According to todays reports, West Ham have invited Algerian World Cup goalkeeper Rais M’Bolhi to join them in Germany to assess him before signing him. The 24 year old currently plays in Bulgaria but he could be an ideal understudy to Rob Green. It is a position that needs bolstering as Rob Green is the only experienced shot stopper at the club. However another report suggests West Ham are after Leicester City ‘keeper Chris Weale. It seems obvious that Avram and the board have now put finding a back-up keeper a top priority, and i do think it necessary. I wouldn’t want to throw either Stech or Kurucz into the deep end during what is being built up to be a renaissance season for West Ham.
Other than the two keepers, its the same rumours floating around about Remy, Clerc and Caraglio coming in and Cole leaving for Stoke. Hopefully the weekend will see at least one deal completed or at least move a step closer to completion.
Hopefully we've nailed the Remy deal
Cole and Remy up front is an exciting prospect..
If Stoke bid 14m (god knows where they'll find the money) for Cole, I can't see us turning it down.
Hmm, I have to agree
To be honest, the more the team changes the better… I'm split down the middle on Cole
I maybe wrong, but I believe that their chairman s the owner of Bet365 so Stoke possibly have a bit of financial muscle.
have you read something that makes you think its almost a done deal?
I'd be bummed to see Cole go, I think he's in for a great season. You can't quite look away from a ton of cash though.
From the articles I have read here's what the situation is:
Apparently we've had a deal accepted and Nice are waiting to see if Liverpool can match it
Liverpool want to offer two players in part exchange as they do not have the funds to match our bid
Nice are in debt though and seem to want money
Could swing either way, we have a good chance however
But if carlton does not want to go then the deal is dead no matter how much Stoke offer; Carlton does not want to move to Stoke. Would you?
You're basing your point on the assumption that Cole's transfer will fund Remy's
This could be true, but we're not to know
To be honest, I wouldn't look into any of it, we'll only know when anything happens when the official site posts something
What makes you think this keeper could be a good understudy? I do not know anything about him other than what I have read and that has all been negative. It seems he has had a few trials in England and in Scotland with no offers forthcoming. Would be happy to hear some positive reports!!
He's still only 24, he's got years in him
The fact that he did interest Man United should be a good thing
Need I remind you that Spector was at Manure?
Shot me down, you're correct
I don't think it's possible to be as bad as Spector though
Honest to gods truth. When I was watching him play for Algeria against the USA, I was so impressed by his positional play and overall performance (as was my friend watching with me) I commented aloud that I want this guy on West Ham.
Y them want 2 sign a keeper especially dat algerian no good keeper kurucz n stech is perfect.stoke hands off cole.
i'm hoping cole aint sold especialy to a team we'll be competing with for places, stoke have a great home record and i think with cole they have an even better one and may even pick up more points away from home. so i wouldnt want to sell to a mid table club. i can understand selling ur better players to clubs in europe but not teams around u unless ur getting in proven replacements.
That bloke on sky sports news that apparently speaks to clubs and agents just said that Caraglio will be in London on monday to go through a medical and discuss personal terms with us!
I'll be delighted if we offload Cole. He's too pedestrian and predictable to upset decent defenders while he's languid body language drives me potty.
I'd take £8m now if anyone was misguided enough to offer it.
New broom time up front.
I agree with you, Lofty. It seems as though the sun has gone to some people's heads. They have short memories in my view. Having sat through his performances last season, he was back to the proverbial couldn't hit a cow's arse with a banjo days. £8m? Sell.
We were even worse without him though,
I'm totally split on Cole, although he is talented he blows hot and cold, injury prone and we tend to play Blackburn football when he's there. He would suit Stoke down to a tee
If Grant can bring the best out of him, and the medical staff work some wonders, Cole could be a very potent striker
I think we were worse without him because we had no strikers of any quality whatsoever Turnbull.
If letting him go brings in a young and hungry striker who is being touted by a club like Liverpool I am afraid that there is no decision to make for me. I would love for Cole to have continued on from where he was headed during 08/09 but it just didn't happen and it is too big a gamble to take to say if Grant can and if the medical staff can and if he gets his attitude right.
