want my back four to look like they've met before. I want my left back to actually leave the ground when he jumps. I want my defence well enough organised that we don't have the smallest member marking Lukaku at free kicks and corners.
I want my captain to be so influential he can last ninety minutes. I want an attacking strategy that can actually cause trouble to defenders as average as Phil Jones. I want a net spend bigger than Watford. I want a manager who can find ways to make us competitive against better teams and not one who has us conceding four every time we play anyone half decent.
And most of all I want it today. Not tomorrow.
Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be attributed to, KUMB.com.
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Sofiane Feghouli signs five-year deal at Galatasaray after completing £3.9m switch from West Ham
VAISHALI BHARDWAJ
Evening Standard
Sofiane Feghouli has left West Ham for Galatasaray in a £3.9m deal after signing a five-year deal with the Turkish giants. Both clubs confirmed the transfer on Monday evening after the Algeria international travelled to Turkey at the weekend and then put pen to paper on a long-term contract at Galatasaray. The move brings to an end Feghouli's time at West Ham, which lasted just one season, after he initially joined the Hammers from Valencia in the summer of 2016. The 27-year-old, who was voted the 2012 Algerian Footballer of the Year, had scored 42 goals in 243 appearances for Los Che but an injury-ravaged campaign at the London Stadium saw him score four goals in 27 appearances in all competitions for Slaven Bilic's side. Despite his difficult season in London, Feghouli took to Twitter following confirmation of his departure from West Ham to thank the fans for their support last term.
He wrote: "Thank you West Ham fans for the support this season and good luck everyone for the future. Always @WestHamUtd."
West Ham added in a statement on their website: "Feghouli totalled 27 appearances and four goals for West Ham, including one against Slovenian UEFA Europa League opponents NK Domzale in the first-ever fixture at London Stadium in July last year. "He added further strikes in Premier League fixtures against Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion in Stratford before netting at Burnley in what turned out to be his final appearance for the Club in May. "West Ham United would like to thank Sofiane for his efforts and wish him well in his future career."
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Sofiane Feghouli sends West Ham fans message after completing Galatasaray transfer
West Ham transfer news is dominated by Sofiane Feghouli's departure to Galatasaray and the player has said farewell to supporters
Football London
BYTOM MARSHALL-BAILEY
21:30, 14 AUG 2017UPDATED21:34, 14 AUG 2017
Sofiane Feghouli has completed his move to Galatasaray following a one-year stay at West Ham United. The Algerian winger sealed his switch to Turkey this evening as Slaven Bilic successfully offloaded a fringe player, with Robert Snodgrass potentially joining Feghouli in leaving the Hammers before the end of the transfer window. Feghouli has signed a five-year deal with the Istanbul club and West Ham will pocket £4m from the transfer having picked him up on a free 12 months previously. The 27-year-old played 20 times for West Ham in 2016/17 and scored three goals with a further three assists in his sole season with the club.
And after his transfer was confirmed, Feghouli took to Twitter to issue a message to the fans. "Thank you West Ham fans for the support this season and good luck everyone for the future," he wrote before adding "Always" accompanied with the hammers emoji to signify his love for the club.
Sofiane Feghouli ✔ @sffeghouli
Thank you West Ham fans for the support this season and good luck everyone for the future. Always ⚒@WestHamUtd
8:21 PM - Aug 14, 2017
240 240 Replies 465 465 Retweets 3,487 3,487 likes
In a statement on the club website, West Ham said: West Ham United can confirm that Sofiane Feghouli has joined Galatasaray on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee. The Algeria winger moves to the Turkish Super Lig club after a single season in Claret and Blue, having joined the Hammers from Spanish side Valencia in summer 2016. Feghouli totalled 27 appearances and four goals for West Ham, including one against Slovenian UEFA Europa League opponents NK Domzale in the first-ever fixture at London Stadium in July last year. He added further strikes in Premier League fixtures against Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion in Stratford before netting at Burnley in what turned out to be his final appearance for the Club in May. West Ham United would like to thank Sofiane for his efforts and wish him well in his future career.
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William Carvalho agrees terms to become West Ham's club-record signing, medical imminent
HITC
Olly Dawes
West Ham United are reportedly closing in on Sporting CP's William Carvalho. According to the Daily Express, Sporting CP midfielder William Carvalho has agreed terms with West Ham United ahead of a big-money move, with a medical now believed to be imminent. The Hammers have already brought in four major signings this summer, as Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez have all arrived at the London Stadium - but they couldn't prevent a 4-0 defeat at Manchester United on Sunday.
After opening the season with such a heavy defeat, manager Slaven Bilic may now dip back into the transfer market for another new signing, with a midfielder wanted following injury concerns over Pedro Obiang and Cheikhou Kouyate this year. Now, The Express report that a deal for Sporting CP's William Carvalho - worth in the region of £30million rising to £35million in add-ons, representing a club-record fee - is close after the midfielder agreed terms over a move to East London.
It's now claimed that Carvalho will undergo a medical with West Ham this week, and they may hope to have him in the squad to face Southampton the Premier League this weekend. Carvalho, 25, has come up through the ranks with Sporting, making more than 150 appearances whilst impressing with his poise on the ball, his passing range and his strength in the tackle. Sporting CP midfielder William Carvalho from Portugal during the Friendly match between Sporting CP and AS Monaco at Estadio Jose Alvalade on July 22, 2017 in Lisbon, Portugal. Whilst born in Angola, Carvalho has 37 caps for Portugal and played in the Euro 2016-winning side, and should bring quality to the West Ham midfield once his club-record deal is completed. The midfield powerhouse has been linked with moves to the Premier League for many years now, but it seems that West Ham are on the verge of landing a major coup as Carvalho's move to the London Stadium draws ever closer.
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Sporting Lisbon and Portugal star William Carvalho 'ready to have medical with West Ham'
By talkSPORT - @talkSPORT
Monday, August 14, 2017
Sporting Lisbon star William Carvalho is ready to travel to London to undergo his medical with West Ham United, according to reports in Portugal. The 25-year-old has reportedly already agreed personal terms with the Hammers ahead of a move to the club. Talks over a fee for the Portugal international are ongoing but, according reports, Carvalho has contacted West Ham to tell them he is ready to fly in for his medical. After years of being linked with a move to the Premier League, the midfielder is reportedly eager to get this deal wrapped up quickly. In the past, Carvalho has been linked with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United – but negotiations have always collapsed. Now, though, the Portugal star could finally be about to get his wish if West Ham are able to agree a fee with Sporting.
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Newcastle odds slashed to Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, West Ham still favourites
NEWCASTLE have seen their odds slashed by the bookies to sign Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere.
By DAVID WRIGHT
PUBLISHED: 13:16, Mon, Aug 14, 2017 | UPDATED: 13:29, Mon, Aug 14, 2017
Express.co.uk
Wilshere looks on his way out of Arsenal this summer after Arsene Wenger left the midfielder out of the squad that beat Leicester 4-3 on Friday. The England international has been linked with a move to newly-promoted Newcastle, whose manager Rafa Benitez is desperate for new recruits. And followings reports Newcastle are set to step up their interest, bookmakers Betfair have slashed their odds of signing Wilshere from 7/1 to 3/1. Premier League rivals West Ham are also said to be interested in landing the 25-year-old, with Betfair pricing the Hammers as evens favourites for his signature. Wilshere was sent out on loan to Bournemouth last season to secure regular game time but failed to make the desired impact under Eddie Howe. Wenger admitted last week that he is yet to make a decision on Wilshere's future. "The decision has not been completely made, but I want him to play somewhere," he said. "We have to decide that later. "First I wanted him to come back from his fracture. It's the first week back from full training. We need to sit down and see where we go." The Gunners manager added: "He has the talent to be a regular, but he has to come back to competition in a consistent way."
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West Ham transfer for William Carvalho imminent as Sporting begin looking at replacements
HITC
Dan Coombs
West Ham are keen on William Carvalho. West Ham are closing in on the signing of midfield ace William Carvalho. Portuguese newspaper O Jogo report his club Sporting Lisbon have already accepted he is leaving. They have already begun looking at replacements for the Portugal international and are assessing their options. Sporting CP midfielder William Carvalho from Portugal during the Friendly match between Sporting CP and AS Monaco at Estadio Jose Alvalade on July 22, 2017 in Lisbon, Portugal. The report states the cost of the transfer could reach 45 million Euros, which currently converts to £41 million. It will be an initial 37 million Euros [£33.6m], which will rise dependent on objectives, and Sporting will have a clause for a sell on percentage of any future transfer. West Ham though are reluctant to pay it all at once, and intend to split the cost in installments. They are presently negotiating with Sporting Club de Portugal about this, but it is not considered as a reason which will scupper a transfer which is moving along fast. Carvalho has been touted for a move away from Sporting for the past four years but the Hammers are the only club to meet Sporting's demands. West Ham lost their opening game of the season 4-0 yesterday away to Manchester United.
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West Ham's forwards really put in the miles against Manchester United but for little reward
The stats show that the Hammers frontline certainly put the effort in during the match but they didn't get the luck
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
12:24, 14 AUG 2017UPDATED12:27, 14 AUG 2017
While West Ham were soundly beaten 4-0 by Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday, it may have looked to those watching that the Hammers players were not putting as much effort in. But, if you dig deeper into the statistics of the game, the Hammers front men especially put in a shift, while one of the midfielders also covered a lot of ground throughout the 90 minutes. The front three of Javier Hernandez, Marko Arnautovic and Andre Ayew barely got a sniff of goal all afternoon but it can't be said they didn't run their socks off top try and create chances. Ayew ran the second furthest distance on the pitch in the black and blue away shirt, covering 10.3km (6.4 miles) and had 74 sprints throughout the 90 minutes. That was only bettered by Pedro Obiang, who ran 10.7km.
