West Ham United

The saga surrounding the future of West Ham United's Winston Reid took a shocking twist on Thursday, as the Hammers announced the New Zealand international has put pen to paper on a new long-term deal with the east London club.

The team took to Twitter to confirm the news:

STORY: We are delighted to announce that @WinstonReid2 has penned a new long-term deal with the club. #WHUFC #COYI pic.twitter.com/f5seO74njr

— West Ham United (@WestHam) March 5, 2015

Reid's current contract was set to expire at the end of the 2014-15 season, leading to plenty of transfer speculation. Speaking to the Hammers' official website, the centre-back didn't deny he took a lot of time to come to a decision:

It’s one of those things that took a bit of time, but we got there in the end and I’m very happy to be here for the next part of my career. I’m looking forward to it.

At the end of the day, for myself I feel comfortable here. I was speaking with the Joint-Chairman David Sullivan and everybody and felt like I was valued here. He was clearly very committed to getting the deal done and keeping me at the Club, so I’d like to thank him for that and I’m delighted to sign for the next six years.

My family are happy living here too. We’ve been part of the Club living in London, so we weighed all the factors up and I’m delighted to be staying here.

His new six-and-a-half year contract will keep the 26-year-old at the club until 2021.

As reported by Goal's Graeme Bailey, the new contract brings a sudden end to a lengthy transfer saga that saw Reid linked with the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, while Everton already tried to move for the defender during the winter transfer window.

Liverpool were also reportedly interested, per the Daily Mirror's Steve Stammers, and given his status as an impending free agent and his apparent reluctance to sign a new deal, it was a surprise not to see him leave the club in January.

Even Hammers boss Sam Allardyce admitted he fully expected the New Zealander would leave the club at the end of the season, as reported by the Daily Mirror's Neil McLeman in January:

There is no future for Winston Reid at West Ham United at the moment because his contract finishes.

The only thing is that his contract finishes June 30. He hasn't said he is going to sign and he hasn't said he is isn't.

But you would you err on the side that he isn't by the feel and the look of it at this moment in time, by the know-how in the football world I have been talking to—other managers and so forth about the situation so I would say it is highly unlikely that Winston is going to sign for us based on what people are saying to me.

ESPN FC's James Dall always knew he wasn't going to join the Gunners, however:

Winston Reid to Arsenal sounded like exactly the sort of signing Arsene Wenger doesn't make.

— James Dall (jamesdall.bsky.social) (@JamesDall_) March 5, 2015

As unexpected as this news is, it's undoubtedly a fantastic move for the Hammers. Reid is a proven Premier League commodity entering his prime as a football player, and the long-term commitment means that at the very least, the club could hold out for a significant transfer fee should he wish to leave in a year or two.

The 2014-15 campaign has already been quite the success for West Ham, and with Reid's contract situation now out of the way, the club can focus on other areas of need going into the final stretch of the season.

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West Ham United striker Carlton Cole has accepted an FA charge for a comment he posted on Twitter that broke the rules surrounding players' use of social media. The FA fined him £20,000 on Thursday.

Continue for updates.

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FA Fines Cole £20,000 for Abusive Comments on Twitter

Thursday, March 12

The FA fined Cole £20,000 for "sending abusive comments to a Tottenham fan on Twitter," BBC Sport reported.   

On March 6, Sky Sports provided confirmation of Cole's acceptance of the FA charge:

BREAKING: West Ham striker Carlton Cole accepts FA charge over comment posted on social media. #SSNHQ

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 6, 2015

The FA reported on March 3 that the comment is alleged to have been "abusive and/or insulting and/or improper and/or brings the game into disrepute."

The charge is thought to refer to a response from Cole to a fan's critique after the Irons' 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on Feb. 22, per Ed Aarons of The Guardian.       