Headers…I think Cole's attitude is his biggest problem.
A case of believing he is the finished article way too early.
As my old Grand dad used to say…Rich men don't sweat.
Every time he goes through one on one, I turn to my mate head in hands cos you just KNOW he aint gonna score. Yes, Lofty, partly. Attitude has something to do with it, lack of talent is also an issue.
Spot on. I'd love to see his stats for one on one chances. Probably scores 1 in 10, if that!
which is still one more than Mido
Very good point Headmaster
I think the competition for places this coming season will benefit all the strikers at the club
I think Cole needs to know his place is up for grabs, prehaps then he might achieve more success; that being said – if we sell him for 12 million I won't lose to much sleep
your right Lofty, and with a potential knee problem resurfacing I would prefer a new player and this Remy guys seems to have enough to interest Liverpool which is a double edged sword until we have him signed. Carlton never quite showed the terrifying killer instinct to un-nerve the better defenses.
I am optimistic we are rebuilding under the "Daves" who are afterall putting the money where their (big) mouths are!!
Couldn't disagree more.
Cole was outstanding in a poor side for half the seasom and, in my opinion, was rushed back because of the dire straits we were in and was never fully fit. Even then, he did enough to help us escape relegation.
I do agree, that he does play the part of the wounded soldier too much, but is it any wonder when you see the "service" he was getting?
On his day, he is unplayable and I also believe he will have a big season with better partners and players in behind him.
Totally agree with all of that Devo.
cole i think wants to play for us and why the hell would he move to stoke !!!!!!!! HAVE YOU BEEN THERE LOL!. joking aside if they offer 12 mill then let him go , he is a ledley king waiting to happen
He is a ledley king waiting to happen, it's a shame because he is decent
They can have him for 12 million
Well like most others, i think that the Cole sale is what will pay for Remy, either that or Sullivan and Gold are paying for him out of there won back pocket. To be honest, i would much rather we kept Cole and played Remy alongside him, could become one of the best strike partnerships in the legue, Cole has always needed someone quick to play off him and be there to all his headed knock ons. And with Barrera and Faubert, we could have the best delieveries into Cole that we have seen for a long time, so i would much rather he stayed. However it does appear that we have lined up replacements in Caraglio and Remy, my issue though is that they both have no prem experience which is why for me Cole must stay unless Stoke are going to pay between the region of £12-15m for him. Keep Cole and play:
Green
Behrami Da Costa ? Ilunga
Parker Hitzlsperger
Faubert Remy Barrera
Cole
We shall see how all these transfer develop, if we sign both Caraglio and Remy and manage to keep Cole then hats off to G&S.
That's not going to happen Brad.
And £12-15m – for a striker who didn't get even near double figures last season? Mate, we'd be laughing all the way to the bank.
£8m is more realistic and is, I reckon, what we'll get.
No doubt the figure will be recorded as 'undisclosed'! lol
Your more than likely right Headmaster, however G&S have slammed a £15m price tag on him and Grant is desperate to keep him. We have apparently rejected an £8m bid from Stoke already for Cole, so it will be interesting to see what happens, what makes me think that this pottential sale will have nothing to do with Remy is that the Remy story has backbone as the club them self have revealed that they have had a much better offer from us and one they are ready to accept wheras with Cole, there has been nothing confirmed from either club and it hasn't been said on SSN, so Cole could still be staying and a miracle will occur, G&S will have spent £24m on 5 players, £13m on Remy, £5m on Caraglio, £4m on Barrera, £2m on Piquionne and got Hitzlsperger on a free. But its who going out that is the question the stories of Diamanti and Kovac leaving has gone quiet so its interesting times ahead.
Currently im keeping an eye on the score in the West Ham v Panathinaikos game.
It's all posturing, brinkmanship and manoeuvering at this stage I reckon, Brad. Talk's cheap from SuGo – we'll see, eh?
Thats it my friend, if G&S pull it off, i will have to give them credit where it is due, but at the minute it is all talk, get the deals done and then i will be pleased!
