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Chelsea in shock talks for former player to return after collapse of £34.5m transfer

Chelsea’s €40m transfer falls through after major problem finalising contract

Former Everton chief executive drops West Ham points deduction verdict after £110m signings

It’s a big season for West Ham and they are building a squad with plenty of quality for Lopetegui, but the big task for the former Wolves and Real Madrid manager is to get everyone on the same wave length which is far easier said than done.

The Hammers take on Aston Villa in their first game of the season on August 17th and will be looking to get off to a winning start.

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Newcastle United in talks with Premier League rivals to sign ex-Man Utd forward

CJ — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 16:33:51 +0000

Newcastle United may turn to Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga in their search for a new right winger, according to reports.

Even should they keep hold of Anthony Gordon this summer, the Magpies are short on options in wide areas with Harvey Barnes and the out-of-favour Ryan Fraser the only senior wingers on the books.

Elanga impressed at Forest last season following his £15m (per BBC Sport) summer arrival from Manchester United, notching five goals and nine assists in 36 Premier League appearances, while he was first among his teammates for carries into the opposition penalty area (42).

According to Football Insider, Newcastle are ‘admirers’ of Elanga and are already in talks with Forest over a potential deal.

Could Anthony Elanga join Newcastle United?

The two clubs have already conducted business this summer, with Elliot Anderson moving to the City Ground and goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos moving in the opposite direction.

Football Insider’s report also names West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen as another potential target, but Newcastle — whose first choice target this summer was thought to be Michael Olise, who left Crystal Palace for Bayern Munich — have been put off by the Hammers’ £100m valuation.

The Magpies have also spoken with Chelsea over a possible deal for English winger Noni Madueke, but no bid has yet come forth.

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Kevin Nolan blasts West Ham for making costly mistake in the transfer market

Charlie Patrick — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 20:20:48 +0000

Kevin Nolan has admitted West Ham made a mistake by not signing Julian Alvarez when they had the chance to whilst he was still at River Plate.

West Ham have had a busy summer following the departure of David Moyes and have made a number of quality signings including the likes of Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville, Luis Guilherme and Niclas Fullkrug.

The Hammers are looking to get back into European football having missed out completely last season and on the face of it are building a really strong squad for Julen Lopetegui, who is being heavily backed.

Nolan reveals one West Ham regret

Nolan, who was a first team coach under Moyes and also had a spell at West Ham as a player left the club this summer along with the Scot.

Following his departure Nolan has opened up on his time at the London Stadium and when asked about the possibility of signing Alvarez in the summer of 2022, he admitted that was one of his regrets.

“To be fair, we did a lot of work on Alvarez the season he signed,” he told the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast.

West Ham had the chance to sign Alvarez when he was at River Plate.

“We did a lot of work leading up to it. And one of the first things I said he’s a Man City player right away.

“Like when obviously the boss said what you think, I just said he’s a Man City player for me because he just looked the part.

“I think for me he was probably a bit too slight, and what we needed was someone a bit bigger because he was on his own, but he adapted fantastically well. But he was given the opportunity to adapt because of how Man City are and what they do.”

Alvarez ended up joining City that summer for just £14m and went on to win the Treble in his first season and he’s agreed to join Atletico Madrid in a deal which could be worth up to £81m.

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It’s an interesting case of what might have been if West Ham had taken the gamble on Alvarez and he’s now proven himself to be a top quality operator.

In this instance West Ham’s loss was very much Manchester City’s gain from both a playing and financial standpoint and it will be mistake the Hammers won’t want to repeat in the future.

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West Ham could sell three defenders after completing Todibo transfer

CJ — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 17:30:15 +0000

West Ham United’s capture of Jean-Clair Todibo could open the door for up to three of the club’s existing centre-backs to leave the club, according to reports.

The Hammers announced the £35m transfer of Todibo from Ligue 1 side Nice on Saturday, reportedly beating Italian giants Juventus to his signature.

Todibo is the seventh signing of what has been a very busy summer for West Ham, who have also acquired Max Kilman, Luis Guilherme, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug, Guido Rodriguez and Wes Foderingham as they heavily back new manager Julen Lopetegui.

However, with so many arrivals, departures will also surely follow.

Veteran defender Angelo Ogbonna has already been released, but the Italian could be joined through the London Stadium exit door by three more centre-backs as the Hammers look to purge the squad ahead of the Lopetegui era.

According to HITC, Kurt Zouma is closing in on a transfer to United Arab Emirates side Shabab Al-Ahli.

Their report also states that Nayef Aguerd and Konstantinos Mavropanos could be up for sale this summer as West Ham look to trim the fat on their wage bill.

With both Todibo and Kilman on the books, it’s hard to see the aforementioned trio getting the game time they desire but while it’s hard to see all three leaving in one window, it wouldn’t be surprising to see at least one or two sold.

