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Hammers agree deal for Bayern Munich's Mazraouipublished at 16:22 25 July
16:22 25 July
Image source, Getty Images
West Ham have agreed a fee with Bayern Munich for Moroccan full-back Noussair Mazraoui.
Sources say if the deal goes through, the Hammers will play an initial €16m (£13.47m) for the 26-year-old, with a potential further €3.5m (£2.95m) in add-ons.
Talks over personal terms are continuing for a player who has been linked with a number of clubs this summer, including Manchester United.
Mazraoui was born in the Netherlands and joined Ajax as a youngster.
He joined Bayern on a free transfer in 2022 and made 29 appearances for the Bundesliga giants in all competitions last season.
Is it a good signing West Ham fans? Is he worth the fee?
It isn't quiet in one specific part of the major football clubs - the acquisitions department.
I know that because I was once the acquisitions department - well me and the manager mostly. While each player returned from holidays like a bronzed Adonis, we were cooped up in a small darkened room, beavering the daylight hours away like vampires.
There is plenty of guesswork in the media and a fair bit of leaking from the players and their people, but the clubs usually try to keep their transfer moves as quiet as possible.
If word gets out that a player is available, they know they might lose him to another club or else the price will increase as a bidding war erupts.
These are high stakes games and many are impressed by those who gamble and go early.
Manchester City have always been good enough, and let's be honest wealthy enough, to be able to do this well.
The problem is that some clubs are trying to do the same thing and are ending up paying top dollar for less able players, because they haven't done their due diligence in the market.
This is another area where the use of data, or maybe over-reliance on pure data, comes into play - feed all of the numbers in, let the technology do the crunching, and out comes the answer.
The problem is that everyone else has got the same or similar data.
What is needed, of course, is good human knowledge and the vision to aid the use of the information they have got. This is why these departments should be busy just now, they shouldn't just be doing deals which are admittedly very complex legal and financial documents these days.
Even more time should be spent on ensuring the new £75m player hasn't got a hidden weakness in his game or even the odd skeleton in his closet.
West Ham could pursue a deal for Manchester United's 26-year-old English right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka if Mazraoui moves to Old Trafford. (Sky Sports), external
'West Ham have money - and their priorities are obvious'published at 16:44 22 July
16:44 22 July
Simon Stone Chief football news reporter
Image source, PA Media
Every day it seems there are new rumours about players who might be joining West Ham.
England defender Fikayo Tomori, who is currently at AC Milan, Leeds' Crysencio Summerville and Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran are the latest.
West Ham are in the uncomfortable position of having money to spend and their priorities - forwards and central defence - being obvious.
Technical director Tim Steidten is busily working his way though the targets to see what deals can be done. Inevitably that means a lot of calls - and a lot of links.
West Ham's non-Euros and Copa America players have flown into Florida for the start of a two-week camp that includes games against Crystal Palace and Wolves.
Meanwhile the rumours will continue until a deal is done.
Gossip: Hammers turn attention to Tomoripublished at 07:18 22 July
07:18 22 July
West Ham United are interested in a move for AC Milan's 26-year-old England defender Fikayo Tomori. (Mail), external
'Promising in parts' but 'we still need a striker'published at 13:42 21 July
13:42 21 July
Image source, Getty Images
We asked for your views after West Ham's 1-0 friendly win at Dagenham & Redbridge.
Here are some of your responses:
Harry: We dominated and maybe should have scored more, but overall I'm happy with how we played. Great strike by Andy Irving. Maybe he might get a place in the team under Julen Lopetegui.
Justin: Promising in parts but very hard to predict without a full complement of players because the backline will probably be different and we still need a striker. Let's be positive and look forward to the season ahead.
Sue: I thought they should have won by more than one goal considering the opposition is way below West Ham. I hope when they get the whole team back together they play better.
Ruaidhri: We never care in these pre-seasons but 1-0 is crazy while Southampton beat Eastleigh 7-1. The players don't want to prove themselves.
Lee: Just another leg-stretcher. Until the full squad gets back, we cannot tell what the set-up will be.
Gossip: Agreement in place for Kantepublished at 08:57 21 July
Full-time: Dagenham & Redbridge 0-1 West Hampublished at 17:01 20 July
17:01 20 July
Image source, Getty Images
Andy Irving's fine strike from outside the box was enough to earn West Ham a 1-0 win at National League side Dagenham in their opening pre-season game.
What did you learn from Julen Lopetegui's first match in the Hammers dugout?
Gossip: Magpies hope to win race for Hammers target Todibopublished at 09:24 20 July
09:24 20 July
Newcastle United are hoping to beat West Ham and Juventus to the signing of France defender Jean-Clair Todibo, 24, after holding talks with Nice. (HITC), external
"Whenever I try to come over here I try to get the West Ham bag out. Up the Hammers and come on you Irons," Horschel told media.