Record-signing Arnautovic clocked up 9.8km over 46 sprints and Chicharito ran 9.5km in 42 sprints as he had a frustrating afternoon. Arnautovic was also recorded as the fastest Hammer on the day as he reached a top speed of 20.7mph. While Obiang racked up the most number of miles on the pitch, one interesting comparison is that of his centre midfield partner Edimilson Fernandes ran 4km less than his Spanish partner in the engine room of the midfield. Also, Hammers keeper Joe Hart did a lot of rushing off his line and running in his box as he somehow managed to cover 2.8 miles of running throughout the game. So while it may have looked from the outside the Hammers players didn't put in much of a shift, they actually did despite the horrendous result at the end of the game.
Only Nemanja Matic (11.4km) covered more ground for Manchester United.
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West Ham tried to sign Sandro Ramirez before he chose Everton, reveals Slaven Bilic
JAMES BENGE
ES Sport
Slaven Bilic has revealed that West Ham failed in a bid to beat Everton to the signing of Sandro Ramirez. The former Malaga striker joined the Toffees in a bargain £5.2million deal in July when Everton activated his release clause. Ramirez had been linked with the likes of Tottenham and Newcastle in recent months and Bilic admitted that West Ham had tried to muscle into the chase. "Ramirez from Malaga came in, he was in Barcelona and we wanted him but he chose Everton," Bilic said in an interview with Croatian newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija. The 22-year-old has been tasked with leading the line for Everton since the departure of Romelu Lukaku, who joined Manchester United in a £75m deal this summer. However Bilic, who spent two years playing at Everton after departing West Ham in 1997, sees few similarities between the two. "He is a quick player and has no traits like Lukaku," he added. "They lost [Lukaku's] strength, but gained [Ramirez's] speed."
West Ham would ultimately move for Bayer Leverkusen forward Javier Hernandez, who made his debut against Manchester United on Sunday.
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Londoner's Diary: Another critic crosses the great West Ham divide
Evening Standard
Londoner's Diary
West Ham's season might have got off to a disastrous start at Manchester United yesterday but they're still ahead of the PR game. The Hammers have been in the firing line over the deal that saw them relocate to Stratford's Olympic (now London) Stadium. Most of the £752 million tab for the stadium and its conversion is being picked up by taxpayers, as approved by ex-Mayor Boris Johnson.
The Taxpayers Alliance (TPA) referred to it sarcastically as "the deal of the century" and West Ham, whose chief executive Karren Brady defended the deal, have fought back. The club is now employing the traditional football tactic of buying up the other side's best players — two members of the TPA have been seduced over. Unfortunately it looks like at least one of their star signings has already scored an own goal. "Thank you for your email," former TPA comms officer Harry Davis's out-of-office message pinged when we went looking for comment on Friday. "I have now left the TPA to fight against the interests of taxpayers at West Ham United FC."
Oh dear — whatever can he mean? This can't be the same Harry Davis who only in December authored a TPA statement on the Olympic stadium offering. "Maybe out of respect for those that paid for it, the Hammers and the LLDC could rename it the Taxpayers' Stadium."
Davis follows former TPA campaign manager Tom Banks to West Ham — he now works for the club's foundation. He previously called for a "wide inquiry into the whole contract" into the London Stadium. Is there anyone left at the TPA to cry foul?
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WEST HAM CONFIDENT ON COMPLETING DEAL FOR WILLIAM CARVALHO
REBECCA HAWKSWORTH @BeccaJourno
ReadWestHam
Slaven Bilic is confident that West Ham can get a deal done for Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho within a week, the Mirror reports. Sporting Lisbon rejected a £27.1m bid from West Ham for Carvalho last week but it is believed that a deal worth around £36million is now nearing completion. After a week of intensive talks with the Portuguese side, the Hammers are confident of completing a deal for the Euro 2016 winner by the end of the week. Carvalho was left out of the Sporting Lisbon squad that beat fellow Portuguese side Setubal 1 – 0 at the weekend. The 25-year-old is said to be keen on linking up with the Hammers after being linked with an array of Premier League teams that past few years, including Chelsea and Arsenal. Slaven Bilic's side took a 4 – 0 hammering at Old Trafford on Sunday, highlighting their need for new recruits this summer.
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Rice showing anger and Masuaku's laughter - 5 moments missed as West Ham are thumped by Manchester United
Here are five moments you might have missed from West Ham's 4-0 humbling at Manchester United
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
11:30, 14 AUG 2017
Declan Rice showing his exasperation as United scored their fourth goal
The 18-year-old came on for the final half an hour of the game at Old Trafford and certainly acquitted himself well (a 96% pass completion rate, no less) and despite his relatively lack of seniority within the squad, he wasn't afraid to show his anger. As Anthony Martial beat the offside trap to slide home United's fourth and final goal of the afternoon, Rice leapt up into the air in clear and showed a clear sign of exasperation at what he was watching. While it's not like Rice unleashed a torrent of abuse at any of his team mates, it was certainly good to see him showing signs of passion and frustration. There would be some Hammers fans that would have Rice starting down at Southampton next weekend and displays like Saturday's will only endear him more.
Arthur Masuaku sharing a joke with Romelu Lukaku?
Well, we don't know if they two were sharing a joke or not but what certainly was a bit of a joke was the DR Congo man marking Lukaku in the first place, who has probably got about a foot in height on him. Whatever the laughter was about, there was no laughing matter for the Hammers as Lukaku stole a march on Masuaku and then headed home Henrikh Mhkitaryan's precise free kick to put the hosts 2-0 up and effectively end the game as a contest. The West Ham left back got a bit of a pasting on social media for those who did see his laughter but what it was about, we'll never know.
Slaven Bilic's hug with Declan Rice
As the 18-year-old prepared to enter the fray for Mark Noble, Rice stood next to his manager Slaven Bilic, with Diafra Sakho to the left of the teenager warming up. Bilic gave Rice his instructions and prepared him to go on the pitch but before he did, put an arm around his young protege and gave him a pat on the head to wish him good luck. It was a nice moment from the boss. Rice certainly listened to his manager as he performed well for the final half an hour despite the away side shipping two more goals in that time to a rampant United.
A superb song by the Hammers fans mocking United supporters
Towards the end of the game and it meandering towards a conclusion, the tannoy system at Old Trafford announced for the Hammers fans to stay in their seats at full time to allow the United fans out first. Cue the visiting army of supporters chanting to the United fans "We'll race you back to London, we'll race you back to London." If you were on any train up from Euston to Manchester on Saturday morning, it was swamped with United fans who outnumbered West Ham supporters easily, with Reds fans across the land notoriously mocked for a vast amount of them not being from Manchester.
Bilic apologising to a ball boy
During the first half, Winston Reid made a decent clearance after pinching the ball off Romelu Lukaku into the stand to clear his lines. The ball was heading for the Hammers boss and, quite rightly, Bilic stuck his hands out on the touchline and caught the ball. What he didn't realise was there was a young ball boy behind him ready to get the ball and throw it back to one of his heroes on the pitch. Realising what he had done, Bilic held his hands out in apology to the ball boy, who promptly gave Bilic a high five and accepted the apology.
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Declan Rice reacts on Twitter to West Ham United defeat
HITC
Shane Callaghan
Declan Rice impressed for West Ham United on Sunday. Declan Rice managed to earn a half-an-hour cameo in West Ham United's 4-0 defeat by Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday. The 18-year-old defender has enjoyed a fantastic pre-season for the Irons, and did his chances of staying with the senior side no harm at all with a mature performance. The young Irishman said on Twitter afterwards that he was "gutted" with the result, but West Ham fans were quick to reassure him that he could be proud of his own display.
Follow
DR ✔ @_DeclanRice
gutted with that result, but it's important we bounce back and go again at Southampton. Delighted to have got more minutes today❤⚒ #COYI
7:03 PM - Aug 13, 2017
108 108 Replies 142 142 Retweets 1,254 1,254 likes
D.C. Irons @DC_Irons
Replying to @_DeclanRice
Looked the part when you came on mate ⚒
7:44 PM - Aug 13, 2017
Follow
Tom Allen @tomwhu13
Replying to @_DeclanRice @WestHamUtd
You were class lad. Should've started imo. Better than Obiang and fernandes. 100% should be in starting 11 next week
7:09 PM - Aug 13, 2017
Replies Retweets 9 9 likes
Mark Daws @Dawstours
Replying to @_DeclanRice @1southernnash
Proud of you today Declan as I am sure many #Hammers are today. Keep going mate, never give up and remember we are all behind you. #COYI
9:45 PM - Aug 13, 2017
Replies Retweets 4 4 likes
MKirby @NKchez
Replying to @_DeclanRice
Well done Declan. You should be proud. Good performance from you today ⚒️
7:05 PM - Aug 13, 2017
Replies Retweets 3 3 likes
West Ham @WHULondon_
Replying to @_DeclanRice @WestHamUtd
You deserve to start mate..keeping working hard and you will be in the starting 11 in no time 💪🏻⚒
9:13 PM - Aug 13, 2017
Replies Retweets 2 2 likes
Sam Thomas Nicola @st90nicola
Replying to @_DeclanRice
Only one who looked like they know how to play football! Well done 👏🏼
7:13 PM - Aug 13, 2017
Replies Retweets 2 2 likes
At just 18, Rice, who can also play in midfield, is certainly a fine talent but it will be interesting to see whether Slaven Bilic keeps him this season or sends him out on loan. As the saying goes, if you're good enough then you're old enough and if Rice handled himself well at Old Trafford of all places then it might indicate that he could handle the pressure at other venues. Then again, this time two years ago it was Reece Oxford who West Ham fans were raving about, having posted a fine performance in an opening-day victory at Arsenal, and the 18-year-old was loaned to Borussia Monchengladbach this summer. And that is why fans of the East London club won't be getting overly carried away by Rice's potential.