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West Ham United agree £15m transfer of 172-time Premier League player

CJ — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 13:19:03 +0000

West Ham United have agreed a deal to sign Manchester United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Wan-Bissaka joined United from Crystal Palace in the summer of 2019 and has played 172 times in the Premier League for the two clubs combined.

The 26-year-old has won FA Cup and EFL Cup titles since joining the Red Devils. However, the right-back has slowly fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford and since Erik ten Hag’s arrival, has played just 41 of 76 Premier League matches, starting just 36 of them.

West Ham have been heavily linked with Wan-Bissaka this summer, especially after it emerged United were closing on the signing of Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich.

Romano has now given the ‘here we go’ confirmation of West Ham’s push to sign Wan-Bisska, with a ‘verbal agreement’ in place and a medical booked on Sunday ahead of a £15m transfer.

Man Utd, meanwhile, are pushing ahead with the signing of Mazraoui, who Romano says will be ‘joining soon’.

??? Aaron Wan-Bissaka to West Ham, here we go! Verbal agreement in place for right back to join #WHUFC from Man United as planned.

Understand medical tests already booked on Sunday for AWB! ?

Fee will be £15m. Man United authorized AWB to travel… Mazraoui, joining soon. pic.twitter.com/3tkpbPHBHm

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 10, 2024

The arrival of Wan-Bissaka will come straight off the back of the transfer of Jean-Clair Todibo from Nice on Saturday.

The Hammers have also signed Max Kilman, Luis Guilherme, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug, Guido Rodriguez and Wes Foderingham as they heavily back new manager Julen Lopetegui during a busy summer.

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West Ham complete transfer of international with ‘proven pedigree’

CJ — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 11:16:22 +0000

West Ham United have confirmed the signing of centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo from Nice.

The 24-year-old arrives at the London Stadium on a season-long loan with an option to buy at £35m (per Sky Sports), which is up from the originally £27m agreement earlier this summer which was scuppered due to interest from Juventus.

Todibo brings plenty of pedigree having been capped twice at senior level for the French national team, while he’s represented the likes of Barcelona, Benfica and Schalke at club level.

“I am really excited to be signing for West Ham United,” the centre-back told the West Ham official website. “It is a dream come true to play in the Premier League, the best league in the world.

“This is an amazing opportunity for me, at a club with huge ambition, who want to really make progress under the new head coach.

“It feels like the right time to be coming to West Ham, in the heart of London, with an amazing, passionate fan-base. I’m so excited to pull on the West Ham shirt, and play at the London Stadium in the Premier League.”

The south of France to east London ??

Jean-Clair Todibo is a Hammer ?? pic.twitter.com/EgbZvNoqfU

— West Ham United (@WestHam) August 10, 2024

Hammers technical director Tim Steidten added: “It’s no secret that Jean-Clair is a player we’ve been tracking for some time, so we’re delighted to have got this signing over the line ahead of the start of the new season.

“He’s got proven pedigree in European football, especially in France, where he has shone in recent years, showing all of his qualities as one of the finest ball-playing centre-halves in Ligue 1.

“There was huge interest from across Europe for his signature this summer, and we’re once again indebted to the board for backing us to bring in a player who is approaching the peak years of his career.”

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Aston Villa and West Ham offered the chance to sign 29-year-old Spanish international

Saikat Chatterjee — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 10:28:38 +0000

Aston Villa and West Ham United have been offered the chance to sign former Atletico Madrid star Mario Hermoso.

The Spanish centre-back is on the lookout for a new club after having parted ways with Atletico Madrid following the expiry of his contract. While he was linked with a move to Napoli, things didn’t go according to plan. He has since changed agents and according to a report from AreaNapoli, Mario Hermoso’s new representatives have offered his services to Premier League duo Aston Villa and West Ham United.

The former Real Madrid academy product ended his five-year-long stint with Atletico at the end of June after his contract ran out. The 29-year-old free agent has been on the lookout for a new club since but hasn’t had any luck so far. He was hoping to join Napoli following his former representative’s discussions with them. The large compensation fee of his agents along with Hermoso’s €4-5 million wage demands were beyond the Italian club’s capabilities.

He has since changed representatives and they have offered him to Aston Villa and West Ham United. Unai Emery has watched Hermoso up close in action during his time in Spain and with Diego Carlos’ future uncertain he could be an ideal replacement.

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Mario Hermoso in action for Atletico Madrid

West Ham need defensive reinforcements

Meanwhile, the Hammers have already added Max Kilman to their squad. They have been working hard to bring in someone who can feature alongside the ex-Wolves skipper in the heart of the defence. With a deal for Jean-Clair Todibo within touching distance, they do not really have room for Hermoso unless one of their defenders ends up leaving the club in the coming weeks.

While the 29-year-old has been offered to the English clubs, a move to the Premier League looks highly unlikely as his representatives have returned to Italy to offer him to Serie A clubs with Inter and AC Milan in the thick of things.

