Mexican striker Guillermo (known as Guille) Franco flies in to London today to sign for West Ham according to sources. Franco is a 32 year old 6′1 striker who has been a prolific scorer for Monterrey in the Mexican league, and he is being signed as backup for Carlton Cole. He is an out and out striker who can hold the ball up. West Ham have pinched him from under the noses of the Argentinian champions Estudientes.
Franco scored for Mexico at the weekend in a World Cup qualifier and has notched 6 goals in his 18 international appearances. Although he plays for Mexico he was actually born an Argentinian, but has since become a naturalised Mexican.
His previous stint in Europe didn’t go that well. He scored 14 goals in 81 games. In his career he has notched 100 goals in 296 games.
Franco’s Wikipedia page says he has already signed for West Ham, but I understand the final touches to the deal have still to be done.
He also has his own website HERE. I don’t speak Spanish… There is more about him in a profile HERE.
Just another thing….i read a article in a london paper about the millwall match/ incidents. Thankfully the man who will oversee the incidents inside the ground was very sensible and fair. He clearly stated that not all the people who went on the pitch would be in seriou trouble at all. He rightly said that some people were simply joyously celebrating the goals (including females and children) and that they would be dealt with gently by the authorities. However people being violent and aggressive would be hit hard. Not an exact quote…but the essence of it.
Nice to see common sense prevail atlast in our appointed officials.
Is Ilunga back yet?
No spector again please.
Just think Ilunga’s value will be double come next summer. I bet WHU cant wait!
Zola 1 year in charge tomorrow,go,s quick!
D and G,
the dutch league is hardly fantasy land. The UK league is much more prestigous, people want to play here and be successful. In holland its hardly a good league with a couple of clubs dominant. UK is much better…not as good as Spain…thats my opinion only. But even here its really Barca and Madrid mainly plus a smaller club challenging…Villareal, Valencia, Ath Madrid, sevilla….in recent years have had good years.
We can keep our best players, because usually they dont want to leave but once the club says we have accepted the offer…why stay.If we had shiekh Mohammed has owner…he cant be bullied…he’s the worlds richest man. Nobody could push us around anymore and the players would be comfortable knowing the club was wealthy and well run. He is also a winner and does nothing by half. I would not want him to do a Man City, just to add a vg player every year and allow the team to evolve from within.
We just want owners who support the club. If he was in control of the club we could have the olynpic Stadium…no probs…he could buy it with loose change!!!!
I think we would all love Sheik Mohammed he would do a Citeh on City and just put the oil up to pay for Messi and Kaka easy when oil is the currency!
Do Zola and Clarke get the plaudits for transforming Faubert or does he get a pat on the back for an immense attitude adjustment to being a real footballer again?
bit of both i think. he did come back wanting to prove himself but who knows what z&c said to him behind the scenes?
How do you think the players we have now feel….They see a club in turmoil, reportedly skint, a bankrupt former owner, cb holdings not helping the club and a very uncertain future.
Whats keeping them going is spirit and the management team. They see a manager who keeps them happy, works hard with what he has available and promises that things will get better.
Thats why collins did not want to go.
If you look at it honestly…apart from defoe and lampard from our own produced players….none have wanted to leave and all would have stayed here at the club they grew up at. We are a special club with a great tradition…..we can keep our players, if we were well run. Then we will win and challenge the top clubs. Half the England side is made up of our former players (produced or bought) and thats why we under achieve our true potential.
Our players left for clubs ofton no bigger or better than us. Even chelsea and spurs are not bigger or better, they simply are better run or have a rich owner. We hold dear to values from our roots and our youngsters have that installed in them from the outset at the academy.
We just need our next owners to run the club properly and support the management.
Aussie Graham, I think a bit of both. Further evidence of the Zola and Clarke partnership doing wonders for a player.
Mirror are now saying GZ should call back Dimichele as the search for a striker still eludes us. According to reports Wigan & Stoke are also interested in Gullie.
I hope that we can prove them wrong and Franco does sign!!!
In Spain i support Barca and everyone says, oh its because they win all the time. They are wrong, i supported Barca when i was in Enland and they have always been my favourite foreign side…cruyff, History and WHU like colours etc..
When i came out here 7 years ago they weren’t the dominant side, it was all Madrid…Barca were struggling. But they have something about them and below is a example of that.
When the Chairman Laporta was asked about Madrids spending spree, his reply was we dont have to buy the worlds best available players like madrid. Xavi,Iniesta,Messi etc.. we simply produce them at our academy.
The difference between Barca and West Ham is that they keep the best players they produce and so they grow. We always sell ours, so we struggle and dont move forward.
To go forward that must stop.