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West Ham optimistic William Carvalho transfer will be done within a week after days of intensive talks
Sporting Lisbon recently rejected a £27.1m Hammers bid but it's believed a deal potentially worth £36m is now close
The Mirror
BYDARREN LEWIS
22:30, 13 AUG 2017UPDATED08:47, 14 AUG 2017
West Ham feel their £36million swoop for Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho could be complete within the next week. Officials from the Hammers have been locked in talks since having a £27.1m bid rejected by the Portuguese outfit last week. They are now believed to have made up the difference in performance-related bonuses. Carvalho, 25, is keen to join the east Londoners after years of being linked with a string of Premier League sides and was left out of his club's 1-0 win over Setubal on Saturday. Asked about the Euro 2016 winner's absence, boss Jorge Jesus said "it was to protect William, Sporting... everything."
West Ham are excited about the prospect of Carvalho forming a partnership with Cheikou Kouyate when the Senegalese star returns from injury next month.
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DIRE AND RICE, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
By HamburgHammer 14 Aug 2017 at 08:00
WTID
In an ever changing world like ours it is reassuring to see that at least some things are unlikely to change anytime soon:
* Manchester United can still buy their way out of trouble by picking up the Premier League's top striker.
* Said top striker loves playing against us as he scores more goals against West Ham than any other team, this game was no exception to that rule.
* Our starting XI is still cheaper overall than Man United's most expensive signing Pogba.
* Old Trafford is a ground where we rarely perform well, nevermind bring home any points.
* They really do like their half and half scarves in the home end at Man United, don't they ?
It was a very bad weekend football wise for me and if it hadn't been for Concordia's development squad I wouldn't have seen a single decent performance from one of my teams yesterday, Cordi's U23 team won 7:3 at home and that freak result alone illustrates perfectly what kind of league that is, with goalkeepers that have the physique of hookers in rugby and some shambolic defending on show in general (however, we've seen some pretty abysmal defensive skills even at Premier League level in the past few days, haven't we ?).
That game was followed by a truly shocking home performance by the Concordia first team in their league game. A lackluster, inept first half with mindblowing errors galore which allowed the guests from Osdorf to race into a comfortable 3:0 halftime lead. Cordi had probably 75% possession, but that's no good if you mainly pass the ball around neatly sideways and backwards. Attitude, effort and body language eventually improved in the second half, but one consolation goal was all the Cordi lads had to show for it – at this rate it's going to be a long and hard season for the boys this time around. Potential midtable mediocrity instead of another promotion push I reckon.
I only missed the first five minutes of the West Ham game actually and was relieved we weren't already a goal down when I switched on the telly. It was obvious we'd be under the kosh all game and bearing that in mind I was reasonably pleased with the first half performance, apart from their goal of course, but when you play against top class players the like of which Man United have the luxury of fielding alll over the pitch, then every single error you make tends to get mercilessly punished by ball into your net more often than not.
The clinical way in which Man United put away their opportunities in the second half was brutal to watch, but it also illustrated that there is a shedload of work ahead for Bilic and his staff to sort out our defending in training. We seem to be slow in reading opposition plays, slow in reacting and therefore easy to tear apart at the back. If you defend like this not even the best goalkeeper in the world will be able to keep the scoreline respectable for you.
I really hope we manage to sort our defense out, hopefully new signing Carvalho will take some pressure away from our defenders to begin with and it's comforting to know we won't have to play Manchester United every week of course. It was the first game of the season, a pretty dire performance, maybe even a crap one, but I won't bother getting riled up too much, reading comments at this point from Hammers fans frantically pushing the panic button already. Let's look at some of the positives instead.
It was a massive relief to finally see Diafra Sakho back on the pitch again, even showing something resembling a smile when coming on and he looked pretty sharp and up for it, at least until we fell apart later on.
More gametime in the coming weeks should hopefully give him some confidence and some goals should then increase said confidence even further, if he can stay fit of course. We all know Sakho can be a very decent striker for us if his body and mind are in good health and spirits.
Second positive for me was the short glimpse we got of Declan Rice in a competitive (yeah, right!) game. He didn't look out of place at all when he came on.
He didn't put much of a foot (or pass) wrong yesterday and even if he has to shoulder some of the blame for one of those late goals, I won't allow this to cloud my overall positive impression of Declan's performance.
He obviously couldn't turn around a game like this on his own, but to me he looks absolutely ready to be in our first team matchday squads now on a regular basis.
It was also pleasant to hear that both Burke and Cullen (The Pooltable Boys from Rotenburg) apparently gave a good account of themselves for Bolton in their game at Millwall. Playing for them regularly should do them the world of good, potentially setting them up for a swift return to West Ham in January. Apparently both are very much in Slaven's first team plans so hopefully once our guys have settled down in the league somewhat we can start seeing more of the youngsters.
And then there is the new guy from Montenegrian descent (born and bred in Sweden though) we signed last week, Sead Haksabanovic (great name that!) who seems to be yet another jamboree bag full of tricks, flicks and surprises. I am quite aware of course that not every wonderkid who joins our club today will turn out to be the real deal tomorrow or even the day after. But at the very least he arrives at our club bringing with him a good measure of praise and promise, he also is a versatile chap, being able to play in midfield, either in a central attacking position, on the left wing or even further upfront.
He looks to me like a Swedish version of Tony Cottee, nippy, small, light on his feet, can turn his opponent on an area the size of a beer mat, you get the picture.
They don't mention any weaknesses on whoscored.com, but emphasise his ability to shoot from distance and the fact he gets fouled a lot.
Looks like he could even be another decent (and regular) bench option this season for the first team rather than the development squad.
I am now hoping for and expecting a much better performance in our next game against Southampton, with better effort and some more guts. However, with the signings we have made already in this window I am cautiously optimistic there are better times ahead for our club on the pitch.
From what I've read there could still be a few new faces coming in, with one or two leaving (hopefully the right ones!).
I have booked flights last week for my first live game this season, our local derby against Spurs in anticipation of another feisty affair. And hopefully another 1:0 home win which has been the customary result during my first season of visits to the London Stadium. That's a tradition by the way that doesn't need to change anytime soon as far as I am concerned! Unlike certain other traditions connected to our away games at Old Trafford.
Let's hope I can be a good luck charm for the lads two seasons running! COYI!!!
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Both Josh Cullen and Reece Burke completed 90 minutes on Saturday as Bolton Wanderers were held 1-1 by Millwall at the New Den. The newly-promoted sides were both looking to bounce back after opening day defeats but were made to settle for a point in south London. Republic of Ireland U21 international Cullen was making his second league start in as many games for the Trotters, while Burke played his first entire Championship clash for the visitors having come off the bench in a defeat to Leeds United last weekend. For Cullen, it was an opportunity to get his revenge against the side who denied him promotion from the League One play-offs last season with Bradford City. But Millwall took the lead just four minutes after the break courtesy of George Saville's first goal for the Lions. It didn't take long, however, for Phil Parkinson's men to level. Substitute Filipe Morais, lining up a free-kick from 20 yards, spectacularly beat Jordan Archer in goal just after the hour mark, and the score was still level when Andy Davies blew his full time whistle. The fixtures now come thick and fast for Bolton, who travel to Birmingham City on Tuesday before hosting Derby County next weekend.
The third and final Hammer out on loan – Reece Oxford – remains sidelined with an ankle injury, though his Borussia Monchengladbach team did record a 2-1 DFB Pokal win over Rot-Weiss Essen on Friday.
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Bilic: Returning quartet will give Hammers welcome boost
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic is hoping the return of up to four senior stars will boost West Ham United as his squad seek to overcome Sunday's 4-0 defeat at Manchester United.
The Hammers kicked-off the new Premier League season in the worst possible way result-wise, slipping to the heaviest defeat of the opening weekend. However, the manager believes Michail Antonio (hamstring) will return to face his former club Southampton on Saturday, with Manuel Lanzini, Cheikhou Kouyate (both knee) and Andy Carroll (hip) set to make their comebacks at Newcastle United a week later. "We are expecting a few of them who were injured last season, along with Cheikhou and Manuel from this pre-season," said Bilic, who also welcomed Diafra Sakho back from a back injury at Old Trafford. "Michail Antonio should be back for the game against Southampton and then Cheikhou, Manuel and even Andy Carroll should be there for the game against Newcastle in the third game of the season, or latest after the international break which is after that game. "All of them will be back very soon and we can talk about that, but we had a decent team out on Sunday and I expected more."
