The Premier League 'unwanted' XI: Barry, Adebayor, Moses and Bendtner lead list of stars managers won't be sad to see leave
By SIMON JONES
Players with hundreds of top flight games under their belt are among those desperate to find new clubs before the transfer window closes.
A host of Premier League stars are either too far down their club's pecking order or simply unwanted.
Sportsmail takes a look at the experienced players searching for pastures new before the transfer window slams shut.
EMMANUEL ADEBAYOR - Tottenham
How much? £5million.
Why? Not enough goals, too expensive to keep.
Where to? Besiktas, Fenerbahce, CSKA Moscow would pay up.
VICTOR MOSES - Chelsea
How much? £8m or loan.
Why? Too many ahead of him at his club.
Where to? Everton, West Brom, Stoke.
SCOTT SINCLAIR - Man City
How much? £5m or loan.
Why? Not used enough.
Where to? Southampton could buy, West Brom, Everton and Newcastle prefer to loan.
NICKLAS BENDTNER - Arsenal
How much? £3m or loan.
Why? Not wanted, needs a fresh start.
Where to? Malaga, Trabzonspor, FC Basel willing to buy, Hull loan.
MARTIN SKRTEL - Liverpool
How much? £10m.
Why? Only cover now, he wants to play.
Where to? Napoli want loan, Arsenal and Manchester City to consider buying.
JERMAIN DEFOE - Tottenham
How much? £6m.
Why? Only second fiddle to Roberto Soldado.
Where to? QPR, Stoke, West Brom and West Ham want subsidised loans, Rubin Kazan would buy.
GARETH BARRY - Man City
How much? £3m or loan.
Why? Will not figure regularly and in last year of his contract.
Where to? Everton main runners and want a loan deal.
PHIL BARDSLEY - Sunderland
How much? £2m.
Why? Ostracised after being suspended by Paolo Di Canio.
Where to? Fulham, Blackburn and Newcastle are all interested.
DAN GOSLING - Newcastle Utd
How much? £2m.
Why? Only makes bench.
Where to? Crystal Palace and Cardiff City in the mix.
HEURELHO GOMES - Tottenham
How much? Free.
Why? Out of the picture as only third choice.
Where to? PSV and FC Twente are keen but need to sell first.
FEDERICO MACHEDA - Manchester United
How much? £4m or loan.
Why? Has fallen behind United’s other strikers.
Where to? Parma, Fiorentina and even Doncaster Rovers fancy a loan deal.
West Ham continuing their chase for Juventus' Fabio Quagliarella, according to reports
The rumors surrounding Fabio Quagliarella's future in Turin have been hovering over the Juventus striker's head for months. Will he stay or will he go? If he leaves, where the heck will he go? Will he stay in Italy? Will he go abroad to, say, England? Nobody really knew until something possibly materialized out of the bucket that is Serie A transfer rumors.
Wednesday brought the latest round of Quagliarella-to-(insert team name here) rumors, with West Ham being the club that is reportedly vying for the services of incredibly tan 30-year-old Italian striker. In Italian, via everybody's "favorite" transfer rumormongering Sky Italia journalist Gianluca Di Marzio:
This isn't the first round of rumors of Quagliarella going to England and it probably won't be the last. But unlike the other ones linking him to EPL sides that have come and gone in a matter of a couple of days, West Ham's interest seems legit. It's just a matter of time before one of the two — or both of — Quagliarella and Alessandro Matri depart Turin in some kind of deal. Whether it's loan or a permanent sale is obviously something we'll have to wait and see on.
But it's a certainty that Beppe Marotta is going to offload somebody sooner rather than later because of what time it is on the calendar. And with just 10 days in remaining before the transfer window closes up for the summer, we're getting awfully close to crunch time when it comes to offloading the excess players on the current Juventus squad.
Either way, somebody's going. We're just waiting to see who's the first to pack their bags and head out of Turin.