Cole is certainly not the first player to have been cited for his use of social media. As recently as January, then-Stoke City defender Robert Huth picked up a fine and a two-game ban for breaching social media rules, per BBC Sport:

Stoke's Robert Huth banned for 2 games & fined £15,000 over comments he made on Twitter http://t.co/E7irupLz8L #scfc pic.twitter.com/u8FISpjk9F

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) January 30, 2015

Indeed, Cole himself has been charged before over his use of Twitter, picking up a £20,000 fine in 2011 for disparaging comments made after a friendly between England and Ghana at Wembley, per Sandy Macaskill of the Daily Telegraph.   

UPTON PARK, LONDON — West Ham United's flailing Premier League top-four challenge took a disastrous turn on Saturday afternoon as they lost 3-1 at home to Crystal Palace. Alan Pardew, a 1-0 winner at Upton Park earlier this season with his Newcastle United side, enjoyed another sweet return to his old stomping ground.

The defeat compounded a month of misery for Sam Allardyce; following late concessions against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur—two games in which they were much the better side but failed to collect all three points—they dropped a real clanger here.

The enormity of the loss is clear: With three points gained over the course of February (the other coming from a 0-0 draw with Southampton), the Hammers' grip on a top-four chase has slipped dramatically. It's even arguable, even with 11 games to go, that the fight is over.

Clearly, West Ham focused on holding onto leads this week. It's been a problem, and Allardyce admitted in the programme notes that while they respect Palace as a team, they'd be looking to play their own game and then retain the spoils:

"We have reviewed all of our recent matches and will be working extremely hard on not relinquishing valuable leads in future. The challenge is to maintain those leads and ensure we collect the points our efforts have warranted."

Except the opportunity to hold a lead never occurred; it didn't seem as though they'd even considered that they may fall behind in this game.

West Ham were flat and uninspiring throughout; the home fans' moans and groans at the half-time whistle—then only 1-0 down—were fully justified. It's as if only half the players had truly awoken for the Premier League's early kick-off, with Alex Song the main culprit.

Mark Noble cannoned a free-kick against the top of the crossbar early in the first period, but that was the only attack of note from the Hammers. As Crystal Palace found their feet and grew into the game more and more, their danger on the counter-attack grew.

That the away side scored all three goals from set pieces—a remarkable feat given they were playing against Allardyce—doesn't tell the story. The Eagles were ferocious in transitions, with Wilfried Zaha, Jason Puncheon and Yannick Bolasie able to stretch out and run three vs. three.

Had Zaha's decision-making been better (stop me if you've heard this before), Palace could have scored five.

"It's a real frustration for us based on the expectation the fans have been giving. I really didn't see this coming today," Allardyce admitted in the post-match press conference. "But we've got to accept it; we let ourselves down.

"Turning performance into victories is the hardest thing at this level and we've really slipped up at that. We're letting that qualifying-for-Europe scenario slip."

West Ham are without a win in six attempts (all competitions) and face a succession of Chelsea (home) and Arsenal (away) next. On paper it's two losses—and the form book hardly disagrees—conceivably leaving the Hammers on 39 points with nine games to play.

February has not treated the Irons well. Their top-four pursuit has been killed over the last 28 days, with this horrific loss the final nail in the coffin.

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If one needed further evidence of the growing, fractious rivalry that now exists between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United, then the most recent transfer deadline day offered a conclusive case.

As the clock moved within minutes of the transfer window closing, the Hammers had moved to the forefront of the race to sign Spurs forward Emmanuel Adebayor on loan, only for the move to be unilaterally vetoed by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.

“There were five good clubs who were interested, and I narrowed that down to three and then one that I wanted to go,” Adebayor told Sky Sports the next day. “But Mr Levy was against that because it was a rival club [West Ham]. So I am staying here.”

As that deal collapsed, so did a number of others that were contingent on Adebayor’s arrival at Upton Park (Carlton Cole, the man making way for Adebayor, was called back from West Bromwich Albion with almost all aspects of his transfer sorted).

Levy's decision had a trickle-down effect on the entire deadline day, one of the quietest for many seasons.

"At the last moment the main deal collapsed and the rest folded like a pack of cards,” West Ham co-owner David Gold bemoaned on Twitter (via Darren Lewis of the Daily Mirror). He added, “No matter how hard you tried there are people out there that you just can't do business with.”