Reflecting further his team's opening-day defeat, the Croatian was magnanimous, admitting his team had simply been outplayed by Jose Mourinho's full-strength side. West Ham came close to scoring at 1-0 and 2-0 down, and conceded two goals in the final three minutes to give the final score a one-sided appearance, but Bilic was making no excuses. "To be fair, the game could have finished 2-0 or we could have scored a goal or whatever, but it wasn't to be and it's a very bad result for us," he observed "They were much better than us in every department of the game. They were better with the ball and better without the ball and we knew that they had that quality and that pace and they have strength and everything. "That's why we didn't want to let them be in one-against-one situations. We wanted to create two-against-one because we could cope with that, but unfortunately it wasn't to be and if they are one-against-one or you give them time and space to turn in little pockets in dangerous areas, then they are lethal, as they showed."
While a 4-0 defeat will clearly not give anyone in Claret and Blue a morale boost at the start of the new campaign, Bilic says the Hammers have to examine what went wrong and use what they learn to make improvements in future fixtures – starting at St Mary's this weekend. "It should affect our confidence, although it will of course," he admitted. "We are very low at the moment and the players feel very bad, as do I also. "OK, it's Manchester United but we have no other option but to pick up ourselves and prepare for the second game of the season against Southampton. "We aren't going to forget about this game and say it just happened. We have to analyse this game. On the other hand, it is the first game of the season and we can't lose confidence just because of one game, especially if that game is against Man United."
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Declan Rice: A performance to be proud of
WHUFC.com
Seconds after replacing captain Mark Noble at Old Trafford on Sunday, Declan Rice collected a short free-kick from Arthur Masuaku, turned and completed a square ball to Winston Reid. Over the next half-hour, the 18-year-old would misplace just one of the 23 passes he attempted, ending his second Premier League appearance with a completion rate of 95.7%. Moments later, the Hammers won a corner. When Manchester United cleared the ball up field to the lightning-quick Marcus Rashford, it was Rice who raced back 60 yards to hold up the England forward on the edge of the Hammers penalty area. Despite his relative inexperience, Slaven Bilic handed the U23 captain a central midfield position alongside Pedro Obiang, where his positional sense and willingness to organise those around him were very much in evidence. The Republic of Ireland U19 international touched the ball 28 times in total and, despite being matched against established internationals Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic, was not dispossessed once. Rice's game awareness and versatility also saw him fill in for Pablo Zabaleta or Arthur Masuaku when the full-backs had joined the attack.
The interceptor
The Academy graduate does not mind putting his foot in either, as was illustrated by his interception of France international Pogba's pass and follow-up challenge on the Red Devils' towering centre-back Eric Bailly. He later made another timely interception to dispossess Serbia star Matic wide on the right touchline. As the game wore on, the No41 continued make intelligent angles to receive the ball and move it on quickly and accurately. Rice popped passes around the Old Trafford pitch, seemingly unaffected by playing in front of a 74,928-strong crowd, the vast majority of whom wanted him to misplace every one of them. Instead, the composed youngster showed off his ability to pass with both feet, including one incisive ball into Chicharito and two accurate cross field deliveries to Masuaku and Aaron Cresswell.
A valuable experience
As Rice's heatmap shows, he got around the pitch too, covering 3.89km at an average speed of 7.08km/h – second only to Noble's average of 7.45km/h. Extrapolated over a full 90 minutes, Rice would have expected to cover in excess of 11km, a distance only exceeded by opposite number Matic. While the overall picture was a positive one, there was still one sharp dose of reality for Rice late on as Pogba escaped his attention for a split second to score Manchester United's fourth and final goal. Even then, the teenager's maturity shone through in his post-match interview, when he vowed to learn from the experience of playing – and playing well – on English football's biggest stage. He will surely have plenty of opportunities to do so again in the future.
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Cheltenham tie picked for TV coverage
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Carabao Cup second round tie against Cheltenham Town has been selected for live broadcast by Sky Sports. The Hammers will travel to the LCI Stadium for a 7.45pm kick-off on Wednesday 23 August. West Ham take on the Robins at the same stage of the competition for the second time in five seasons, after a Boleyn Ground meeting between the clubs in August 2013. Goals from Ricardo Vaz Te and Ravel Morrison were enough to see off the League 2 side on that occasion, who registered through Matt Richards from the penalty spot. Gary Johnson's team defeated Oxford United 4-3 in the first round of this season's Carabao Cup, and have three points from their opening two league games.
Ticket information for Hammers fans will be announced shortly.
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Hammers handed northern tests in U18 Premier League Cup
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Academy scholars will take on Liverpool, Middlesbrough and Sunderland in the opening round of the new U18 Premier League Cup.
The competition, which has been introduced for the 2017/18 season, will add an extra competitive edge of knockout football to compliment the U18 Premier League schedule.
The U18 Premier League Cup is split into six groups of four teams, with clubs playing each other once in the group stage, either home or away.
Steve Potts' Hammers have been drawn in Group D alongside U18 Premier League North trio Liverpool, Middlesbrough and Sunderland, and will need to hit top form if they are to progress to the quarter-finals.
The six group winners and the two best runners-up, decided by total points and then goal difference followed by head-to-head record, will advance to the last eight. Group stage fixture dates, kick-off times and venues will be confirmed shortly.
Should the Hammers get through, knockout ties are all one-off matches, decided by extra-time if level after 90 minutes and then penalties if required.
The U18s, who kicked-off their U18 Premier League South campaign with a 3-1 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, will also compete in the FA Youth Cup. West Ham will enter that competition at the third-round stage in early December.
Meanwhile the U18 Premier League Cup group stage draw will be mirrored by the U16 Premier League Cup, another competition in its debut season, before the knockout rounds are dependent on finishing position within each age category.
U16 Premier League Cup ties will be played on the same dates as the U18 Premier League Cup fixtures.
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Sofiane Feghouli joins Galatasaray
WHUFC.com
West Ham United can confirm that Sofiane Feghouli has joined Galatasaray on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee. The Algeria winger moves to the Turkish Super Lig club after a single season in Claret and Blue, having joined the Hammers from Spanish side Valencia in summer 2016. Feghouli totalled 27 appearances and four goals for West Ham, including one against Slovenian UEFA Europa League opponents NK Domzale in the first-ever fixture at London Stadium in July last year. He added further strikes in Premier League fixtures against Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion in Stratford before netting at Burnley in what turned out to be his final appearance for the Club in May. West Ham United would like to thank Sofiane for his efforts and wish him well in his future career.
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Makasi ready to lead at Swindon Town
WHUFC.com
Moses Makasi is hoping to take his first team pre-season experiences into Tuesday night's Checkatrade Trophy clash and be the Hammers' leader against Swindon Town. The midfielder was handed the captain's armband on Friday night when Terry Westley's men kicked-off their Premier League 2 campaign with a goalless draw against last season's champions Everton. And the 21-year-old believes, as one of the senior heads in the Club's U23s, he can lead by example this season, starting with a trip to the County Ground on Tuesday. He said: "There is a responsibility to be the experienced player in this team for me, as we have a young team. The likes of Conor [Coventry] alongside me is young, and then Aji [Alese] came into the team too on Friday. "I'm a senior player, I've got to show them how U23s football is played and be a leader out there. "Pre-season with the first team was good for me because I got a lot of minutes in the side. I got experience with the team so I've come back down now and I've got to show that I'm one of the older lads and try and lead the younger players. "I've got to show them what I've learnt with the first team and also for myself, try and kick on and get back into that squad. "I think that experience this summer will definitely help with these matches against senior teams in the Checkatrade Trophy. There are different scenarios that happen in senior games so hopefully that gives the ones that have had that experience an edge in these games."
West Ham came third in Group D of last season's competition, having lost their opening ties against Coventry City and Wycombe Wanderers – who will again be an opponent this season. They bounced back with a 1-1 draw and subsequent penalty shootout victory at Northampton Town and this season have Swindon and Bristol Rovers – as well as the Chairboys – to contend with. And having faced League Two outfits Barnet and Colchester United in pre-season friendlies, Makasi thinks the team are well prepared. "The lads faced those two League Two teams, and this will be a similar test, so that will help the boys going into the game and hopefully that will get us a good head start in the Group," he continued. "I thought we played well on Friday [against Everton] and we have got to go again and get off to a good start. "Our former player Kyle Knoyle plays for them, too, so we're looking forward to that. It will be good to see Kyle – he's a great lad and I always played alongside him throughout the youth ranks at West Ham, so it will be good to see him again."
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Reid: We will put in a much better performance at Southampton
WHUFC.com
Winston Reid has vowed that West Ham United will put in a 'much better performance' at Southampton on Saturday. The Hammers were humbled 4-0 at Manchester United in their opening Premier League fixture – their heaviest opening-day defeat since being thrashed by the same scoreline at Newcastle United in August 2002. With work to return London Stadium to football mode following the 2017 IAAF World Championships ongoing, Reid and company travel to the Saints and the Magpies over the next two weekends before hosting Huddersfield Town in their opening home fixture on 11 September. While some players would see that as an excuse for an indifferent start to the campaign, the No2 is having none of it. "To be fair, I don't look at it that way, because you have to play the same amount of home games and same amount of away games as everyone else over the course of the season," he said. "Obviously, we would have liked to have played one of those games at home, but that's not the main issue as arguably we were better away from home than we were at home last year! "We are starting a new season and we obviously didn't do well on Sunday, so we have to move forward, learn from our mistakes and watch the video and make sure that, come next week, we put in a much better performance."
