The Club Website is confirming the season long loan signing of Chilean striker Luis Jimenez from Inter Milan. This is what the player himself has said today…
“I am very happy, very excited and very determined to show what I can do. I am a player who loves to play football, to be in a team that keeps the ball, to create opportunities and also score goals. I can’t promise anything but I am going to do everything possible to do a good job for the club.
“I know West Ham are a fantastic club who have had a lot of great players. I had options to join other clubs but I watched West Ham’s last game of the season and I liked it a lot. I preferred this option because I really admire the way they try to play. Gianfranco Zola was one of the things that drew me to West Ham – I can identify with the type of football he wants to play.”
It’s well worth reading the full article on the website as it contains a comprehensive review of Jimenez’s career to date.
In other news, there has been a bit of speculation that Dean Ashton may be on his way to Stoke for £5 million. Rubbish. Yes, they have expressed some sort of lukewarm interest – although you’d have thought James Beattie was quite sufficient – but the Club would be mad to offload a player who has the potential to score 20 goals a season. We know what he can do when he’s fit and will be raring to go in August.
E1 it can mean either, El Mago de OZ is the spannish for the Wizard of Oz but El Mago by itself means The Magician it how ever means magician in the sense of Merlin the Magician and not some sad end of the pier act where does a very bad impression of sawing an assitant 15years past her prime in half before pulling a dove from a hat which promptly takes a crap on the people in the front row.
Sorted it does translate to both Wizard or Magician, but should be IL not EL acording to google.
So what do we call him
Votes please gentlemen lol
JIMMY WHIZZ !!!!
This rubbish with Ashton being lined up for Stoke is now on the Sky Sports website.
I do hope they are not serious, Ashton will be 100% fit next season after the operation he had during the last season.
I still think he will be our top scorer next season!! We have no need to sell anybody!!
Jimi is a midfielder NOT a striker. How the hell has the Official site got that wrong?
James, we do need to sell IF zola wants to and it means bringing in players like mancini etc
Ashton is on a high wage, maybe zola see’s him as to expensive to take the chance and IF a 4-3-3 is to be played do we need him, not sure myself but I really don’t think we would let him go without a replacement.
And of course why would we let him go for only £5mill if he is as good as he was and we all hoped, Zola has said he is prepared to be ruthless if need be to improve the team and as I have said before I really thinks he means it.
So I would not be suprised if Ashton went disapointed yes but not suprised.
Man U want rid of fraiser camball Thoughts anyone?
Can’t really believe they would consider selling Ashton. We need to add to the two strikers we have, not sell another one.
Jimenez Should add a creative element to our midfield I hope..
why the bleep are people saying ashton would be a good sell? He has been injured for a year, and its probably just because the first ankle break wasn’t treated properly. i completely agree with you james i think he will be 100% fit.
he is probably the best centre forward in the country, and we have seen the glimpses of genius from him like the overhead kick goal against man u a few seasons back!
and on the first game of the season against wolves i had a dream we lost 3-2 and cole scored both of our goals! i hope my dreams mean nothing!
E1, We do not need to raise funds to sign players like Mancini. Ashton owes us for the time he has been out and I very much look forward to seeing him play many seasons for us as well as scoring handfuls of goals.
Also you will not find many players who can hold up the ball like Ashton, He will come good and he would be even better if he had your support! If you were one of those supporters on this blog who said Tevez could come back then all I can say is dream on!
Im my opinion we have already got rid of the dead wood and that means we can now press on with signing the three major additions to our squad. Jimenez being one of them! If you listen to Scott Duxbury he has already stated this!
Very interesting information on the Spuds finances Celtic Hammer. Thank you, and no worries about the typo.
Ashton will be fit and will be our top scorer next season! How is that for sticking your neck out!
Ashton joining Stoke City is like TS Elliott writing for the Daily Mail, a total waste of talent! They are no better than a pub team!
Sorry James, I have just read your prediction on Ashton, you stuck your neck out before I did! lol.
Don’t know where to place this comment.
Look, I am biased, but did anyone see my country humiliate SPAIN tonight 2-nil???!??
And did anyone see our starting right back for the 2009-10 campaign deal extremely well with all of Spain’s pushing forward??!!??
Did anyone see Spector’s brilliant cross to Dempsey to cap off the 6 goals we needed to reach the semifinal round??!??
This group has been extremely negative (generally, not everyone) toward Jonathan Spector. I say give him a chance to actually play and he will do well!
–d
James I did’nt say we needed to sell to bring players in ?
What I was saying was that zola may be looking to get rid in order to bring a differnt type of player in and keep a balanced squad.
