36 day's to go
West Ham apply for work permit for Colombian forward Duván Zapata
West Ham United have applied for a work permit for the Colombian forward Duván Zapata to try to smooth his £6.8m arrival from Estudiantes.
Zapata scored 14 goals last season for the Argentinian club and has attracted suitors from European clubs including last season's beaten Champions League finalists, Borussia Dortmund.
The 22-year-old has yet to play for his country, even though he is expected to feature in next summer's World Cup finals, and does not satisfy present conditions for a permit. But West Ham will attempt to secure his arrival through the "special talent" route.
They will argue to an appeals panel that the 6ft 2in striker will make a significant contribution to the game in this country and will also point to Colombia's position at No3 in Fifa's rankings in the hope of gaining the green light.
The London club hope to pair him with their record signing, Andy Carroll. Zapata would join Carroll, Razvan Rat and Adrian in moving to Upton Park this summer.
Popular Opinions About Sam Allardyce: Part One
For years now, Sam Allardyce has been a divisive figure in the world of football.
His fans point to a proven track record of getting results with unfashionable teams, a history of pulling off the odd upset or giant killing, and an ability to introduce a never say die attitude through the core of his sides.
His critics say that he is a footballing dinosaur who relies on long balls and a physical football to bully the opposition, that he values experience over youth, and that he only plays with one system.
Since joining West Ham United back in June 2011, it's fair to say that this hasn't changed. West Ham fans these days appear to be split into three camps; those that support Allardyce and want him to stay; those who are waiting patiently for him to leave; and those who actively want him to leave.
Just to be as clear and up front as possible, I'm in the first. I believe he has done well for us, and that he gets an unnecessarily hard time from the media, the opposition, and his own teams fans.
However, that is based on my gut feeling, and this wouldn't be much a stats blog if I didn't look into some of the popular opinions on Sam Allardyce into a bit more detail now would it?!
A criticism that I regularly hear from West Ham fans about Allardyce is his insistence on playing one man up front, and reluctance to try anything new. Okay, so he occasionally sticks on another striker for the last 10 minutes if we are chasing the game, but a lack of creativity in the starting line up is a fairly common gripe for supporters.
twaldworth
COYI
West Ham Midfielder Momo Diame poised to join Everton
West Ham Midfielder Momo Diame poised to join Everton
Mohamed Diame is about to join Everton according to French news outlet France Football
Diame played 33 times for West Ham last season and has a buy-out clause of £3.5m. Martinez is known to be an admirer of Diame having managed him at Wigan after he signed from French club Lens.
Having now spent four years in the Premier League Diame has plenty of experience in England and is generally deployed in the middle of the park to break up the play and distribute the ball.
To date the midfielder has played 129 top flight English matches and is also the current captain of the Senegal national team – having earned 19 caps for his country.
Interest from Arsenal and Spurs appears to have cooled on Diame in recent times as well, so if Martinez acts quickly the deal could be wrapped up before the competitors have any time to react.
West Ham United & QPR battle for Argentine
The Hammers were favourites to sign the free agent who left Malaga at the end of last season but QPR and Harry Redknapp have entered the race to sign him despite being relegated to the Championship last season.
The Argentine has enjoyed a glorious career playing for both Barclelona and Real Madrid but is looking for a new challenge and England certainly offers him that.
Scottish champions Celtic are prepared to offer the former Benfica man Champions League football but the forward would find it hard to turn down a move to England.
“Javier is more than keen on linking up with Harold Redwanker , he knows his teams play good football and the chance of helping QPR to promotion is genuinely appealing to him,” a source close to the player confirmed to Sky Sports.
“Javier’s next move is not about the finances, he wants a footballing challenge and England gives him that.”
Purches: It will be an emotional day for me
AFC Bournemouth player coach Stephen Purches' testimonial match against Premier League side West Ham United has arrived.
The Cherries will host West Ham this (Saturday) afternoon, with stars like Joe Cole lining up against Eddie Howe's squad.
Both sides will be naming strong teams as the two clubs prepare for the new season kicking off next month.
There will also be an element of nostalgia, as former England International Darren Anderton will dust off the boots and come out of retirement for the afternoon, whilst Cherries legend Steve Fletcher will return to the Dean Court pitch after announcing his retirement at the end of last season.
Stephen Purches' brother John Purches, who played for Salisbury City as well as being a member of the Cherries squad around ten years ago is also set to make an appearance.
But most importantly, Purches himself is set to play. The utility player hasn't played a competitive match since breaking his leg against Rochdale in February 2012, he featured for the development squad for 15 minutes against Wimborne and joined in during a full training session with the first team squad this week and Purches is hoping to play a big part in the game.