Levy’s intervention was portrayed as a hard-nosed business decision—at the time, West Ham remained realistic rivals for Champions League qualification, so handing them an experienced striking option would have perhaps been ill-advised—but Gold’s own comments suggested an underlying animosity between the hierarchies of both London clubs, an enmity Gold clearly felt contributed to Levy's decision.

Perhaps that should be no surprise. This season, West Ham have emerged as closer rivals to Spurs on the pitch, but off the pitch, they have been fighting, and winning, battles against the north Londoners for almost a decade.

The central war, over the future of the Olympic Stadium, was won by West Ham—a controversial victory that could yet define the fortunes of both clubs over the next decade or more.

As the two clubs prepare to face off in the Premier League on Sunday, with Spurs still firmly in the Champions League hunt, we are perhaps only slowly waking up to the opportunity that awaits West Ham in the years ahead.

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West Ham United revel in their lore. The Hammers have grown to adopt “The Academy of Football” as a semi-official slogan, one that adorns different areas of Upton Park and the club’s training ground.

It is a phrase full of significance, one first ascribed to the east London club by newspapers back in the 1960s, when the likes of club legends Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters formed the backbone of the England team that would go on to win the 1966 World Cup.

Yet, even in that era, when Moore was good enough to tackle Pele, the club never once finished higher than sixth in the top flight, a pattern that has frequently repeated itself in the years since.

In and out of the Premier League in recent times, West Ham have remained very much in the second tier of London clubs, unable to keep up with neighbours, who have gotten used to regular European football and the power and resources that come with it.

Since then, the academy of football has become the basis of some taunting from rival fans, with the talent pool perhaps drying up somewhat since the emergence of the likes of Joe Cole, Michael Carrick and Rio Ferdinand.

“This train, like many promising young football careers, terminates at West Ham,” as one, possibly apocryphal, story about a recent London Underground announcement goes.

Perhaps, however, the tide is starting to turn. The club entered 2015 sixth in the Premier League table with realistic (albeit distant) hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.

It is 13 years since the club last finished higher than eighth in the top flight (seventh in 2001/02), and they have never directly qualified for a European competition via the league (in 1999, after finishing fifth, the Hammers were one of the winners of the Intertoto Cup, meaning they progressed into the UEFA Cup).

Today marks exactly five years since David Gold and David Sullivan, two life-long West Ham fans, took over the club. pic.twitter.com/76c3WjdXK8

— West Ham Central (@WestHam_Central) January 19, 2015

That could all change this season, however, if Sam Allardyce and his squad can sustain their form.

Co-owner David Sullivan—who, along with partner Gold, has helped rebuild the club after an ill-fated stint under Icelandic ownership—certainly thinks so, revealing earlier this month that he was targeting a Premier League title and even Champions League success “within the next five years.”

“Yes, I know it’s unlikely, but again, it's not impossible—look at Atletico Madrid [who won La Liga and finished runners-up in the Champions League last season],” Sullivan told the London Evening Standard. “We can all dream.”

Clearly, then, West Ham are a club on the up. But while this season and the next could see the club break new ground, it is the 2016/17 campaign when they could really move to the next level, as they finally move into the Olympic Stadium.

Suddenly, the club will be the sole football occupiers of a 54,000-capacity stadium, something that, in terms of ground size, would catapult them into the same tier as Arsenal, Newcastle United and Manchester City. The club themselves describe it as “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” while the Guardian was moved to describe it as “one of the most advantageous deals ever struck in the history of football.”

One criticism of the modern game is that “social mobility” is practically non-existent; without the benefit of a billionaire backer, clubs outside the traditional elite find it virtually impossible to break into it. The introduction of financial fair play was meant to change that, but there is a very real argument that it has only succeeded in further sustaining the status quo (now, even a billionaire backer cannot help you climb the ladder with the ease others have enjoyed in the past).

A new stadium, however, can change a club’s entire economic and sporting outlook in a stroke. West Ham have been presented with one on a plate—and it could be their key to becoming a domestic and European force to be seriously reckoned with.

Certainly, it appears to be a game changer—which is perhaps why Spurs wanted it for themselves.