Head – I am really beginning to worry about you. Not withstanding the Devonshire from dagenham gaffe the other day, Cole scored 10 premier league goals last season which, the last time I checked was double figures.
What type of school do you work in?
Keeping in mind that he was injured for a fair amount of the season, and playing partially injured for alot of the rest.
With that in mind, achieving 10 premiership goals was a great achievement imo.
Well, it was only one less than Anelka and 8 less than the great Defoe, who scored 5 of those in one match!!!
I fear Brad its one or the other not both, but we do have some good second place pretenders in the wings, for example if Benni is kept away from the pizza this summer he could return to form, heres hoping !!
True, i would love for us to Keep Cole, sign Remy and Caraglio but i think its highly unlikely!
If we sign Remy we don't need Caraglio imo. I'd rather us spend money on defence.
I really want us to sign Remy though!, i very much like the look of him.
His headed knock ons as someone said go anywhere like a pinball machine, for a moment there he looked very good but like Harewood when he has time to think he screws up, I would take the money but then again I did not see any pre-season games maybe he is over the hump also WH would know more about the knee! And then again sick of him backing into defences from kicks up the park and giving away cheap free kicks! Please no to silvestre and ben haim!
Hitzlsperger has just scored a belter, Boa Morte laid ball off to him from a free kick and he drove it low and hard into the corner, he officially is 'Der Hammer'. I think we have just got the bargain of the summer, Hitzlsperger on a free transfer, more of the same please! 1-0 to the mighty hammers!
Braderz – word is that he has been very impressive pre-season – you might just be right, could be the signing of the premiership and he's back in the German squad das boot!
Looks like a brilliant signing Devo!
Apparently Hitzlsperger, Parker and Noble have developed a good work ethic in midfield – nice one touch football as well
All sounds good to me, glad 'Der Hammer' has settled in quickly!
Ilunga seems to be playing well, very good news!
Touch wood he won'tget inured, thats LB sorted with Ilunga and Daprela
RB we seem to be using Tomkins which is good, we may need an experienced cover (Clerc?)
I love Da Costa, but the other CB position worries me (Gabbidon and Upson)
I read earlier we have been linked with Silvestre… Not too keen personally
Dyer's playing Right Back… very well too apparently
seriously?
That's very interesting news. But now that you mention it I can see him playing that position very well actually.
Yeah, he used to play there for Newcastle I think
Can only be good news – at least he was on the pitch
He did, TH. He might even have been tried there in an England match, but my memory isn't ……what was I saying?
Am I the only person not overly concerned if we do decide to cash in on Cole? He has by far been the best striker for us over the last few seasons and has come on leaps and bounds from the striker we had when he first come to the club. However it just shows how desired he is as a player as the only club I've heard to be interested is Stoke! I just thing we have rose tinted glasses we're he is concerned and if there is a healthy offer being made it may be time to cash in on a player that has possibly over performed that last two seasons. It wasn't to long ago he was our far inferior third choice striker after Ashton and Bellamy. He hasn't earned he's place, he's just inherited it due to West Ham's misfortune
BH…agree 100 per cent.
Being rated our best striker last season was like being voted the best sailor on the Titanic. Bleedin' pointless.
Excellent point, well made… up to reading your post, i was all for keeping cole, now im not so sure. Obviously we need to replace him with someone, better, and i am really not sure that Remy IS the player we need especially that it seems Remy is trying to hold out for a better offer from another team.
wow that was my first post on a website and I have already changed someones opinion. How humbling.
I agree though Remy probably is not the correct replacement for Cole, I haven't seen him play first hand but I am lead to believe he is a palace small player with skill and a good finish. Which we do indeed have a need for at WH but maybe Piquionne or even Nouble could fill Cole's shoes. He hasn't been particularly prolific goal wise but he does a good job holding the ball up and bring other into play. A role that either of these two could do easily with the correct guidance?
So we sell Cole to a team we're fighting for places with and just leave prolific Piquionne, Benni Mac, possibly but not yet certain Remy who's never played a prem match and Sears. All I can say to that, is we better pray Nouble and Hines stay fit all season.