Tickets are still available for AFC Bournemouth supporters priced at £15 for adults. West Ham have sold out their full allocation of 1,600 tickets and a 6,000+ attendance is expected, to celebrate Purches' ten years at the club.
good luck hope it goes well for hi,m
Promising signs from West Ham’s pre-season
Ravel MorrisonI’m going through football withdrawal this summer- so thank goodness for pre-season games. This week involved a brave trek up to Elstree & Borehamwood to see us play Boreham Wood.
The game was one of the more impressive pre-season games I’ve been to. I’ve always thought that the idea of a pre-season game is to keep the players Premier League ready, but also to work out new strategies, playing formations, and player combinations, as well as working out any kinks. Previous years of pre-season games haven’t always convinced me that we’ve been doing this, but Big Sam seems to actually be utilizing these games.
The entirety of the available first team played, with youngsters and new signings mixed in rather than thrown in. This made for a rather enjoyable evening and players seemed to be really working on passing and moving the ball around rather than aiming to thump a huge number of goals past a weaker opposition- which was a welcome sight.
Here’s a few things I noticed during the game:
Ravel Morrison is looking like an exciting player and I would really like to see him get a shot at first team football this year rather than be loaned out. Even though he’s rumoured to have been a bit of a troublesome teen, his presence only caused trouble for the Boreham Wood defence. His positioning was good, and it was good to see him score.
Mark Noble excelled in the first half, and refreshingly didn’t go anywhere near corners (perhaps he read my last piece?) He looked confident and quicker than he had been at the end of the season, and was completely controlling the midfield.
Razvan Rat looks like a strong buy- confident, clever, and great at moving the ball around. I have a teeny tiny worry (based on just 45 min of football, mind) that he has a tendency to push up a little too far, but he was able to recover and get back into position quickly. However, this may have been helped by the slope of the pitch, as it was a nice downhill run to get back towards our goal.
The other thing with Rat is that we’ve got to find the man a nickname. Amused laughs followed the shouts of “Come on Rat” echoed round the ground. It just sounds so odd.
We looked all right out there, with the only nervy moments being when Boreham Wood were suddenly on a break. Our defensive players (in both halves) seemed unequipped to close down anything against the run of play. This was very obvious when a Boreham Wood player broke through our defence in the opening of the game and was able to get around the defence with ease (prompting a shout from the stands of “Allardyce sign him up!!”)
The true surprise of the evening for me was Stockport County signing Danny Whitehead. The youngster looked sharp and quick, yet his passes and movements were carefully considered. The kid can certainly deliver a long ball (which is probably why we’ve signed him.) It’s hard to tell at this stage if he’ll feature in the first team this year (he’s great against Boreham Wood but would he hold onto the ball as well against the Manchesters), but he’s certainly someone to look forward to.
The game provided a lot to look forward to actually. As before, Big Sam does seem to be utilising his pre-season opportunities and we were treated to a show that certainly included goals, but more importantly, showed that the players were working on moving the ball around and keeping control of the game.
West Ham no interest in Liverpool FC’s Downing
The Hammers have let it be known to press contacts in London that although they rate the player highly, he is not part of their planning for next season.
At the same time, West Ham United’s assistant manager Neil McDonald, speaking to Sky Sports, also sought to distance the club from any transfer talk concerning Downing.
Downing has found himself in and out of the Liverpool side since completing his £20 million move from Aston Villa in 2011 and it is believed that Brendan Rodgers is willing to listen to bids. In addition to West Ham, Aston Villa and Norwich are also being linked with the 28-year-old.
Gold defends Hammers pricing
Exclusive
Hugh Southern
West Ham United co-chairman David Gold has hit back at "mischief making" reports that the club are charging excessive ticket prices.
The reports claim that in some cases prices for non-season ticket holders will go as high as £77 for some games against top opposition.
But Gold said; "There are highest prices at every club - there are also very affordable prices. There's a direct correlation between prices charged and league position.
"In many cases those clubs charging the lowest prices find themselves relegated. Yes, there are high prices of course but there are also low. We are adopting a balanced approach and there's prices available for everybody.
"Some Category A prices go to £72 and the lowest in that band are £52 and lets remember we are cheaper than the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and others.
"We are happy with our prices and we believe we are affordable across the board. There's a balance to be struck - it's always been the same in all areas of life."
And a spokesman for the club declared in a stement that tickets for the most sought-after fixtures in the 2013/14 season at the Boleyn Ground go on sale exclusively to Bond Holders and Academy Members on Tuesday 16 July.