Juventus Striker Nearing West Ham Switch
Despite reports to the contrary last week, it seems that Juventus forward Fabio Quagliarella is now close to joining Premier League side West Ham.
He had been strongly linked with a move to Qatari club Al-Gharafi last week but it now seems that England is his likeliest destination.
Transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio reports that the Hammers have offered €1 million to loan the player for the coming campaign and then €6m to sign him permanently next summer.
Juventus had hoped to offload the former Napoli man on a more permanent transfer but it is understood that they would be open to it.
Quagliarella had also been linked with a switch to the Premier League earlier in the mercato as Norwich City continually had their attempts to sign him rebuffed.
Nolan's Return To St James' Park
Former skipper Kevin Nolan returned to haunt his old club as West Ham condemned Newcastle to a first defeat in six games.
Nolan's 39th-minute strike, so typical of the goals he once scored for the Magpies, was enough to edge a tight encounter in which the visitors enjoyed the better of the first half but had to survive a stern examination after the break.
Newcastle were once again far from their best, but did create more than enough chances to get something out of the game and would have done but for some poor finishing and the resilience of goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen, who produced fine saves from Demba Ba and Hatem Ben Arfa.
Opposite number Tim Krul prevented Andy Carroll from opening his West Ham account with a 72nd-minute save with the visitors threatening on the counter-attack.
But ultimately it was Sam Allardyce, who was sacked by Newcastle after just eight months at the helm, who was smiling as his successor Alan Pardew was left to bemoan another disjointed display and defeat at the hands of his former employers in front of a largely disappointed crowd of 51,855.
There were too many familiar faces for comfort as the two sides took to the pitch, with Nolan and Carroll key members of the Newcastle side which fought its way back from relegation back into the top flight.
But it was perhaps the Magpies who had the greater cause for concern as they went into the game without suspended duo Fabricio Coloccini and Cheick Tiote, two of the men they rely most on in a scrap.
And that is exactly what it turned out to be as the Hammers launched a series of direct balls towards Carroll and then looked to pick up the pieces.
There was little to choose between the sides and even less to recommend the game for much of the opening period, with both teams struggling to find a telling final ball.
Matt Jarvis fired high and wide at one end and Papiss Cisse was similarly wasteful at the other during the opening skirmishes, and although Frenchman Ben Arfa lit up St James' Park with a series of enterprising runs which left claret and blue shirts trailing in his wake, neither goalkeeper was called upon to make a save until 25 minutes had elapsed.
Even then, Jaaskelainen had little difficulty in collecting Yohan Cabaye's dipping long-range effort and the game looked to be heading into the break in stalemate until an explosive final few minutes.
The visitors forced their way ahead with six minutes of the half left to play when full-back Davide Santon could only head Mark Noble's left-wing cross out to full-back Joey O'Brien, who looked to have dragged his right-foot shot harmlessly across the face of goal.
However, as he had done so many times at the Gallowgate End while wearing a black and white shirt, Nolan turned up in exactly the right place to divert it past Krul.
The 30-year-old really should have doubled the lead within two minutes when he was played in by midfielder Mohamed Diame, but guided his left-foot shot wide of the post.
Newcastle finally responded to mount a sustained assault on the West Ham goal as time ran down and Shane Ferguson was desperately unfortunate to see his goalbound shot hit George McCartney on the back and drop safe.
Ben Arfa saw an injury-time effort deflected into the side-netting and Jaaskelainen got down well to parry Cabaye's well-struck effort as the Hammers survived until the whistle.
The Finn came to his side's rescue once again within two minutes of the restart when he somehow managed to claw Ba's header away after O'Brien's attempted clearance had dropped nicely for him.
Jaaskelainen fielded another long-range effort from Cabaye four minutes later, but was grateful to see Ba's effort from similar range fly past his far post seconds later.
The home side might have fallen further behind had substitute Gary O'Neil made more of the free header with which he was presented from Nolan's 59th-minute cross.