Another reason for Reid's optimism is the presence in the West Ham squad of the Club's four experienced summer signings – Pablo Zabaleta, Joe Hart, Marko Arnautovic and Chicharito. "It does help that the players we have signed have played in the Premier League before," he said. "I'm sure that, once we get things gelling and have had another week working hard on the training pitch, we'll be a lot better. "The new players have fitted in perfectly and they'll help us move forward."
Reflecting on Sunday's defeat in Salford, Reid admitted the Hammers had simply been second best to one of the best sides in the Premier League, if not Europe.
"They made us pay for every mistake," he said. "We have to be tough on ourselves, because some of those mistakes we caused ourselves. "Coming to Old Trafford, you need to minimise your mistakes and work your way out from there, but they were the far superior team and they outclassed us in every aspect of the game."
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Spurs tickets on sale to Members from 11am Tuesday
WHUFC.com
Become a Claret Member now to give yourself the best chance of securing tickets for the unmissable visit of Tottenham Hotspur.
Tickets for our London Stadium Premier League meeting with Spurs go on sale to Members from 11am on Tuesday 15 August, so join now to get to the front of the queue - and if you are on the Season Ticket Waiting List, you can take advantage of a £10 discount on Membership if you sign up before 8 September
Slaven Bilic's men secured a memorable 1-0 victory over the north Londoners on a thrilling Friday night at London Stadium last term, and will be going for a third successive home win against Mauricio Pochettino's team when they meet on Saturday 23 September, kick-off 12.30pm.
Sign up for Membership now here
Last season all but two Premier League fixtures sold out to Members, go make sure you're first in line for tickets by joining up today.
Claret Membership benefits include:
Ticket priority on Premier League and Cup fixtures
Access to the Ticket Exchange – once a fixture is sold out, you can purchase seats which have been relisted by Season Ticket Holders
£5 discount on official away coach travel
Exclusive Claret Member access card
Additional merchandise discounts and offers
NEW: Exclusive monthly competitions – prize draws for signed shirts, memorabilia and money-can't-buy experiences
NEW: Invite to Junior Hammers party for Claret Kids
NEW: Attend PL2 matches at London Stadium for free
NEW: Attend West Ham Ladies home matches for free
Claret Members will also receive an FREE West Ham branded portable phone charger with Claret Kids receiving a FREE gift pack including face paint sticks, a bedroom wall poster and an exclusive Claret Kids scarf which you can't get anywhere else!
Claret Membership costs £40 for Adults and £25 for Kids, with International Membership subject to an additional £5 to cover shipping.
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Manchester United 4-0 West Ham (And Other Ramblings)
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 14th August 2017
By: HeadHammerShark
Yesterday I drove for the best part of twelve hours from Essex to Southern France, which is roughly enough time to get me halfway to Manchester based on some reports I read today, and I'm completely knackered.
In fact my back hurts more than Joe Hart's currently does after he spent the afternoon examining the back of the Old Trafford goals.
So this is an abbreviated holiday H List, available only because while I was channelling my inner F. Scott Fitzgerald today, I stumbled across a Dutch satellite feed of this game and decided to waste an hour and a half of my family holiday watching it.
Which was a mistake.
This is what happens when you look directly at a downward spiral
You see, to my mind there is a tacit, unspoken agreement between football fans and players that the opening game of any season is different. It just is. Over the course of the next ten months there are going to be days when the team won't play well, fans will lose faith and players will lose form but the one thing we can agree on is that opening day is non negotiable. No matter who you play, the sunshine will be glorious, the tans haven't yet faded and the team will champing at the bit after pre-season training and will give everything in pursuit of victory.
The positive line of thinking is that new signings will be desperate to impress, existing players will be playing for their places and new contracts and in that golden, sunlit moment the entire world is pregnant with possibility. And yet watching us play this game I was instead reduced to wondering whether Pedro Obiang was actually pregnant, so immobile and off the pace was he.
The team didn't uphold their end of the bargain today.
***
I don't really object to us losing to Manchester United. The question with them is never "Why did we lose to them?", but rather "How can it be that we've ever beaten them?". At £24m Marko Arnautovic is our largest ever signing, and yet he would be 23rd in the equivalent list of transfers for the Red Devils. They spent more on Anderson than we've ever spent on a player, and they bought him a decade ago.
Their financial superiority is such that we always travel to these games more in hope than expectation. It's how the Premier League is drawn up. Teams like West Ham are supposed to turn up, put up a bit of a fight and then have the good grace to concede a late winner right in front of the advertising hoarding hawking such wares as the official Manchester United tractor, as happened today.
What was so crushing about this performance was therefore not the content but the style. It was as if the team had been set a ninety minute test by the Oxford English Dictionary to redefine the word "insipid".
This is literally the best combination produced by two West Ham players today
Looking around the Premier League this weekend was to see hungry teams battling for points everywhere. By all reports ours was the worst, most spineless performance of the lot. No ambition, no organisation, no fight and most alarmingly of all - no change from last year. Here are our results against the current best six teams in the division since the start of last season:
Man Utd 4 - 0 West Ham
West Ham 0 - 4 Liverpool
West Ham 1 - 0 Spurs
Arsenal 3 - 0 West Ham
West Ham 1 - 2 Chelsea
West Ham 0 - 4 Man City
West Ham 0 - 2 Man Utd
Liverpool 2 - 2 West Ham
West Ham 1 - 5 Arsenal
Man Utd 1 - 1 West Ham
Spurs 3 - 2 West Ham
Man City 3 - 1 West Ham
Chelsea 2 - 1 West Ham
This also ignores a 5-0 home defeat to Man City in the FA Cup and a 4-1 loss at Old Trafford in the EFL Cup.
It's easy to brush off games such as this, and consign them to memory. They are kind of like the sequels to The Matrix in that respect: I accept they happened and that I paid money to see them but I refuse to acknowledge their existence in my decision making.
So, Joe, can you describe how it felt making your West Ham debut?
So we continue to make excuses and continue to look forward. These are the default responses for football fans because it's just how we are wired - there is always something on the horizon that is cause for optimism. There is always another game and always someone coming back from injury to make things right, especially at West Ham. Indeed, we are fans so desperate for something to wish on that we all decided Gary Lewin was our signing of the summer back in July. And then everyone was still injured for the first game.
But these are not the results of a good team. They are not the results of a resolute, well drilled, organised team. They are the results of a group of players who face a gaping gulf in class every time they face this opposition, and have no idea how to traverse it. Sure, an away defeat at Manchester United isn't anything to get too concerned about, given they'll beat most teams at home this year, but I think we're allowed to raise an eyebrow at the manner of it all. If Bilic is able to introduce anything before next Saturday, I would hope it would be some semblance of a backbone. I find it exasperating how rarely these days we can even compete in these fixtures, let alone win them.
So, yes, I understand those who will say that this is just one game. But isn't it the same one game we've seen this team play over and over again for a year?
***
At the end of the calamitous 16/17 season Slaven Bilic identified pace as the single biggest feature lacking from his team. Our summer transfer policy not only ignored this, but somehow appears to have made things worse. I've seen tides come back quicker than our midfield today when we were hit on the counter. This is just one of the many problems when the Chairman buys the players for a manager in the last year of his contract, and with little apparent ability to convince the former of his suitability for an extension. The distance between Bilic's desired type of player and his real ones seems quite hefty.
As such, we today fielded quite possibly the slowest West Ham team I can remember seeing in my lifetime, and I was there when we had Andy Melville at centre back. We were without Lanzini and Antonio, which always made it unlikely we would play well, but the pedestrian nature of it all was a shock. Chicharito looked so isolated he may soon have his nickname changed to "Siberia" and Arnautovic did enough to suggest that he will mix moments of magic and moaning with all the adroitness of the departed Payet.
But we cannot play at this walking pace in the Premier League and survive. With Feghouli and Snodgrass AWOL, Fernandes was pressed into a number ten role and did a passable impression of a square peg. What brief moments of attacking intent we did have seemed to spring from Noble and yet he was surprisingly replaced instead of the possibly expectant Obiang. The centre of the team is a huge hole that the summer signings don't address, and if the rumours linking us to William Carvalho are true then he can't arrive soon enough.
But where is the joie de vivre of that 15/16 season? Certainly the league was weaker then, but we never played so shapelessly or with such little belief even once that season. Now it is de rigeur for us to get a hiding, blame it on injuries or new stadiums or disruptive Frenchmen or bad horoscopes or the Boogie and just muddle on with no apparent improvement. My upper lip doesn't seem to be stiff enough for this line of thinking.
***
If one wants to look for positives, I thought Zabaleta battled well, especially as he was up against the quicksilver Rashford and being 54 years old means he usually spends Sundays at his allotment. I also thought Joe Hart did alright considering the relentless barrage he faced. He should perhaps have stopped Pogba's effort - down low to that troublesome left side again - but that wasn't the reason we lost today. If he wants an opportunity to show Gareth Southgate he is still England's best shot stopper then the logic of his move becomes clear very quickly. He's going to get plenty of chance to do it with us.
Declan Rice made a surprising cameo from the bench and looked pretty decent. Perhaps the logic of that perplexing decision to loan out Reece Oxford is simply that they think Rice is better? I have no idea - divining a strategy in any of our moves these days is like watching toddlers play chess.