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Judged purely on certain statistics, there is no Premier League club that needs a new stadium more than West Ham. This season, at the time of writing the club has an average home attendance of 34,845 (per soccerstats.com), which works out at an impressive 99.5 per cent of Upton Park’s maximum capacity of 35,016.

That is as good as Manchester United—who have so far sold out 99.5 per cent of (the admittedly far larger) Old Trafford—and better any of Chelsea, Liverpool and Everton, all of whom are currently exploring different ways of expanding their current grounds to bring in greater matchday audiences.

Tottenham are another club looking to move into a new ground—a modern arena that better chimes with their ongoing aspirations. On paper, they are currently a bigger club than West Ham, with more realistic European and domestic aspirations, but based purely on the statistics, their need for a bigger space is marginally less than their rivals. Spurs currently hold an average attendance of 35,823, 98.9 per cent of White Hart Lane’s 36,240 capacity.

In theory, both clubs are looking to emulate the success enjoyed by another London club, Arsenal, who seem to be thriving since making the move from their traditional home, Highbury (capacity: 38,419), to the Emirates Stadium (capacity: 60,272) almost 10 years ago.

Ignoring the growing pains involved with the move (more of which later), it has clearly been a resounding economic success for the Gunners, aided by manager Arsene Wenger’s consistent ability to guide the club to Champions League qualification during the transitional phase.

In the last published financial results, following the 2012/13 season, Arsenal returned matchday revenues of £93 million, nearly double those of West Ham and Spurs combined (which totaled £51 million). Additional Champions League home games contribute to that inflated figure, but in the main, it is the greater number of tickets, both personal and corporate, that can be sold—and at higher prices—at the Emirates that contributes to the difference.

West Ham and Spurs both want a piece of that pie (London, of course, being an affluent city where demand for tickets is more inelastic than most places), which is why they have already made arrangements to get it. West Ham have been handed their golden ticket, however, while Spurs face an arduous and expensive journey to reach the same point.

If Arsenal are the blueprint, then they are also a warning shot. The club may be free of their debts now, but for over a decade, the Emirates Stadium was a huge financial responsibility that drastically curbed their ability to spend large sums on improving the playing squad.

“It is massively difficult,” Arsene Wenger said to the Daily Express last year. “If you look at the history of all the English clubs who have built a new stadium, and look at where they have finished, I knew always that would be the most sensitive period in the history of the club.”

Some of the “sensitivity” was of Arsenal’s own making, however. Rather than simply selling the old Highbury site to a developer and letting them take on the burden of converting the plot to flats, Arsenal opted to take on the burden themselves. That required the club to take out bank loans of around £133 million to raze the ground and build 655 flats, an additional liability on top of what it was already costing them to buy the new site and build the stadium.

This was a calculated risk on the club’s part. While the risks were perhaps higher than they needed to be, by building and owning the flats, the club stood to make a greater profit in the long run than they would have done by simply selling the land. While exact figures are hard to come by, it seems safe to assume the club made around £80 million in profit on the Highbury development, whereas the land itself would only have commanded around a quarter of that (albeit many years sooner).

West Ham have taken the more risk-averse option, selling the Upton Park site to the development company that also assisted Arsenal in redeveloping areas around the Emirates, Galliard Group.

Located slightly further away from central London than Highbury, the Boleyn Ground plot was nevertheless estimated to be worth around £20 million by observers, although the club insist that they did not accept the biggest deal on the table—preferring instead to go with one that offered a greater commitment to regenerating the surrounding area, the club’s traditional supporter base.

“There were better offers on the table from more aggressive developers,” the club said in a statement, “but these were rejected as the club wanted to leave the right legacy for fans and the local community.”

The sale made sense for West Ham for far less sentimental reasons, of course. If we estimate the fee commanded for the site being just shy of £20 million, then that immediately offsets the £15 million the club have been told to contribute to the Olympic Stadium redevelopment costs (it needs to be made football-ready between now and next summer).