Ben Arfa left McCartney for dead five minutes later, only to drift his cross over Ba's head as he dived in, and the Senegal international and Cabaye both forced saves from Jaaskelainen in quick succession.
Half-time substitute Shola Ameobi headed just wide from Cabaye's 69th-minute corner and Jaaskelainen pulled off a fine stop to keep out Ben Arfa's drive two minutes later.
Krul blocked bravely to deny Carroll a first goal for his latest club as the Londoners staged a breakaway with Nolan providing a tailor-made final ball.
View from the Opposition - Newcastle United
With 3 fixtures in 7 days for the Hammers, the long wait for the action is over. After a fairly comfortable opening fixture there is lots of optimism around the East End, it’s safe to say this weekend’s opponents Newcastle faired slightly differently and are quite the opposite.
A big thanks to 3 Newcastle fans for answering the questions:
Steve Wraith – Editor of no9fanzine.co.uk - @stevewraith
Bob Howie – Friend and Colleague of Ricky Bobby
Craig Bell – Good friend of mine - @craigiobellio
HH: Thanks for agreeing to answer some questions for us.
What are your thoughts on last season following the dizzy heights the previous year?
SW: We were awful last season but it was to be expected. Failure to invest in the squad in the summer and an impending Europa campaign where Jossys Giants could have progressed to the Quarter Finals saw us struggle to retain our Premier League status. We managed to do it because there were unbelievably 3 teams worse than us. The players brought into the club in January unsettled the squad and the departure of Demba Ba was a huge blow.
BH: Last season was poor to say the least, we were looking forward to European football and the club failed to invest to play an active part in that tournament, this then had an impact on our premier league campaign. We had injured players and loosing Ba to Chelsea in January was the catalyst to aid us on our way to the relegation dog fight. Thankfully we survived more to other results going our way (thanks to Wigan). So we live to fight another season in top flight football.
CB: I can’t understand why no investment was made after that year, we seemed to have everything set up for a decent season and another three or four players would have helped to deal with the extra burden of a Europa League campaign. Obviously no investment was made apart from the purchase of Vurnon Anita who I personally like but he never gets a bloody game! We relied on the academy kids far too much last season because of the lack of investment. What bugs me is the fact Ashley wants to make money out of us yet he’s not willing to invest. He must speculate to accumulate, that’s what teams like Swansea, Southampton and yourselves have done and look where they are now! Not in a bloody relegation struggle!
HH: Monday was a pretty bad day for the Toon army, a disruptive bid for a key player and a night to forget at the Etihad which included a straight red card and an injury to Jonás Gutiérrez. What were your expectations for the season, and have they changed in light of those 24 hours?
SW: My expectations are very low. I’m expecting a relegation battle. Why? Failure to invest and the return of #JFK to undermine Pardew. Our owner does not care about the club only his tacky Sports Brand. We are doomed.
BH: Monday was awful and we have to be thankful to Man City as they missed so many chances it could have been 7 or 8. A few more games under their The whole “goodbye Cabaye” has been ongoing for a few weeks now where will he go and the fact that Arsenal upset the match with their bid is neither here nor there. Mr Taylor needs some coaching lessons yet again he has let his side down and to me he was responsible for the first two goals and then a stupid slap finished his game. Jonas frustrated the life out of me some games he is world class and others he is poor and I think he will play on hopefully provide some crosses fro Remi.
The rest of the season looks like it is going to long difficult and hopefully mediocrity at best. I did see some glimmers of hope in Sissoko, Ben Arfa and Dummett when he come on. Lets see.
CB: Monday night’s performance was very unsettling for me. I didn’t think we’d win the game or even get a draw but what disturbed me was the fact we put in the same kind of gutless shift we were seeing on a weekly basis last season, It was just like a continuation of the same old crap.