Elsewhere, I don't really have very much to cling on to. It perhaps speaks volumes that having watched the game in its entirety I still have no idea what our gameplan was today. We seem tactically bereft, like one of those early 20th century British army units marching with great gusto toward certain defeat, led by a general with no military ideas beyond a belief that everything will be alright in the end.
We're away next week again, of course, courtesy of the gift that keeps on taking - the athletics stadium with a football pitch on it. This makes it difficult to regroup and difficult to roar back. Maybe we'll win 3-1 again at Southampton, and all of this will just be yet more of that negative whinging so many of you criticise me for, but for now the pessimists are winning, I'm afraid.
It's early of course, and nothing is won or lost on opening day, but I'm waiting on a sign. I want to see something to tell me that this year will be different to last. Something to encourage me that we are going to be more competitive, more organised, more steely when the going gets tough. Even for those who believe these articles to be too negative must concede that performances like today are a disgrace, just as I will concede that there were some mitigating factors.
Tomorrowland - are we nearly there yet?
My main overarching issue with the current leadership of the club is the failure to develop and adhere to a cogent overarching strategy to develop the team over time. Instead everything is done reactively, expensively and on such a short term basis that it all has to be ripped down and rebuilt again every couple of years.
I would happily accept performances like today if I felt it was the necessary cost of progression. But it's not. It's just the result of having an old, slow team, a terrible injury record and the opposition being as rich as Croesus. And Lukaku. Always fucking Lukaku.
If we have to think in such a short term way, then it doesn't seem unreasonable to want some returns on a fairly short term basis. Our next three games are Southampton, Newcastle and Huddersfield - each tricky in their own way but there are points to be taken there. And they'd better be taken. This is Sullivan's borrowed time and therefore it's Bilic's too. We can't keep waiting for tomorrow because at some point we have to win today.
So I've had enough with the injuries and the good young players a couple of years away and the settling into the new stadium and all the other stuff that stops the team playing well. When your Director of Football admits he is implementing a strategy that is "not good for the long term" then you lose the right to bring those things up. It's tough shit.
We're all about the here and now, so I want some fucking results here and now. I want my back four to look like they've met before. I want my left back to actually leave the ground when he jumps. I want my defence well enough organised that we don't have the smallest member marking Lukaku at free kicks and corners.
I want my captain to be so influential he can last ninety minutes. I want an attacking strategy that can actually cause trouble to defenders as average as Phil Jones. I want a net spend bigger than Watford. I want a manager who can find ways to make us competitive against better teams and not one who has us conceding four every time we play anyone half decent.
And most of all I want it today. Not tomorrow.
Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be attributed to, KUMB.com.
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Sofiane Feghouli signs five-year deal at Galatasaray after completing £3.9m switch from West Ham
VAISHALI BHARDWAJ
Evening Standard
Sofiane Feghouli has left West Ham for Galatasaray in a £3.9m deal after signing a five-year deal with the Turkish giants. Both clubs confirmed the transfer on Monday evening after the Algeria international travelled to Turkey at the weekend and then put pen to paper on a long-term contract at Galatasaray. The move brings to an end Feghouli's time at West Ham, which lasted just one season, after he initially joined the Hammers from Valencia in the summer of 2016. The 27-year-old, who was voted the 2012 Algerian Footballer of the Year, had scored 42 goals in 243 appearances for Los Che but an injury-ravaged campaign at the London Stadium saw him score four goals in 27 appearances in all competitions for Slaven Bilic's side. Despite his difficult season in London, Feghouli took to Twitter following confirmation of his departure from West Ham to thank the fans for their support last term.
He wrote: "Thank you West Ham fans for the support this season and good luck everyone for the future. Always @WestHamUtd."
West Ham added in a statement on their website: "Feghouli totalled 27 appearances and four goals for West Ham, including one against Slovenian UEFA Europa League opponents NK Domzale in the first-ever fixture at London Stadium in July last year. "He added further strikes in Premier League fixtures against Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion in Stratford before netting at Burnley in what turned out to be his final appearance for the Club in May. "West Ham United would like to thank Sofiane for his efforts and wish him well in his future career."
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Sofiane Feghouli sends West Ham fans message after completing Galatasaray transfer
West Ham transfer news is dominated by Sofiane Feghouli's departure to Galatasaray and the player has said farewell to supporters
Football London
BYTOM MARSHALL-BAILEY
21:30, 14 AUG 2017UPDATED21:34, 14 AUG 2017
Sofiane Feghouli has completed his move to Galatasaray following a one-year stay at West Ham United. The Algerian winger sealed his switch to Turkey this evening as Slaven Bilic successfully offloaded a fringe player, with Robert Snodgrass potentially joining Feghouli in leaving the Hammers before the end of the transfer window. Feghouli has signed a five-year deal with the Istanbul club and West Ham will pocket £4m from the transfer having picked him up on a free 12 months previously. The 27-year-old played 20 times for West Ham in 2016/17 and scored three goals with a further three assists in his sole season with the club.
And after his transfer was confirmed, Feghouli took to Twitter to issue a message to the fans. "Thank you West Ham fans for the support this season and good luck everyone for the future," he wrote before adding "Always" accompanied with the hammers emoji to signify his love for the club.
Sofiane Feghouli ✔ @sffeghouli
Thank you West Ham fans for the support this season and good luck everyone for the future. Always ⚒@WestHamUtd
8:21 PM - Aug 14, 2017
240 240 Replies 465 465 Retweets 3,487 3,487 likes
In a statement on the club website, West Ham said: West Ham United can confirm that Sofiane Feghouli has joined Galatasaray on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee. The Algeria winger moves to the Turkish Super Lig club after a single season in Claret and Blue, having joined the Hammers from Spanish side Valencia in summer 2016. Feghouli totalled 27 appearances and four goals for West Ham, including one against Slovenian UEFA Europa League opponents NK Domzale in the first-ever fixture at London Stadium in July last year. He added further strikes in Premier League fixtures against Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion in Stratford before netting at Burnley in what turned out to be his final appearance for the Club in May. West Ham United would like to thank Sofiane for his efforts and wish him well in his future career.
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William Carvalho agrees terms to become West Ham's club-record signing, medical imminent
HITC
Olly Dawes
West Ham United are reportedly closing in on Sporting CP's William Carvalho. According to the Daily Express, Sporting CP midfielder William Carvalho has agreed terms with West Ham United ahead of a big-money move, with a medical now believed to be imminent. The Hammers have already brought in four major signings this summer, as Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez have all arrived at the London Stadium - but they couldn't prevent a 4-0 defeat at Manchester United on Sunday.
After opening the season with such a heavy defeat, manager Slaven Bilic may now dip back into the transfer market for another new signing, with a midfielder wanted following injury concerns over Pedro Obiang and Cheikhou Kouyate this year. Now, The Express report that a deal for Sporting CP's William Carvalho - worth in the region of £30million rising to £35million in add-ons, representing a club-record fee - is close after the midfielder agreed terms over a move to East London.
It's now claimed that Carvalho will undergo a medical with West Ham this week, and they may hope to have him in the squad to face Southampton the Premier League this weekend. Carvalho, 25, has come up through the ranks with Sporting, making more than 150 appearances whilst impressing with his poise on the ball, his passing range and his strength in the tackle. Sporting CP midfielder William Carvalho from Portugal during the Friendly match between Sporting CP and AS Monaco at Estadio Jose Alvalade on July 22, 2017 in Lisbon, Portugal. Whilst born in Angola, Carvalho has 37 caps for Portugal and played in the Euro 2016-winning side, and should bring quality to the West Ham midfield once his club-record deal is completed. The midfield powerhouse has been linked with moves to the Premier League for many years now, but it seems that West Ham are on the verge of landing a major coup as Carvalho's move to the London Stadium draws ever closer.
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Sporting Lisbon and Portugal star William Carvalho 'ready to have medical with West Ham'
By talkSPORT - @talkSPORT
Monday, August 14, 2017
Sporting Lisbon star William Carvalho is ready to travel to London to undergo his medical with West Ham United, according to reports in Portugal. The 25-year-old has reportedly already agreed personal terms with the Hammers ahead of a move to the club. Talks over a fee for the Portugal international are ongoing but, according reports, Carvalho has contacted West Ham to tell them he is ready to fly in for his medical. After years of being linked with a move to the Premier League, the midfielder is reportedly eager to get this deal wrapped up quickly. In the past, Carvalho has been linked with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United – but negotiations have always collapsed. Now, though, the Portugal star could finally be about to get his wish if West Ham are able to agree a fee with Sporting.
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Newcastle odds slashed to Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, West Ham still favourites
NEWCASTLE have seen their odds slashed by the bookies to sign Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere.
By DAVID WRIGHT
PUBLISHED: 13:16, Mon, Aug 14, 2017 | UPDATED: 13:29, Mon, Aug 14, 2017
Express.co.uk
Wilshere looks on his way out of Arsenal this summer after Arsene Wenger left the midfielder out of the squad that beat Leicester 4-3 on Friday. The England international has been linked with a move to newly-promoted Newcastle, whose manager Rafa Benitez is desperate for new recruits. And followings reports Newcastle are set to step up their interest, bookmakers Betfair have slashed their odds of signing Wilshere from 7/1 to 3/1. Premier League rivals West Ham are also said to be interested in landing the 25-year-old, with Betfair pricing the Hammers as evens favourites for his signature. Wilshere was sent out on loan to Bournemouth last season to secure regular game time but failed to make the desired impact under Eddie Howe. Wenger admitted last week that he is yet to make a decision on Wilshere's future. "The decision has not been completely made, but I want him to play somewhere," he said. "We have to decide that later. "First I wanted him to come back from his fracture. It's the first week back from full training. We need to sit down and see where we go." The Gunners manager added: "He has the talent to be a regular, but he has to come back to competition in a consistent way."