I am sure ther ar’nt many,If any that don’t want Ashton back as he was, however he is untill he proves otherwise a Big and expensive risk.We all know what we think, but only time will tell as to what zola thinks.
E1, Kieron Dyer was a big expensive risk but nobody is mentioning that he could go!
As somebody stated on this blog, We all know what Ashton is capable of and for Zola to just throw that away to the likes of Stoke, Well it would be suicidal!!
Do you know exactly what Dean Ashton is on per week? I would imagine that he falls within the wage cap.
In terms of balanced squad, We already have one, We just need them all 100% fit!
Tribalfootball have a story about that Lucas Neill will resign.
http://www.tribalfootball.com/neill-u-turn-over-west-ham-contract-talks-252953
Do we want him back? On reduced wages i would say hes good enough.
james, I agree dyer is the same but the media are saying he might be going so whats it got to do with anything?
Yes we do have a fairly balanced squad for a 442 but a 451 or 433 we don’t need as many Big men the 2 supporting strikers become more important. Ashton is a salable asset and if any of our better players are to be moved on he is the more likly to go. Cole is a zola favorite so he is not going and with the young inter lad in the frame I can see it being possible thet ashton may be moved on.
These rumors are started from somewere and in most cases it comes from the agent or the club wishing to buy,so lets wait and see and hope it all turns out right for WHU over the season.
Just an after thought maybe he wants to go?
TYPO The media are NOT saying.
Sorry
Just seen on sky sports that Stoke are in talks with Dean Ashton!!
Don’t know what the Fu!k he is thinking about!
Maybe Zola didn’t think he is up to it, u got to trust Zola on this I think, but Deano you should set your stanards higher than Stoke!
Based on last season’s use of resources (rather than their stated field positions on the WHU site) and assuming Kovac, Faubert, Stokes, Payne and Quashie are out of the frame, GZ will have 9 “midfielders” available to choose from:
Noble, Behrami, LBM, Stanislas, Dyer, Savio, Parker, Collinson and now Jimenez.
Whereas we will only have 2 out and out strikers in Deano and Cole. If either are sidelined, we will have to rely on LBM, Savio or possibly Dyer to partner a 442 line-up. With all due respect to them (and for different reasons), none of them have exactly proven themsleves regular goal scorers.
So unless GZ is able to recruit a proven, quality striker to replace Ashton, we also need to add to the front or change to a 451 or 4321 line-up. But with all that talent in midfield let’s just go 181!
Selling Ashton would be a huge mistake. We need another striker not sell one of the only two we have. Anyone seriously thinking it would be a good idea must either, know the club have two lined up in replacement or the head and fixed right.
It’s all well and good saying don’t sell Ashton but the fact is he has hardly played any football for two seasons! YES TWO SEASONS. How the hell is this guy irreplaceable according to our fans?
We are selling a striker? What striker? If they offer 5million I’d bite their Fing hand off.
David the Yank I agree with you about Spector. He is still only 23 and I believe he can yet make an impact in the PL. Well done to your team.
I honestly don`t know why on earth did we put the selling of Dean Aahton on such alert as if to put something off our stomach.We were so patient and we did put alot of effort in his rehab why all this rubbish .The lad is near full fitness and he promised us fans he would pay back.I would love to see what he can do next season.And i can tell what he`s capable of.Come on DEANO COYI!!!!!
I saw the interview on SSN and have to say that the chairman of stoke looks like a fruit loop. A right mad hatter.
I cannot understand why Deano would even consider leaving unless Zola allows it in terms of a replacement coming in.
If that replacment happens to be Eidur Gudjohnson then I will not be pleased at all. If it was Ballotelli on the other hand then bring it on!!
Zola has said all along that he will have to make one or two tough decisions to improve the team. I recon this is one of them.
i cant wait to see jimenez play but i’m not sure whats his main position??? as for ashton i’d be gutted to see him leave especially if he had a injury free season, but how much more do u take what if he does have another injury plagued season. i would only sell him if we get a little more money back than we paid for him with some add on’s in case he does have a injury free season and most importantly if we used the money to sign a replacement who we’ve all heard of and has proved himself not a up and coming youngster who may be a good player in years to come.
I agree with David the Yank. I think Spector, despite his detractors, is a sound right back. He has never been given a decent run in the team because he is so good at covering RB, CB, Defensive Midfield. He is doing well in the USA team – which is experience at a top level (he did a lot better against Spain than Liverpool’s new golden boy Johnson did for England – and in a competitive match). He comes across as a solid club man in interviews. And he is only 23.
Yep, I’m a specs fan too, he’s never had a decent run in the team due to Neill as club captain being an automatic selection. He is still developing as a player and under the excellent tutelage of Z&C he could become the obvious successor to the RB role. Well played against Spain btw