Steven Taylor’s red card was absolutely deserved but Aguero did make a meal of it, I don’t understand why a top top level player like that feels the need to act in this way, it’s completely unnecessary. Gutierrez getting injured is not a huge concern for me, we have Anita who specialises in the position Gutierrez was stuck in on Monday night and I think he can do a job there, obviously if we get another injury we could well enter into another crisis situation where Pardew will have no other choice to start playing academy kids again.... Unless we get those crucial signings over the line
I think unless we make some drastic signings before this window ‘slams’ shut and Cabaye goes we could well be relegated again this season. I’m not overly excited for the next 37 games but I obviously hope I’m proved wrong starting with a win over your lot this Saturday!
HH: You’ve been a bit quiet in the transfer market, was this expected in light of the high activity in January? Looking at your squad it doesn’t look like you have much to cope with a big injury list.
SW: As I have already said failure to invest is the epitaph of Mike Ashleys reign on Tyneside. We were all pleased to see him ride in like saviour in 2008 but it has been a marriage made in hell and I’d like a divorce pretty quick because I can’t take this abusive relationship much longer.
BH: The man at the helm i.e. Mr Ashley doesn’t seem to have a plan in place for long term or in which direction to turn. He has to remember he owns a team in the Premiership and he needs to act like an owner who wants to be there, at the minute his plan seems to be keep it running until its sold, to that he doesn’t want to invest too much more to the club. That’s the feeling I get. His communication skills are lacking and he always gets others to do his dirty work and makes life difficult for himself and then buries his head in the sand until it goes away. hopefully the money from Cabaye will be re invested in the club for players, we need a decent striker as a minimum but would you come to this club ?
CB: The transfer activity over January has certainly been highlighted by Pardew on more than one occasion, he keeps saying they were players who were supposed to come in the summer but had to be brought forward to avert a near certain relegation. If we suffer yet another injury crisis I think we WILL go down.
HH: Can you shed any light on the situation with Joe Kinnear? Why has he been brought in? That Yohan Kebab thing really topped off some really bad PR didn’t it?
SW: I personally believe he was still on the payroll and as he is a good friend of the owner was always going to return in some capacity. I spoke to the head of PR the day after his rant and they knew nothing about his appointment or interview at that time. Crazy. But that’s Mike Ashley for you. Wakes up in the morning and pulls on his tacky tracy bottoms and says ‘How can I mug these Geordies off today?
BH: You go from extreme to another with JFK as he has been nicknamed “Joe F#####g Kinnear” more like Roy Kinnear. We have poor communication at the top and the next level down we have bloke who cant keep his mouth shut and say the most stupid things and embarrasses not just himself but the club and the people of this fine city. No wonder Cabaye wants to be away, it shows the lack of professionalism at the club and we have become a laughing stock and only another club less fortunate than us may take the media scrutiny away nationally.
CB: He’s been brought in to unsettle the ship for sure, it just doesn’t make sense why he’s stumbling around charged with the job of bringing exciting talent to our club... Graeme Carr does that and he does it well, he’s proven that already! As for bad PR JFK is a walking talking bad PR machine and Ashley knows that! Look at his interview he gave to the press when he was manager first time around! The man is an idiot and NOBODY wants him here, I don’t care how many ‘manager of the season’ awards he’s won (1, by a newspaper)and how many managers in the PL he can pick the phone up and talk too, I just want him out of the club I love!
HH: What is the general feeling on Alan Pardew at the moment? That 8 year contract sounded crazy at the time and last season seems to back that up – fair assessment?
SW: A poll in a local paper in May amongst 3000 fans showed 83.4% wanted him out. I didn’t. I believe he deserved another season as let’s face it, what manager worth his salt is going to take this job? The return of Kinnear has saved his skin. I believe a lot will blame Kinnear and Ashley if we can’t win games and although they may choose to replace Pardew he will leave with his head held high.