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West Ham transfer for William Carvalho imminent as Sporting begin looking at replacements
HITC
Dan Coombs
West Ham are keen on William Carvalho. West Ham are closing in on the signing of midfield ace William Carvalho. Portuguese newspaper O Jogo report his club Sporting Lisbon have already accepted he is leaving. They have already begun looking at replacements for the Portugal international and are assessing their options. Sporting CP midfielder William Carvalho from Portugal during the Friendly match between Sporting CP and AS Monaco at Estadio Jose Alvalade on July 22, 2017 in Lisbon, Portugal. The report states the cost of the transfer could reach 45 million Euros, which currently converts to £41 million. It will be an initial 37 million Euros [£33.6m], which will rise dependent on objectives, and Sporting will have a clause for a sell on percentage of any future transfer. West Ham though are reluctant to pay it all at once, and intend to split the cost in installments. They are presently negotiating with Sporting Club de Portugal about this, but it is not considered as a reason which will scupper a transfer which is moving along fast. Carvalho has been touted for a move away from Sporting for the past four years but the Hammers are the only club to meet Sporting's demands. West Ham lost their opening game of the season 4-0 yesterday away to Manchester United.
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West Ham's forwards really put in the miles against Manchester United but for little reward
The stats show that the Hammers frontline certainly put the effort in during the match but they didn't get the luck
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
12:24, 14 AUG 2017UPDATED12:27, 14 AUG 2017
While West Ham were soundly beaten 4-0 by Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday, it may have looked to those watching that the Hammers players were not putting as much effort in. But, if you dig deeper into the statistics of the game, the Hammers front men especially put in a shift, while one of the midfielders also covered a lot of ground throughout the 90 minutes. The front three of Javier Hernandez, Marko Arnautovic and Andre Ayew barely got a sniff of goal all afternoon but it can't be said they didn't run their socks off top try and create chances. Ayew ran the second furthest distance on the pitch in the black and blue away shirt, covering 10.3km (6.4 miles) and had 74 sprints throughout the 90 minutes. That was only bettered by Pedro Obiang, who ran 10.7km.
Record-signing Arnautovic clocked up 9.8km over 46 sprints and Chicharito ran 9.5km in 42 sprints as he had a frustrating afternoon. Arnautovic was also recorded as the fastest Hammer on the day as he reached a top speed of 20.7mph. While Obiang racked up the most number of miles on the pitch, one interesting comparison is that of his centre midfield partner Edimilson Fernandes ran 4km less than his Spanish partner in the engine room of the midfield. Also, Hammers keeper Joe Hart did a lot of rushing off his line and running in his box as he somehow managed to cover 2.8 miles of running throughout the game. So while it may have looked from the outside the Hammers players didn't put in much of a shift, they actually did despite the horrendous result at the end of the game.
Only Nemanja Matic (11.4km) covered more ground for Manchester United.
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West Ham tried to sign Sandro Ramirez before he chose Everton, reveals Slaven Bilic
JAMES BENGE
ES Sport
Slaven Bilic has revealed that West Ham failed in a bid to beat Everton to the signing of Sandro Ramirez. The former Malaga striker joined the Toffees in a bargain £5.2million deal in July when Everton activated his release clause. Ramirez had been linked with the likes of Tottenham and Newcastle in recent months and Bilic admitted that West Ham had tried to muscle into the chase. "Ramirez from Malaga came in, he was in Barcelona and we wanted him but he chose Everton," Bilic said in an interview with Croatian newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija. The 22-year-old has been tasked with leading the line for Everton since the departure of Romelu Lukaku, who joined Manchester United in a £75m deal this summer. However Bilic, who spent two years playing at Everton after departing West Ham in 1997, sees few similarities between the two. "He is a quick player and has no traits like Lukaku," he added. "They lost [Lukaku's] strength, but gained [Ramirez's] speed."
West Ham would ultimately move for Bayer Leverkusen forward Javier Hernandez, who made his debut against Manchester United on Sunday.
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Londoner's Diary: Another critic crosses the great West Ham divide
Evening Standard
Londoner's Diary
West Ham's season might have got off to a disastrous start at Manchester United yesterday but they're still ahead of the PR game. The Hammers have been in the firing line over the deal that saw them relocate to Stratford's Olympic (now London) Stadium. Most of the £752 million tab for the stadium and its conversion is being picked up by taxpayers, as approved by ex-Mayor Boris Johnson.
The Taxpayers Alliance (TPA) referred to it sarcastically as "the deal of the century" and West Ham, whose chief executive Karren Brady defended the deal, have fought back. The club is now employing the traditional football tactic of buying up the other side's best players — two members of the TPA have been seduced over. Unfortunately it looks like at least one of their star signings has already scored an own goal. "Thank you for your email," former TPA comms officer Harry Davis's out-of-office message pinged when we went looking for comment on Friday. "I have now left the TPA to fight against the interests of taxpayers at West Ham United FC."
Oh dear — whatever can he mean? This can't be the same Harry Davis who only in December authored a TPA statement on the Olympic stadium offering. "Maybe out of respect for those that paid for it, the Hammers and the LLDC could rename it the Taxpayers' Stadium."
Davis follows former TPA campaign manager Tom Banks to West Ham — he now works for the club's foundation. He previously called for a "wide inquiry into the whole contract" into the London Stadium. Is there anyone left at the TPA to cry foul?
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WEST HAM CONFIDENT ON COMPLETING DEAL FOR WILLIAM CARVALHO
REBECCA HAWKSWORTH @BeccaJourno
ReadWestHam
Slaven Bilic is confident that West Ham can get a deal done for Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho within a week, the Mirror reports. Sporting Lisbon rejected a £27.1m bid from West Ham for Carvalho last week but it is believed that a deal worth around £36million is now nearing completion. After a week of intensive talks with the Portuguese side, the Hammers are confident of completing a deal for the Euro 2016 winner by the end of the week. Carvalho was left out of the Sporting Lisbon squad that beat fellow Portuguese side Setubal 1 – 0 at the weekend. The 25-year-old is said to be keen on linking up with the Hammers after being linked with an array of Premier League teams that past few years, including Chelsea and Arsenal. Slaven Bilic's side took a 4 – 0 hammering at Old Trafford on Sunday, highlighting their need for new recruits this summer.
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Rice showing anger and Masuaku's laughter - 5 moments missed as West Ham are thumped by Manchester United
Here are five moments you might have missed from West Ham's 4-0 humbling at Manchester United
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
11:30, 14 AUG 2017
Declan Rice showing his exasperation as United scored their fourth goal
The 18-year-old came on for the final half an hour of the game at Old Trafford and certainly acquitted himself well (a 96% pass completion rate, no less) and despite his relatively lack of seniority within the squad, he wasn't afraid to show his anger. As Anthony Martial beat the offside trap to slide home United's fourth and final goal of the afternoon, Rice leapt up into the air in clear and showed a clear sign of exasperation at what he was watching. While it's not like Rice unleashed a torrent of abuse at any of his team mates, it was certainly good to see him showing signs of passion and frustration. There would be some Hammers fans that would have Rice starting down at Southampton next weekend and displays like Saturday's will only endear him more.
Arthur Masuaku sharing a joke with Romelu Lukaku?
Well, we don't know if they two were sharing a joke or not but what certainly was a bit of a joke was the DR Congo man marking Lukaku in the first place, who has probably got about a foot in height on him. Whatever the laughter was about, there was no laughing matter for the Hammers as Lukaku stole a march on Masuaku and then headed home Henrikh Mhkitaryan's precise free kick to put the hosts 2-0 up and effectively end the game as a contest. The West Ham left back got a bit of a pasting on social media for those who did see his laughter but what it was about, we'll never know.
Slaven Bilic's hug with Declan Rice
As the 18-year-old prepared to enter the fray for Mark Noble, Rice stood next to his manager Slaven Bilic, with Diafra Sakho to the left of the teenager warming up. Bilic gave Rice his instructions and prepared him to go on the pitch but before he did, put an arm around his young protege and gave him a pat on the head to wish him good luck. It was a nice moment from the boss. Rice certainly listened to his manager as he performed well for the final half an hour despite the away side shipping two more goals in that time to a rampant United.
A superb song by the Hammers fans mocking United supporters
Towards the end of the game and it meandering towards a conclusion, the tannoy system at Old Trafford announced for the Hammers fans to stay in their seats at full time to allow the United fans out first. Cue the visiting army of supporters chanting to the United fans "We'll race you back to London, we'll race you back to London." If you were on any train up from Euston to Manchester on Saturday morning, it was swamped with United fans who outnumbered West Ham supporters easily, with Reds fans across the land notoriously mocked for a vast amount of them not being from Manchester.