At least get them to throw Shawcross into the deal
i think we need to keep cole mainly because last season he was out for 3 months and he got the injury when he was bang in form for us if these signings happen i will be over the moon and hopefuly we can sign a centre back because i think we are in dyer need of a top class centre back otherwise were just gunna leak goals next year.
We're going to have so many options next year – I can only see the club progressing
It's a good time to be a hammer I feel, we are due a good season… Always have a crap one followed by a good run.
heard that cole has got the same problem with his knees that ledley king has got . if true please dont tell stoke £10 million sounds a good price to sell
Morning all. What an excellent result for our hammers yesterday, it sounds like the whole team all did a good job and there are some encouraging signs for the new season.
Faubert has moved into right midfeild which i feel is a mch better position for him, this has enabled either Tomkins or Dyer to play at right back and i hear they both played really well in that position.
Hitzlsperger got his first goal and i hear its a cracking goal too.
The whole midfield is starting to shape up nicely and Parker, Noble and Hitzlsperger apparently all played very well together with little one touch moves.
Barrera and Piquionne will be featuring this weak to add extra quality to our team and to show us what they can do.
Remy could also feature if we manage to get a proposed deal done by Monday, but we will have to wait and see on that one.
So far, so good for us hammers fans, long may this continue into the season!!
I think if we are to sell Cole for £12m then the club will more than likely offer £10m for Yakubu, we have been heavily linked with him this summer and a bid in that region would more than likely see the Yak coming to Upton Park. He is very similar to Cole but possibly a tad beter, both have had a few injury problems but i would imagine that Yakubu would do a good job for us. I would still prefer we kept Cole, but i have a feeling that he will depart us this summer and his replacement will either be Yakubu or Caraglio with Remy playing alongside one of them. We will see!
Really don't want Yak, I'd prefer to keep Cole in that case. i do think we should start playing hardball with Stoke as we are in direct competition with them for table places, we should start throwing some of their start players names around, see how they like it. Namely Shawcross as he'd be great in our back 4, him and 7-8m for Cole will do nicely, especially if Upson leaves for the same amount. Luke Young looks to be leaving Villa after a fall out, we should swoop ahead of Fulham seeing as he is a Hammer.
I agree. Would love Shawecorss at West Ham, Now i know that this might sound mental but i would love for us to get Zamora back, i would have Zamo over Cole anyday, he is a prem proven striker, he loves West Ham and i think he would work well with Grant, now that Roy Hodgsen has left, maybee we should test Fulham with an offer for him. Zamora and Remy up front would be an awesome attack with the like of Faubert and Barrera on the wings delivering exquissit crosses for them both to pounce on and then with the added force of Hitzlsperger and Parker behind them, we would have a great force going forward. I think if this Clerc signs, he will go straight into a right back role and then do an exhange deal with Stoke, Upson for Shawecorss and will give them £5m. Then linbe up like this for next season:
Green
Clerc Shawecross Da Costa Ilunga
Parker Hitzlsperger
Faubert Remy Barrera
Zamora
Looks like a top 8 side to me and the exciting thing is baring 2 players that is a likely team for the season. Happy days.
I am slightly concerned about the Scott Parker story on the back page of today's Sun.
It appears to be a watering down of the club's position over their intentions to keep him, come what may.
It re-runs Villa's desire to nab Scotty, but for the first time suggests that the club now fear the player could be unsettled by all the attention and could go.
The reporter, Andrew Dillion, has good WH connections (Sullivan) and this could be a drip drip weakening of our position. The story again throws Spurs into the mix which would be disastrous.
We need to give him the armband asap, he had it for the friendly yesterday. Now that we have new owners, the never selling to Spurs law has probably been scrapped. I just hope scotty shows enough loyalty by resisting CL with our rivals if they come knocking.
if we sold parker i'd be gutted but i no every player has his price and i'm sure his is over £15 mil. if G&S do sell him it better not be to spurs.
I'll take 38 1-0's this season, johnny. Something we were incapable of doing under Zola, as my Dad said, we had to score 2 to get a draw.
Wessels playing for reserves. Is he to join us?