BH: There seems to be a feeling of sympathy for Pards, Again did he know about it or not, if not it just shows that MA has no respect for his c lub manager. I didn’t realise until I heard commentary on Monday night that he is second longest serving manager in the premiership!!! If Wenger doesn’t get his act together soon well the writing is on the wall. He seems to have the trust of the players and the fans but the uncertainty that doesn’t have the power to support the role as he always going to be undermined. Its almost a them and us situation.
CB: I think the 8 year contract stigmatised him, it was too much and too soon. If Ashley was so confident he got the right man and wanted to stick with him why not just give him a 3/4 year contract and have it rolling after that? There’s a lot of sympathy out there for Pardew but at the same there’s also a lot of fans who want him gone..... I haven’t quite made my mind up yet, this may change come Saturday evening.
HH: Obviously we all know Cabaye and Ben Arfa are top players – Who else are you expecting to be key for you this season?
SW: Tim Krul….he will need to be in top form because he’s going to have plenty to do. Colo if his minds on the job. After that I’m struggling. Shola v Sunderland?
BH: Krul and Coloccini are the two who will hold the team together, Cisse seems to have given up. Tiote is a hot head and will be sent off in the next 3 games.
CB: Like others have said Krul and Captain Colo can be giants for us this season. Hopefully Ben Arfa will sort his lot out too and get back to the player he was 2 seasons ago when he was making those daft mazy runs and scoring at the end of them, he could be pivotal for us this season.
HH: Paul Dummett made an impressive Premier League debut against Man City and I felt he did well against a World Class winger in Jesus Navas – is he your next big academy product or are there others in the pipeline?
SW: The Academy is at it’s lowest ebb. It’s not up to scratch and we are currently at level C with no chance of achieving level A for 6 years at least meaning the likes of Sunderland have the pick of the best youngsters. Shameful and achieved under Fattys reign. Dummett is canny. If he wants to achieve anything he should look for a move and quickly.
BH: Shane Ferguson showed some flare last season and then he was sent out on loan to Lee clarkes Birmingham city. That’s that.
CB: Dummett certainly has a bright things ahead for him, I hope he seizes his chance and I’m sure he will, he looked confident when he came on but more importantly, he looked proud! Ferguson will hopefully be one to watch too, can’t be too harmful to have Lee Clark mentoring him can it?!
A few questions from our forum members:
HH: What do NUFC fans generally think of the Wonga/Cisse sponsorship issue?
Was he within his rights to do this? Are Toon taking the piss from a struggling city?
SW: I couldn’t give a toss whats on the shirt just whats in it. Met WONGA yesterday and they are all decent blokes but support London based clubs. As for the industry It doesn’t affect me so I’ll not comment on that.
BH: I don’t care we could be sponsored by tampax for all I care. (We all know the funnies around that one), the idea is that we use the money in the club and Wonga are prepared to invest in the club lets hope the money is spent wisely. I think the Cisse thing is publicity stunt and a media driven scrum and after all Wonga were getting publicity.
CB: He would have been well within his rights if he refused to wear Virgin Money last year and wasn’t photographed gambling in a casino, kind of takes away his religious ground argument really. Wonga are taking the piss out of a struggling country never mind City.
HH: Relegation, winning the FA Cup and doing the double over the Mackems or Premier League status retained?
SW: You have to say at my stage in life win a cup and get relegated. Beating the mackems is a common occurrence so means very little in the grand scheme of things. #alwaysinourshadowsSMB
BH: FA cup please. Beating the Makens at Wembley would be perfect.
CB: I NEED TO SEE US LIFT A CUP, ANY CUP BUT THE FA CUP WOULD BE AMAZING!!!! Ideally I want all of these things to happen!
HH: Will the benefits cap introduced by the government lead to a reduction in the sale of Newcastle replica shirts?
SW: No but WONGA being on the front and the chatty brand that makes them will.
BH: No, I haven’t bought one. I wont be buying one.