That is all West Ham are being asked to contribute, however, to a stadium that has now cost taxpayers at least £619 million (they also have to pay £2.5 million a year in rent). With their 99-year lease and moderate rental charges—which will be more than covered by an increase in matchday revenue—the Hammers have effectively gone from a 35,000-seater stadium to a more modern, adaptable 54,000-seater at no cost to themselves.

“This is state sponsorship beyond my wildest dreams,” then-Leyton Orient owner Barry Hearn said in 2013, per the Guardian. Orient are the nearest club geographically to the Olympic Stadium but lost out to West Ham in their bid to move in. “In effect, it’s rent free, as they have the ability to develop Upton Park.”

Hearn added: “We have ended up in situation where we have gifted £500 million of taxpayers’ money to a Premier League club that has a turnover of more than £100 million. It’s a wonderful gift, but if I was an Arsenal fan, I would wonder why we bothered paying to build a new stadium.”

Spurs, of course, were also strongly interested in moving into the Olympic Stadium, even if it meant moving away from their traditional borough. But they lost out to the Hammers (in a bidding process that remains highly contentious) and, after that setback, are now planning on staying as close to their current ground as possible.

They plan to move slightly away from the White Hart Lane site but will still have to knock down the old ground to complete a new one they hope to move into at the start of the 2018/19 season, making the new ground part of a larger redevelopment: the Northumberland Development Project.

A new Sainsbury’s superstore has been built on the site, with the entire development expected to cost around £400 million—although Spurs are pushing hard to receive initial payments from the local council and other development funds to get the first phase off the ground.

The stadium was initially expected to have a capacity of 55,000, although recent reports have suggested they now want to pump it up to 61,000—1,000 more than Arsenal's stadium (a symbolic, albeit perhaps infantile, gesture).

Beyond that, however, the transition is fraught with difficulties. White Hart Lane will be knocked down before the new ground is able to be finished (something that, as this week's High Court case with a local business shows, comes with its own complications), meaning Spurs will have to play home games at an external site for at least one season.

Stadium MK, home of the MK Dons, has already been mooted—the Olympic Stadium would be a perfect alternative had West Ham not already locked it up (and gained power to veto any other football tenant).

None of those options are ideal. With Stadium MK housing several thousand fewer seats than White Hart Lane, Spurs would also take a hefty hit in matchday income during their exile. A new ground might pay dividends in the long run, but in the short term, it will place immense stresses on the bank balance.

Arsenal showed that to be the case in the years following their move, and almost 10 years on, the figures involved are all the more draconian. Spurs have hugely wealthy owners behind them but will still have to cut costs to comply with FFP regulations.

“We built our stadium at a price that you couldn’t afford anymore,” Wenger added last year to The Telegraph. “We managed to build our stadium by subsidising it with our own resources. That is much more difficult today.”

But not acting can be nearly as disastrous. The Frenchman noted:

You cannot be in a business where you turn down 15,000 or 20,000 people every week. If your competitors have more financial power than you, at some stage you have to make a decision.

It looks like everybody makes this decision now, because when you look at Liverpool, Everton, Tottenham they want to increase their capacity.

And then West Ham, a club outside Britain’s traditional power base, secure such a site, increasing their financial power and forcing others to try to respond: “West Ham go to a bigger stadium [too], so if you stay in a smaller capacity, it’s even more difficult.”

Whether that has hardened Spurs’ resolve to push forward despite the obstacles is difficult to ascertain, but what is clear is the obstacles are not insignificant. Spurs’ owner, billionaire Joe Lewis, is widely characterised as one of the richest men in the world, and someone who, while preferring to delegate most day-to-day club responsibilities to Levy, is not unwilling to ensure the club have the funding they need.

Building a new stadium, however, is on a different level to signing a top player—as the club’s recent moves indicate. News that the club had appointed financial adviser Rothschild was taken as an indication that Lewis was about to sell up, with the club forced to clarify that it was instead to find ways of financing the new stadium.

A club statement said:

The stadium redevelopment plans are a significant part of the future for both our club and the local area and represent a complex infrastructure project that requires funding. This substantial construction project requires discussions with multiple providers of finance so that the optimum financing package can be achieved. To this end, we have appointed Rothschild to advise us on those options.