He said: "With demand for seats at the home of the Hammers higher than ever, the early opportunity to purchase tickets will allow supporters - starting with Bond Holders and Academy Members - more time to guarantee their place for the most eagerly anticipated matches in the calendar.
Fans who take up the opportunity to purchase their ticket in advance will also ensure that they get the cheapest possible price - the tickets are guaranteed to not be sold any cheaper but may be more expensive nearer to matchday if they are categorised as A+ matches - and get the first pick of the best available seats to watch all of the pulsating action.
The six category A games - Manchester City (19 October), Chelsea (23 November), Arsenal (Boxing Day), Manchester United (22 March 2014), Liverpool (5 April 2014) and Tottenham Hotspur (3 May 2014) - will be made available to Bond Holders and Academy Members during an exclusive eight-week window from Tuesday 16 July before the tickets go on general sale on Tuesday 3 September.
Joe Cole is happy with Hammers’ early start
Joe Cole thinks West Ham will benefit from their early return to action.
The Hammers are the only one of London’s Premier League clubs to have played pre‑season friendlies so far and tomorrow they go to Bournemouth for their third match of the summer.
Manager Sam Allardyce has used the games against Cork City and Boreham Wood to give all his squad some game time, making wholesale changes at half-time.
That has pleased Cole, who has targeted a top‑half finish for the Hammers this term.
“It’s been good,” said Cole (above). “We are only eight or nine days in and we have already played two lots of 45 minutes.
“I think the ambition of the club at the moment is improvement. But, for me personally, I would love to finish better than 10th. Equally I’d love to take this club to Wembley because at the end of the day, they are the days you remember in your career.”
Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini is ready to make a cut-price offer for 31-year-old Paris St-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Daily Mirror
Tottenham are preparing an offer for Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke, 22, but believe the £25m price tag is unrealistic.
Daily Telegraph
Manchester City's Argentine defender Pablo Zabaleta, 28, wants to move to Italy and would like to play for Fiorentina.
Manchester City's Pablo Zabaleta
Goal.com
Midfielder Joey Barton, 30 has reached agreement on a return to Marseilles as QPR continue with plans to restructure their squad.
The Times (subscription required)
Wayne Rooney, 27, still wants to quit Manchester United and Chelsea believe they can land the unsettled £25m striker.
Daily Star
Real Madrid have made a £36m bid for Juventus and Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal, 26, who is also a target for Manchester United.
talkSPORT
Chelsea are lining up an £11.2m offer for Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi, 29, a long-term target.
Metro
Norwich City boss Chris Hughton is plotting a £6m move for Juventus's Italy striker Fabio Quagliarella, 30.
Daily Mirror
Manchester City target Alvaro Negredo, 27, is edging closer to a move away from Sevilla, with coach Unai Emery saying it would be "best for everyone" if he left.
Manchester Evening News
Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger has refused to rule out a move for Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, 26, and is preparing to up his offer from £30m to £35m.
London Standard
Manchester United boss David Moyes is set to turn his attentions to Lazio and Italy attacking midfielder Antonio Candreva, 26, if United miss out on Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara, 22.
Daily Express
Arsenal could make a bid to bring Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul, 25, to North London.
Daily Star
Tottenham midfielder Tom Huddlestone, 26, is on the verge of joining Sunderland after the clubs agreed a £5m fee.
London Evening Standard
Liverpool have set their sights on Galatasaray forward Burak Yilmaz, 27.
Metro
Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner, 25, is being lined up for a move to Premier League new boys Hull and a reunion with Tigers boss Steve Bruce after his move to Eintracht Frankfurt collapsed.
The Sun
GLOBAL GOSSIP (from BBC Monitoring)
Manchester City have joined the chase to sign Paris St-Germain and Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 31.
L'Equipe (in French)
However, Ibrahimovic could follow coach Carlo Ancelotti and head to Real Madrid.
Marca (in Spanish)
Swansea now have seven Spaniards in their first-team squad and boss Michael Laudrup is wary of undermining their identity as a Welsh team.
Daily Mirror
Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe, 30, has called on the club to strengthen their attacking options.
Daily Mail
West Ham have applied for a work permit for Colombian forward Duvan Zapata, 22, to try to smooth his £6.8m arrival from Estudiantes.
The Guardian
Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe is such a regular visitor to St Lucia that he speaks the local French-based Creole with his family and French-speaking team-mates past and present, William Gallas and Pascal Chimbonda.
The Guardian
Former England striker Emile Heskey has been putting a team of WAGs assembled by fiancee Chantelle Tagoe through their paces for a charity football match.
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