CB: No, fools who buy them will just go to their local catalogue agent and pay weekly for them instead... I certainly WILL NOT be buying one, which is a shame because I quite like the top itself.
HH: Peter Beardsley is married with kids.
Will Newcastle girls literally sleep with anything?
SW: Great player but not well liked amongst fellow professionals says it all. I doubt Sandra married him for his looks
BH: Hahaha. One of the best toon players if not the best.
CB: He also has lots of money!!!
The usual closing questions:
HH: What are your favourite flavoured crisps?
SW: Salt and Vinegar
BH: Smokey Bacon
CB: Hot and Spicy Monster Munch
HH: Your prediction for the game?
SW: 1-1 Nolan to do the funky chicken and Colo to score the equaliser to wipe the smile of the anti-christ of football Fat Sams face ☺
BH: A tough battle on the cards but we need the win and have to score to get the fans going. I hope Nolan has an off day. Toon win 2 - 1
CB: I’m gonna play it safe and say 1-1, obviously Nolan will score against us but we’ll counter with a Ben Arfa bomb!
HH: Thanks very much for your honest answers!
Personally I’m going to plump for 1-0 Nolan again.
SSSSSSH! IT'S OH SO QUIET...
I got a lovely email via the site today, which I thought I’d share with you. I won’t name the reader as I don’t have his permission, but I think he brings up a very important point relating to the amount of singing at games.
Just to say I really enjoy website and think the new format is great. I have been a West Ham supporter since 1958 so no guesses about my age. I never write to anyone but for some reason you’re the exception. All I want is for you to try and get the crowd swaying again when singing Bubbles. There was no finer sight than to stand in the old chicken run and watch the other banks all swaying and singing. I feel this would be a fantastic sight when we get to the new stadium, which I am really looking forward to. If we only do it at the beginning of each match due to all seating, it would be something. Forgive an old sentimentalist.
West Ham Fans
I have to say I thought there was much more noise at the Cardiff match than usual, but that may be down to the fact they had 3,000 of their supporters in the away end. I have to say there were some games last year when you had to wonder if you were at The Emirates rather than Upton Park it was so quiet. Night games are the exception, although due to my job I can never go to those any longer.
All this makes me wonder what will happen when we move to the Olympic Stadium. The big mistake Arsenal seem to have made isn’t to have any designated singing areas. Clearly we need to create an OS version of the Bobby Moore Lower and the corner of the West Stand and Trevor Brooking Lower which is where most of the singing emanates from. It would be good to dot a few more singing areas right around the Olympic Stadium. I have no ideas whether these are in the plans or not, but if they aren’t, they should be.
http://www.westhamtillidie.com
West Ham owner David Gold ready to reject Arsenal if they come calling for Mo Diame
The midfield powerhouse was heavy linked to Arsenal during the January transfer window, but were unable to close out a deal.
The Hammers have been busy in the transfer window thus far, and completed a £6m deal for Stewart Downing last week.
Gold has tried to reassure fans that they have no intention of letting Diame go on Twitter after a fan asked whether they will reject Arsenal should a bid be forthcoming.
"We are doing everything possible to keep Diame. dg," tweeted Gold.
Meanwhile, Gold believes the club need some more firepower up front despite beating Cardiff in their opening game of the season.
"I think it's clear that we are still short of a striker," Gold recently told Sky Sports.
"David Sullivan agrees with that, Sam agrees with that, but until we release those wages by players leaving there is little we can do.
"The next couple of weeks, we will see what happens."
Do West Ham players deserve a chance?
Saturday showed everyone what West Ham’s English stars can really do. Joe Cole, Mark Noble, Kevin Nolan and Matt Jarvis were all involved in the two goals and the fluid movement of the heavily English based midfield created plenty of chances. It’s hard to find a negative from the opening game, perhaps one could say that the side should have been more clinical, but a good defensive performance meant that two goals was enough.