Bilic apologising to a ball boy
During the first half, Winston Reid made a decent clearance after pinching the ball off Romelu Lukaku into the stand to clear his lines. The ball was heading for the Hammers boss and, quite rightly, Bilic stuck his hands out on the touchline and caught the ball. What he didn't realise was there was a young ball boy behind him ready to get the ball and throw it back to one of his heroes on the pitch. Realising what he had done, Bilic held his hands out in apology to the ball boy, who promptly gave Bilic a high five and accepted the apology.
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Declan Rice reacts on Twitter to West Ham United defeat
HITC
Shane Callaghan
Declan Rice impressed for West Ham United on Sunday. Declan Rice managed to earn a half-an-hour cameo in West Ham United's 4-0 defeat by Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday. The 18-year-old defender has enjoyed a fantastic pre-season for the Irons, and did his chances of staying with the senior side no harm at all with a mature performance. The young Irishman said on Twitter afterwards that he was "gutted" with the result, but West Ham fans were quick to reassure him that he could be proud of his own display.
Follow
DR ✔ @_DeclanRice
gutted with that result, but it's important we bounce back and go again at Southampton. Delighted to have got more minutes today❤⚒ #COYI
7:03 PM - Aug 13, 2017
108 108 Replies 142 142 Retweets 1,254 1,254 likes
D.C. Irons @DC_Irons
Replying to @_DeclanRice
Looked the part when you came on mate ⚒
7:44 PM - Aug 13, 2017
Follow
Tom Allen @tomwhu13
Replying to @_DeclanRice @WestHamUtd
You were class lad. Should've started imo. Better than Obiang and fernandes. 100% should be in starting 11 next week
7:09 PM - Aug 13, 2017
Replies Retweets 9 9 likes
Mark Daws @Dawstours
Replying to @_DeclanRice @1southernnash
Proud of you today Declan as I am sure many #Hammers are today. Keep going mate, never give up and remember we are all behind you. #COYI
9:45 PM - Aug 13, 2017
Replies Retweets 4 4 likes
MKirby @NKchez
Replying to @_DeclanRice
Well done Declan. You should be proud. Good performance from you today ⚒️
7:05 PM - Aug 13, 2017
Replies Retweets 3 3 likes
West Ham @WHULondon_
Replying to @_DeclanRice @WestHamUtd
You deserve to start mate..keeping working hard and you will be in the starting 11 in no time 💪🏻⚒
9:13 PM - Aug 13, 2017
Replies Retweets 2 2 likes
Sam Thomas Nicola @st90nicola
Replying to @_DeclanRice
Only one who looked like they know how to play football! Well done 👏🏼
7:13 PM - Aug 13, 2017
Replies Retweets 2 2 likes
At just 18, Rice, who can also play in midfield, is certainly a fine talent but it will be interesting to see whether Slaven Bilic keeps him this season or sends him out on loan. As the saying goes, if you're good enough then you're old enough and if Rice handled himself well at Old Trafford of all places then it might indicate that he could handle the pressure at other venues. Then again, this time two years ago it was Reece Oxford who West Ham fans were raving about, having posted a fine performance in an opening-day victory at Arsenal, and the 18-year-old was loaned to Borussia Monchengladbach this summer. And that is why fans of the East London club won't be getting overly carried away by Rice's potential.
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West Ham optimistic William Carvalho transfer will be done within a week after days of intensive talks
Sporting Lisbon recently rejected a £27.1m Hammers bid but it's believed a deal potentially worth £36m is now close
The Mirror
BYDARREN LEWIS
22:30, 13 AUG 2017UPDATED08:47, 14 AUG 2017
West Ham feel their £36million swoop for Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho could be complete within the next week. Officials from the Hammers have been locked in talks since having a £27.1m bid rejected by the Portuguese outfit last week. They are now believed to have made up the difference in performance-related bonuses. Carvalho, 25, is keen to join the east Londoners after years of being linked with a string of Premier League sides and was left out of his club's 1-0 win over Setubal on Saturday. Asked about the Euro 2016 winner's absence, boss Jorge Jesus said "it was to protect William, Sporting... everything."
West Ham are excited about the prospect of Carvalho forming a partnership with Cheikou Kouyate when the Senegalese star returns from injury next month.
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DIRE AND RICE, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
By HamburgHammer 14 Aug 2017 at 08:00
WTID
In an ever changing world like ours it is reassuring to see that at least some things are unlikely to change anytime soon:
* Manchester United can still buy their way out of trouble by picking up the Premier League's top striker.
* Said top striker loves playing against us as he scores more goals against West Ham than any other team, this game was no exception to that rule.
* Our starting XI is still cheaper overall than Man United's most expensive signing Pogba.
* Old Trafford is a ground where we rarely perform well, nevermind bring home any points.
* They really do like their half and half scarves in the home end at Man United, don't they ?
It was a very bad weekend football wise for me and if it hadn't been for Concordia's development squad I wouldn't have seen a single decent performance from one of my teams yesterday, Cordi's U23 team won 7:3 at home and that freak result alone illustrates perfectly what kind of league that is, with goalkeepers that have the physique of hookers in rugby and some shambolic defending on show in general (however, we've seen some pretty abysmal defensive skills even at Premier League level in the past few days, haven't we ?).
That game was followed by a truly shocking home performance by the Concordia first team in their league game. A lackluster, inept first half with mindblowing errors galore which allowed the guests from Osdorf to race into a comfortable 3:0 halftime lead. Cordi had probably 75% possession, but that's no good if you mainly pass the ball around neatly sideways and backwards. Attitude, effort and body language eventually improved in the second half, but one consolation goal was all the Cordi lads had to show for it – at this rate it's going to be a long and hard season for the boys this time around. Potential midtable mediocrity instead of another promotion push I reckon.
I only missed the first five minutes of the West Ham game actually and was relieved we weren't already a goal down when I switched on the telly. It was obvious we'd be under the kosh all game and bearing that in mind I was reasonably pleased with the first half performance, apart from their goal of course, but when you play against top class players the like of which Man United have the luxury of fielding alll over the pitch, then every single error you make tends to get mercilessly punished by ball into your net more often than not.
The clinical way in which Man United put away their opportunities in the second half was brutal to watch, but it also illustrated that there is a shedload of work ahead for Bilic and his staff to sort out our defending in training. We seem to be slow in reading opposition plays, slow in reacting and therefore easy to tear apart at the back. If you defend like this not even the best goalkeeper in the world will be able to keep the scoreline respectable for you.
I really hope we manage to sort our defense out, hopefully new signing Carvalho will take some pressure away from our defenders to begin with and it's comforting to know we won't have to play Manchester United every week of course. It was the first game of the season, a pretty dire performance, maybe even a crap one, but I won't bother getting riled up too much, reading comments at this point from Hammers fans frantically pushing the panic button already. Let's look at some of the positives instead.
It was a massive relief to finally see Diafra Sakho back on the pitch again, even showing something resembling a smile when coming on and he looked pretty sharp and up for it, at least until we fell apart later on.
More gametime in the coming weeks should hopefully give him some confidence and some goals should then increase said confidence even further, if he can stay fit of course. We all know Sakho can be a very decent striker for us if his body and mind are in good health and spirits.
Second positive for me was the short glimpse we got of Declan Rice in a competitive (yeah, right!) game. He didn't look out of place at all when he came on.
He didn't put much of a foot (or pass) wrong yesterday and even if he has to shoulder some of the blame for one of those late goals, I won't allow this to cloud my overall positive impression of Declan's performance.
He obviously couldn't turn around a game like this on his own, but to me he looks absolutely ready to be in our first team matchday squads now on a regular basis.
It was also pleasant to hear that both Burke and Cullen (The Pooltable Boys from Rotenburg) apparently gave a good account of themselves for Bolton in their game at Millwall. Playing for them regularly should do them the world of good, potentially setting them up for a swift return to West Ham in January. Apparently both are very much in Slaven's first team plans so hopefully once our guys have settled down in the league somewhat we can start seeing more of the youngsters.
And then there is the new guy from Montenegrian descent (born and bred in Sweden though) we signed last week, Sead Haksabanovic (great name that!) who seems to be yet another jamboree bag full of tricks, flicks and surprises. I am quite aware of course that not every wonderkid who joins our club today will turn out to be the real deal tomorrow or even the day after. But at the very least he arrives at our club bringing with him a good measure of praise and promise, he also is a versatile chap, being able to play in midfield, either in a central attacking position, on the left wing or even further upfront.
He looks to me like a Swedish version of Tony Cottee, nippy, small, light on his feet, can turn his opponent on an area the size of a beer mat, you get the picture.
They don't mention any weaknesses on whoscored.com, but emphasise his ability to shoot from distance and the fact he gets fouled a lot.
Looks like he could even be another decent (and regular) bench option this season for the first team rather than the development squad.
I am now hoping for and expecting a much better performance in our next game against Southampton, with better effort and some more guts. However, with the signings we have made already in this window I am cautiously optimistic there are better times ahead for our club on the pitch.
From what I've read there could still be a few new faces coming in, with one or two leaving (hopefully the right ones!).
I have booked flights last week for my first live game this season, our local derby against Spurs in anticipation of another feisty affair. And hopefully another 1:0 home win which has been the customary result during my first season of visits to the London Stadium. That's a tradition by the way that doesn't need to change anytime soon as far as I am concerned! Unlike certain other traditions connected to our away games at Old Trafford.
Let's hope I can be a good luck charm for the lads two seasons running! COYI!!!
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