I bet Zola could improve Barcelona but he is improving our whole club no matter what he is simply a top operator who can improve a player Green, Upson ,Cole have had confidence to play instilled in them Tomkins,Collinson,Junior,Noble young men playing with freedom ,Jimenez,Faubert,Behrami ,Ilunga and Diamanti foreign players integrated into a seemless transition to the English way keep it going bigger things to come it,s only a matter of time !
Completely agree with your comments Tony.
The key difference is that Barca have always had a huge international fan base (even when their team have been performing badly/unsuccessful). The revenues that they’re able to generate off the back of such support means that they can afford to retain their players. Add to that the glamour of playing for Barca then you’ve got very attractive reasons for players not to look elsewhere.
Our best hope is that we can keep this next generation together long enough to actually mature on the pitch and win or at least compete for some silverware. If they can see that they can achieve success with us then that’s half the battle won. The other is paying them enough…
Lawrenson predicts a Wigan victory, which feels me with much confidence!
Well done to Faubert for winning the HOTM award. Last season, he was perhaps the worse player I have ever seen in a claret & blue – not just for his play, but his attitude absolutely stunk.
His time at Real obviously gave him time to think and it’s no surprise he returned leaner.
His attitude has been a revelation so far this season and the difference is remarkable, even his defensive work has improved. If he can continue to perform to this level, we have no worries at RB – who would have thought that! He has also whipped in some very decent crosses that have led to goals.
Zola is very much like Capello in getting the best out of his players.
With the inlux of players from other shores (Da Costa, Ilunga, Diamanti, Behrami, etc, etc) here’s a challenge to get you through Friday… what’s the best West Ham line-up you can come up with where the players’ names end with a vowel.
They don’t have to be foreign, thus allowing our favourite No. 6 to captain the side.
Graybo, may not have got this totally right but here goes for a starter for ten(or should that be eleven)
Green
Daprela Moore Illunga Da Costa
TGale TC Jcole Behrami
Cole Diamanti
on the Bench: Noble Nouble LBM
Could not think of a GK
How about Ludo?
Here you go Graybo…..
Miklosko
Repka
Moore
Ilunga
Berhami
Cole J
Porfirio
Devonshire
Di Canio
McAvennie
Cottee
Guille on way to UP for medical
This is apparently a season long loan deal with a possible extension.
So we havn’t lost out if he does not come up to scratch!! But we hope he does and makes an impact at UP
Missed a centre back – Gale.
Graybo, forgot Ludo and di Canio
miklosko
illunga repka pearce deprela
j cole moore noble behrami
di canio cottee
SUBS
kanoute
zamora
boa morte
c cole
da costa
Should we make it British vowel ending versus Johnny Foreigner vowel ending?
We could have a virtual match between the two teams ;o)
Tevez out for 2/3 wks for city Robinho too!!
Goody goody!
Zola looks to play Diamanti & da Costa
against Wigan
Resting Upson after Internationals
Tomkins could feature
Just to put our finances into perspective, i was looking at valencia (3rd biggest spanish club). They owe the banks 500 mill euros!!!!
and its growing.
They committed to building a new stadium on land they have bought (“mestalla” is large but run down) and soon found they could not build anymore due to no funds to pay for it. So all the work stopped. The banks were unwilling to lend them anymore and eventually a fan gave them a 100 mill euro loan, so the work could be restarted. By spanish law this loan must be repaid at 8% business minimum rate.
However the stadium is far from completion and even this loan unlikely to be enough to complete it. At one point last season app the players were not paid for months and if this had carried on they would of all been able to walk out for free (3 months i think is the limit).
We think we have problems!!!!
PC,
I agree but the point i was making is that Barca team is usually made up of academy players and always has been. Barca is run properly and they look to buy atleast one quality player every year on the funds they have available. They have one debt of 38 mill euros which was for improvements to infastructure (new offices and facilities). Apart from that they are debt free.
The obvious and important difference is that they are a massive city with two clubs, unlike london. I live in the valencia region close to the border, but no one supports valencia here…its all barca. The supporters club in our local major town has a massive supporters club with about 10,000 members, the valencia one is tiny by comparison.
But barca has grown through being well run and developing its own players mainly.
They are finacially the most profitable club in the world and pay for purchase’s with available cash.
The point is to achieve growth they run the club properly and invest (and keep) the best youngsters they produce. It is the correct model for a successful club and one if it had been followed at WHU would of benefitted us more with regards to success, than forever selling for short term profit.
Success breeds success….fact. Bad management and decisions breeds failure and unfulfilled potential.
Really want the three point tomorrow. This game and last week are the ones that we need to get something from now. Can’t wait to see the new boys out there. COYI!!!
What time does “El Mehicano” sign please?
Fishy, can’t be a loan deal my friend as he is without a club, hence why we could get him outside of the transfer window. I believe it is a 1 year deal with an option for a further year.