Stewart Downing and Ravel Morrison started on the bench and with Andy Carroll missing out due to injury, there are a real number of English attacking players in the side. Allardyce has depth this season especially in attacking positions. If the Hammers can put a cup run together this season, the number of quality players in the squad means that the players would be able to cope with two games a week.
It begs the question, why were there no West Ham players in the England squad against Scotland? The England squad (also known as Manchester United) managed to beat Scotland 3-2 in a worryingly close encounter. Many fans have been critical of the number of United players in the squad, with Roy Hodgson rarely giving other younger players a chance.
There is something about Manchester United players however, that other players often don’t have. The ability to get a result despite a lackluster performance is something we saw very often from a United side under Ferguson. United players are clinical, with the ability and confidence to win.
Despite this, Danny Welbeck’s goal scoring record last season in the Premier League was poor, with only one goal scored. Tom Cleverley too, sometimes looked out of his depth when playing on the international stage. Their performances against Scotland however, were encouraging, with Welbeck getting on the score sheet and Cleverley’s passing was a joy to behold.
Welbeck’s performance against Swansea also showed the world what he can do. He scored two goals, with the second being a sublime finish. His movement in and around the box has improved dramatically from last season and it looks as if he could be a successful goal scorer for United this season.
Perhaps then Hodgson selection of these United players is justified, however it seems that English players at West Ham aren’t being given a chance on the international stage. Mark Noble was another player who shined against Cardiff and some might argue that if he played for a top 4 side, perhaps he would make the England squad. Jarvis is yet to add to his one cap when playing at Wolves and despite the consistent number of goals he has scored, Kevin Nolan has never been given a call-up.
Will we see West Ham players in the England set-up in the future? Is the England team based too heavily around United players?
http://foreverwestham.com/
Quagliarella in fresh Hammers link
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West Ham have enquired about Juventus' striker Fabio Quagliarella and are pondering making a swoop for the experienced Italian. The 30-year-old appears surplus to requirements at the Serie A champions and has been linked with a move to the Premier League all summer. The Hammers have been among several clubs, on a list that includes Norwich and Fulham, that have tracked Quagliarella and the Italy international is believed to be keen on a move to a London club. He has won 40 caps and scored seven goals for his national team, although he has not featured for the Azzurri since the 1-1 draw against Romania in November 2010, and would bring vast experience to Upton Park. It is thought boss Sam Allardyce views him as a perfect short-term option as he searches for strikers to enhance his forward line and the former Torino man could be available for as little as £5million as he approaches the end of his career.
Read more at: http://www.clubcall.com/west-ham-united ... 0352.html?
West Ham Chief Reassures Fans Over Future of Midfielder
West Ham United co-owner David Gold has insisted the club are doing "everything possible" to retain the services of Mohamed Diame.
The all action midfielder was heavily linked with a move away from Upton Park during the January transfer window with speculation of a departure refusing to die down in the summer months.
Sam Allardyce's side have spent in the excess of £20m this summer in bringing Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing, Razvan Rat, Adrian and Daniel Whitehead to the club, but more importantly they have managed to retain the services of their most impressive individuals from last season.
With record signing Carroll still unavailable through injury, it has been suggested that West Ham are still in the market for another striker with Modibo Maiga the club's only established presence up front in the England international's absence.
However, Gold has suggested that if the club want to make further additions to the squad before the closure of the transfer window, then they will have to sell before they can buy.
Given the club's predicament, the future of perhaps their most sought after player last season in former Wigan Athletic man Diame was raised to the West Ham co-owner on Twitter. But Gold reassured anxious fans that the club will do everything in their power to keep the Senegal international at the club.
West Ham's lack of options up front wasn't evident last Saturday as the club cruised to a 2-0 win over Cardiff City in their Premier League opener. Both Kevin Nolan and Joe Cole got on the score sheet having played off lone striker Maiga, but both Allardyce and Gold believe the squad could do with a further addition up front.