"Other supporters of other clubs have been gracious enough to be nice to me compared to how they may be to a fellow English person supporting West Ham."
Asked about new manager Julen Lopetegui, Horschel replied: "I think Julen is going to do a good job. I'm excited listening. David Moyes was awesome. He took the club from one spot to another and it was time to pass the torch. I think Julen will do a good job and I think David has something up his sleeve for the next couple of years - I think maybe the Scotland national job will be his."
And on links in the morning newspapers with former Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante, Horschel remarked: "I saw that this morning. $20m (£15m) for a 33-year-old, I don't think that's really good business so I don't think that's going to happen."
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Do clubs actually play more games?published at 11:11 19 July
11:11 19 July
Image source, Getty Images
It seems inevitable a host of Premier League managers will point to fixture congestion in the months to come.
When injuries mount, or when time on the training ground is squeezed, coaches often reference the intense nature of the calendar.
But research conducted by the respected CIES Football Observatory has delivered data which shows clubs are - on average - not playing more competitive games than they have in the last couple of decades.
The CIES looked at 677 clubs across 40 leagues. In looking at a period from 2012 to 2024, its findings show in 2023-24, the average club played 42.4 competitive matches. In 2014-15 that figure was 42.6 and in 2020-21 it hit 43.9.
And if focus is placed on sides competing in the Champions League, data gathered between 2000 and 2024 also shows sides are not setting fixture records in the current game, as some managers may like to loosely imply.
In looking at the five major European Leagues, the CIES claim Champions League competitors played an average of 50.8 matches last season.
In 2020-21 they averaged 57.9 and in 2002-03 they contested 55.2.
Manchester United played in 52 competitive games last season, down from highs of 71 in 2020-21 and 66 in 2008-09.
Across all of the clubs analysed, only 4% played more than 60 games last season. In 2012-13, the figure stood at 5.1%.
While clubs may play added friendlies and - it would be fair to say - individual matches tend to be longer given increased injury time in the current game, the data shows that competitive fixture numbers are flat or have in most cases fallen, even if disgruntled managers say otherwise.
West Ham are interested in signing France midfielder N'Golo Kante.
The 33-year-old starred for France at Euro 2024 after a year in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad after leaving Chelsea.
A potential return to the Premier League could be scuppered by Ittihad's desire to hold onto the World Cup winner.
Kante still has years left on his current contract.
Gossip: Hammers in Kante talkspublished at 08:10 19 July
08:10 19 July
West Ham are in talks to sign France midfielder N'Golo Kante, 33, from Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad in a deal which could cost in the region of £20m. (Guardian, external)
Manchester United made it clear very early this summer they would listen to realistic offers for virtually all of their squad.
That does not mean they will all get sold but it does underline United's need to raise money.
Full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka falls into that category.
He is not a regular member of Erik ten Hag's starting line-up - although he played all of the FA Cup final win over Manchester City - and his contract runs out next year, when he could leave for nothing.
West Ham have made their interest known but, as with Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay last season, financially it needs to make sense for Wan-Bissaka, who will know more clubs will come for him when he is a free agent.
He is one of those players likely to be talked about a lot before the 30 August transfer deadline - with no guarantee he will move anywhere.
Gossip: Hammers frontrunners for Nelsonpublished at 07:26 18 July
07:26 18 July
West Ham are winning the race to sign Arsenal forward Reiss Nelson, with the Gunners valuing the 24-year-old at £25m. (Talksport, external)
The defender reunited with manager Julen Lopetegui, who made him captain at Wolves, during the Hammers' pre-season training camp in Austria.
Speaking to the club website, Kilman revealed how he has been settling in at his new club: "I'm loving it. All of the boys have made me feel really welcome.
"Everyone has been really good and it shows how tight-knit the group is together, so I'm really pleased. I just want to keep working and keep going.
"I'm enjoying it [working under Lopetegui]. It is really tough but he wants to get the best out of all of us, so that's the most important thing. We want to learn, we want to improve and we want to be the best that we can be.
"The training has been tough [in Austria] - getting used to the new system we want to play and integrating with all the boys. Everyone has been really welcoming and I've enjoyed every bit of it."
Premier League pre-season - who does your team face and when?published at 12:04 16 July
12:04 16 July
Image source, Getty Images
The football never stops.
Euro 2024 has barely finished but Premier League clubs have already started turning their attention to pre-season friendlies.
The games are spread across the globe, from Tokyo and New York to Sligo and Crawley.
So who will your team face? And when and where are the matches?
Ferencvaros 2-2 West Hampublished at 17:03 15 July
17:03 15 July
Nayef Aguerd scored a late equaliser to secure a 2-2 draw against Hungarian champions Ferencvaros in Julen Lopetegui's first game in charge of West Ham.
The Hammers trailed their first pre-season friendly 2-0 at half-time but Danny Ings' fine free-kick and Aguerd's close-range finish completed the turnaround in Austria.
Image source, Getty Images