...

Contrary to recent press speculation, neither the club, nor its majority shareholder, are in any takeover discussions and the focus of the club is fully on delivering the new stadium project.

Nevertheless, the hot speculation remains that Lewis will sell the club once the new stadium is built. A new, state-of-the-art, large-capacity stadium will significantly increase the value of the club, with many expecting Lewis to choose that moment to cash in on his investment and collect a sizable profit.

Clearly, there is a belief that West Ham’s owners will do the same once the Hammers make their own move—indeed, co-owners Sullivan and Gold reached an agreement with Mayor of London Boris Johnson that any profits they make from selling all or part of their interest in the club in the 10 years after their move will be split with the city, another indication of the brilliant business deal all parties knew the club were getting.

When the pair bought their 50 per cent stake in the club in 2010, it valued the club at £105 million (both men have since upped their interest and now control over 80 per cent between them). That valuation has not changed significantly in the years since, whereas Arsenal were most recently valued at £890 million by Forbes magazine.

Such figures are not based on sentiment. If West Ham start qualifying for the Champions League on a consistent basis, the club could significantly close that gap very quickly. Even if they don’t, as an asset, the Olympic Stadium and its 99-year lease would only boost the value of the club considerably.

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That is because of the money-making potential of the move. Again, it is very difficult to work out exactly how much West Ham stand to gain from the stadium switch, but we can make some estimates with reasonable conviction.

The club made £19.5 million in matchday revenue in the last revealed accounts, so that should, at the very least, increase in line with the larger capacity of the Olympic Stadium, which is 54 per cent bigger than Upton Park.

A 54 per cent increase in matchday revenues would be £30.1 million—but even that is perhaps not entirely accurate, considering the club could (and probably will) charge more at the new arena and be able to sell a greater percentage of corporate packages at a variety of (again increased) prices.

A figure nearer £35 million would not seem outlandish, while the addition of European football could quickly add another £5 million to that. Of course, that requires selling out the stadium on a regular basis, something not all observers are convinced the club can do without offering heavy discounts in certain sections.

Commercial income is also likely to increase, with the club expected to sell naming rights to the new stadium—which, if paired with shirt sponsorship, should net an extra few million a year—as well as attract more partners keen to be involved with the club as it makes such a big move.

Last season, the club made just under £14 million in commercial revenue, whereas the capital’s big three clubs (Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs) made an average of £61.7 million. Vice-chairman Karren Brady and her team will certainly be targeting a push toward at least £30 million once they have their new home.

“The Olympic Stadium offers enormous commercial and brand opportunities,” Brady said when the club announced their latest financial results. “We have a strategy to deliver sell-out crowds and enter that stadium with a team that are benefiting of such an amazing iconic venue.”

	Matchday revenue	Commercial	Sponsorship	Total
2013-14 season	£19.5m	£13.7m	£3m	£36.2m
At Olympic Stadium	£35m	£20m	£5m	£60m
			Increase:	£23.8m

Of course, those figures will depend in part on matters on the pitch; the better West Ham do, the more money can be made on the back of that success. But it is important to note the club are in rude health now—they made a profit of more than £10 million in the last financial results for the 2013-14 season despite a net transfer spend of £20 million and some dire performances on the pitch, which saw the club fight relegation and even consider sacking manager Sam Allardyce.

“My board and I are satisfied with the achievements we have made in the 2013-14 season,” Sullivan said in his own statement about the latest financial results. “We continue to believe we will deliver both on and off the pitch by investing in the team, the brand and managing the business well.”

The large net transfer spend (it was an even bigger £30 million this summer) was achievable because of the vastly increased domestic television-rights deal, which netted the club around £20 million more per annum (a boost that is set to jump again by around £30 million in 2016 after the latest £5 billion deal was struck).

The Olympic Stadium move should almost match that boost, giving West Ham the financial muscle they need to challenge all but a handful of clubs in the world (most of them in England) in the transfer market.

Tottenham would perhaps be one of those clubs ahead of them, except they will have to pour vast sums each year into paying off loans and building costs on their own new stadium—a net difference between the two clubs that could approach nine figures for the time it takes to build the new ground.