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“Won’t be resolved” – Ruling timescale gives West Ham hope over Lucas Paqueta

Jason Pettigrove — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 05:26:56 +0000

For some while now, charges for alleged illegal betting have been hanging over West Ham’s brilliant Brazilian, Lucas Paqueta.

At the point at which news first broke, the exciting forward appeared to be on the verge of a move to Pep Guardiola’s Man City, but as a result of the charges levied against him, that move never materialised.

Despite evident disappointment at not being able to join the serial Premier League winners, Paqueta has continued to be one of the Hammers most important and influential players.

Lucas Paqueta is vital to West Ham’s way of playing

Any worries that he might not be able to start the 2024/25 season with the outstanding charges still hanging over him have been allayed somewhat by former Everton CEO, Keith Wyness.

“There’s no doubt that West Ham were counting on Paqueta as a big sale at some stage,” he said on Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast.

“The unfortunate circumstances that have unfolded mean the value has dropped dramatically. The issue probably won’t be resolved until partway through the season.

West Ham will be hoping to utilise Lucas Paqueta for the majority of the 2024/25 campaign

“It’s a big asset they now can’t sell on. It’s just human nature in football – there will be frailties, there will be successes, and there will be failures.

“West Ham are now seeing the impact of a human frailty.”

Whilst that’s only Wyness’ opinion of course, as an ex-Premier League CEO, he will likely have some knowledge of the way in which things work administratively in such matters.

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Paqueta could be vital to Julen Lopetegui during the opening stages of the campaign, and should any charges be heard during the campaign, it’s a fair bet that the player and his legal team will try to appeal them, thus leading to another potential delay.

As a new look West Ham attempt to aim for a finish in the Champions League places, Paqueta’s creativity could be a vital difference.

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Opinion: Tim Steidten is the best thing to happen to West Ham in years

Jason Pettigrove — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 04:39:44 +0000

For years now West Ham United have been the Premier League’s proverbial sleeping giant, but technical director, Tim Steidten, is waking the East Londoners up in a big way.

A battle of wills that developed between the German and David Moyes last season was only going to see one winner and, for once, the Hammers made the right decision.

For all of Moyes’ success at the London Stadium – lest we forget he brought the club its first major trophy in over four decades – his was a style of play that had begun to look stale and moribund in today’s game.

Tim Steidten has worked wonders for West Ham

Steidten had already proved his worth in the transfer market by then, landing Edson Alvarez, Mo Kudus and others last summer, but in the current transfer window, the 45-year-old has surpassed himself.

Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville, Guido Rodriguez, Niclas Fullkrug, Luis Guilherme have all put pen to paper, with an announcement expected soon on Jean-Clair Todibo and Aaron Wan-Bissaka hopefully added before the deadline.

Tim Steidten has made some brilliant signings for West Ham

That’s a sensational haul in anyone’s book, let alone for a West Ham side that are not even in Europe don’t forget.

If each player can reach their expected level, then the Champions League in 2025/26 will no longer be a pipe dream but a realistic aim.

With Julen Lopetegui having replaced Moyes at the helm too, Hammers fans can expect a return to the free-flowing attacking football that was always the hallmark of Irons teams of yesteryear.

If the season does end successfully for the East Londoners, it’ll be the Spaniard that takes the plaudits, but no one should forget that without the nous of Tim Steidten, the club would likely be ambling into another campaign in hope rather than expectation.

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West Ham reach breakthrough to sign another player after Jean-Clair Todibo

Charlie Patrick — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 20:03:50 +0000

West ham are close to reaching an agreement over a pay off for Manchester United’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka in an attempt to help push through a move to the London Stadium according to reports.

It’s been a busy summer for the Hammers, who as well as a new manager have made several quality signings as they set about strengthening their squad.

Former Wolves and Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui is the new man in charge and West Ham have signed the likes of Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville, Luis Guilherme and Niclas Fullkrug.

West Ham close to Wan-Bissaka deal

Despite making a number of additions the Hammers are still looking to sign a right back and have been linked with a number of names.

Newcastle’s Kieran Trippier and Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters have recently been linked with a move, whilst the Hammers saw a move fall through for Bayern Munich’s Noussair Mazraoui fall through.

West Ham have been linked with Wan-Bissaka throughout the summer but an agreement with United has so far proven elusive.

Wan-Bissaka has one year left on his Manchester United deal.

However, ExWHUEmployee has reported via Patreon that a pay off is close to being agreed with United which would compensate Wan-Bissaka for the decrease in wages if he joins West Ham.

The report adds that once a final agreement is in place it should help accelerate the right back’s move to West Ham.

A fee is yet to be agreed but personal terms reportedly won’t be an issue for the 26-year-old and United need to offload the Englishman in order to complete a deal for Mazraoui.

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