""We have reached our target laid down by the new rules in terms of wages," Gold told Sky Sports News last week.
"The only possibility now is if player are sold. That's up to Sam, that's in his hands. If he releases wages, that will give us the opportunity to bring in replacements for those players.
"I think it's clear that we are still short of a striker. David Sullivan agrees with that, Sam agrees with that, but until we release those wages by players leaving there is little we can do.
"The next couple of weeks, we will see what happens."
Club-by-club transfer window guide: Who still needs what with two weeks left before deadline day?
West Ham
Summer spending: £20.5m.
Total signings: Six.
Top signing: Andy Carroll (£15.5m from Liverpool).
How much to spend: £0m.
What they need: Another central defender. Winston Reid and James Collins are solid, but there needs to be more strength in depth at the back. Another front man would no go amiss to supplement the power of Carroll. However, boss Sam Allardyce said yesterday: “I’ve no money left in the budget.”
West Ham conisder selling quartet to fund Borriello or Quagliarella pursuit
The Hammers have lined up one of two Italian strikers on loan-to-buy deals but will have to sell at least one or two squad players players in order to free up some funds
West Ham will look to offload up to four players in a bid to raise funds for a move for Roma striker Marco Borriello or Juventus hitman Fabio Quagliarella.
TRANSFER TALK
50/1 West Ham are 50/1 with Coral to win the Capital One Cup
Modibo Maiga, Jack Collison, Ricardo Vaz Te or Matt Taylor are all deemed surplus to requirements after co-chairman David Gold admitted the club are up to their £52 million wage ceiling under the new Financial Fair Play regulations and that there "will need to be departures before there are any more arrivals".
He said: "The last of the transfer budget went on Stewart Downing and now we are up to our limit on wages so to make room in the budget, players will have to be sold before we can bring others in."
The Hammers are also monitoring Juventus frontman Fabio Quagliarella, as Borriello is thought to have misgivings about playing second fiddle to Andy Carroll.
The Londoners are hoping to raise enough funds to bring in either of the strikers on an initial loan, with an option to make the move permanent in January.
Wales international Collision is valued at £3.5m, with Vaz Te and Taylor at around £2.5m each.
Leeds have reportedly shown an interest in Vaz Te, who was signed from Barnsley after impressing in the first half of the 2011-12 season, while Maiga could also be sold in a bid to upgrade the club’s striking options.
The Malian is currently back-up for Carroll but disappointed last season after a £4m summer move from Sochaux, making just 17 Premier League appearances.
The Hammers have brought in Stewart Downing, a £5m signing from Liverpool, Razvan Rat, Adrian and Daniel Whitehead alongside the permanent capture of Carroll so far this summer.
West Ham could sell four players as club target further signings
Players including French international Alou Diarra, experienced midfielder Matt Taylor, striker Ricardo Vaz Te and third choice goalkeeper Stephen Henderson could leave West Ham before the transfer deadline to make way for new signings.
West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan has confirmed he will be working hard, right up until the deadline on 2 September, to reduce the club’s obligatory salary cap in order to free up funds for another central striker.
With Andy Carroll out until mid-September at the earliest as he continues to recover from a heel injury, manager Sam Allardyce has only one central striker - Modibo Maiga - on which to call.
West Ham though, are close to their £52 million salary cap under the new financial fair play regulations and must sell before they can buy.
‘In our case, we start with a £52 million limit,’ explained Sullivan in his programme notes for Saturday’s match against Cardiff.
‘If you exceed the figure you could be hit with a points deduction, so I hope you can see that players can only be brought in if there is money left in the wage budget. We are close to that limit now but that is not to say that our dealings in the transfer market are complete for the summer.
‘Players could well leave before the transfer window closes on 2 September, which would give us the money to add a couple more to the squad, so we will continue to work hard over the next couple of weeks'.
Well done .