That is the sort of difference that will eventually show on the pitch.

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West Ham deny they have been the beneficiary of remarkable generosity (or preyed on government incompetence) in this matter.

"West Ham is not getting a free stadium,” Brady said in 2013. “The stadium was built for the Olympics and what are we going to do with it? Without anchor tenants the cost would be huge to the tax payer.”

Nevertheless, the advantageous nature of the deal cannot be disputed. Upgrading their stadium by 20,000 at virtually no cost, West Ham have negotiated a move that should almost instantly elevate their financial muscle toward the biggest in the league.

Sullivan and Gold may decide to sell immediately (even if they have to pay a tax), and the new owners would still walk in with everything in place to turn the club into one of the biggest in England.

With FFP as a leveller, West Ham will suddenly find they have much greater resources at their disposal as they look to challenge for the biggest prizes in the game—at the same time, many of their rivals at their current level will have to drastically reduce their own spending to finance a new stadium.

Many laughed at co-owner David Sullivan when he announced the Champions League was a target for the club, but it seems exactly the sort of goal the club should be setting themselves ahead of their move into their new home. How soon such an aim can be achieved depends in great part on whether Sam Allardyce, or indeed another manager, continues to oversee progress between now and 2016.

Tottenham’s case only serves to underline the good fortune, and good deal, West Ham have created for themselves. It will be an instructive case of compare and contrast over the next few years, as West Ham seamlessly slip into their new surroundings and Spurs count the ongoing cost of building theirs.

In the long term, the owners of both clubs might look to sell up and recoup a nice profit from their London football clubs with brand-new homes.

The path to that point, however, is going to be remarkably different—and it would seem it is West Ham, not Tottenham, who will be best placed to remain competitive, or at least get even more competitive on the pitch, in the meantime.

“We are West Ham United,” as Sullivan noted. “We’re a big club, one of four big clubs in London. We have some catching up to do—but we’ve closed the gap.”

Come 2016, that gap could well have disappeared entirely. The Champions League might be a dream right now—but it could soon be anything but an unrealistic one.

Follow @alexdimond

Despite his phenomenal success with West Ham this season, reports have surfaced that the owners of the Upton Park club might replace Sam Allardyce at the end of the campaign.

Continue for updates.

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Allardyce Discusses Rumours on Future

Friday, Feb. 20

Sam Allardyce discussed the rumours surrounding his future on Friday, telling reporters that he "doesn't listen to praise or criticism," according to Gary Jacob of The Times. 

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West Ham Chase David Moyes and Slaven Bilic

Tuesday, Feb. 17

Matt Law of The Telegraph reported that Hammers owners David Gold and David Sullivan are lining up approaches for Real Sociedad coach David Moyes and former West Ham hero Slaven Bilic, with Sam Allardyce's contract due to expire in the summer.

Moyes is believed to be greatly admired by the West Ham board and is only on an 18-month deal in Spain, making his capture a possibility.

But Bilic, who is currently with Turkish club Besiktas, is also a strong candidate, and his previous connection to the club should be tempting enough for the former Croatia boss to try his hand in the EPL.

The 46-year-old has previously spoken of his ambitions to return to England, per Law, and the chance to coach in the Premier League would be difficult for him to turn down:

Managing in the Premier League is a question I get asked, not only about England—but mostly—and whatever you say, it sounds not fair to someone. I really like it here at Besiktas, I like this job, it's a massive club.

I’m enjoying it big time. But, of course, I would say that, one day, I would be interested in England, of course I would. I’ve been there, I’ve played there, l liked it there—wherever I go there. Okay, I'm not a huge star, but I feel people like me there and I spent my best years—and not only in football—there.

It's also the Premier League. If we have dinner, and there are big screens to watch, and there is no Turkish game, then we watch Premier League. That is the league that is most followed.

TalkSport's Adrian Durham believes Allardyce will soon be on his way from Upton Park, saying the former Bolton Wanderers coach is "holding back the club" before it moves into its new stadium:

With his big love for Kevin Nolan, Big Sam will never be big enough for West Ham's big future plans http://t.co/LKi0ulxEr9 @MailSport

— Adrian Durham (@TheAdrianDurham) February 17, 2015

Allardyce has performed well this term, but Durham's sentiments do ring true. If the Hammers wish to be considered among the biggest teams in London, Big Sam is probably not the coach to facilitate this.

Despite his failure at Manchester United, Moyes demonstrated his value at Everton, and West Ham would feel secure with a coach of his acumen in charge.

Bilic would be more of a risk, as he lacks Premier League coaching experience and is noted for his fiery temper—but he would be hugely popular with the fans.

Bilic is a passionate soul, and West Ham supporters would take to his management style immediately. 

The stuttering form that's undermined West Ham United's strong start to the season nearly looked set to continue after the club almost lost a key utility figure. Versatile, defensive-minded star Cheikhou Kouyate suffered an arm injury during a recent training session, according to Daily Mirror reporter Ed Malyon. Thankfully, he was able to start against Tottenham on Feb. 22, the club announced.

On Feb. 17, Malyon reported Kouyate was the victim of an accident at the east London club's training headquarters at Chadwell Heath.

However, West Ham later released an update, stating that Kouyate was medically cleared to return to practice the next day. 

Former Anderlecht man Kouyate has proved invaluable at times this season. In particular, he's flexible enough to play as a centre-back or holding midfielder.

While Allardyce can welcome back central defender Winston Reid, per a Mirror report from Adrian Kajumba, he could use Kouyate's strength and drive at the base of midfield.

The Hammers were beaten 4-0 in the FA Cup by West Bromwich Albion, a result that even prompted an apology from co-owner David Sullivan, via his official Twitter feed:

A disappointed performance today. I feel sorry for myself but most of all I feel sorry for the thousands of traveling West Ham fans. dg

— David Gold (@davidgold) February 14, 2015

But the Hammers have also managed just two points from their last three league games. While the midfielder's injury wasn't serious, this is the worst time for Allardyce's squad to suffer injury scares like this. . 

For the second consecutive season, it looks like Andy Carroll will muster just 12 Premier League starts for West Ham United—not quite a third of a possible 38 he could have been involved in.

If, as appears likely, Carroll now misses the rest of this season with a knee injury sustained against Southampton on Wednesday, the 26-year-old’s career will once again be halted by medical problems—just as it looked like it was finally starting to hit a real groove once again.

"Andy Carroll will have surgery on his injured knee on Tuesday following assessment by a specialist on Friday afternoon," a West Ham statement said on Friday. "The England international injured his left knee during the second half of Wednesday night's 0-0 Barclays Premier League draw at Southampton.

"The recovery phase is expected to keep Carroll out for the remainder of the 2014-15 season."

INJURY UPDATE: @AndyTCarroll will have surgery on his injured left knee on Tuesday - http://t.co/lIHkQhOoP5 #WHUFC pic.twitter.com/1D7onksLs6

— West Ham United (@WestHam) February 13, 2015

It is a devastating blow for Carroll, who missed the early part of the season as he recovered from an ankle problem. Then a run of games after returning to fitness saw him contribute five goals and an assist in his 12 league starts, the ex-Newcastle United and Liverpool forward showing glimpses of his potential—you would say “his old self”, but we’ve perhaps never had the chance to see that over a sustained period—as West Ham continued to defy most pre-season expectations.

On Friday morning, Hammers boss Sam Allardyce was hopeful that Carroll’s injury would not be too serious. But closer examination evidently uncovered the full extent of the issue.

"It's a big blow for him and a big blow for us. It's one we have had to cope with,” Allardyce said, per the Daily Star. "Hopefully it will be 4-6 weeks I would have thought, if we are lucky, depending on Andy's recovery rate. Some players recover and heal quicker than others.

"It's a completely new injury. Not a recurrence of an old one.

"A full diagnosis is yet to come. We will probably have it by the end of today."

Instead, Carroll now has to recommit himself to the sort of gruelling rehabilitation process that he has embarked on a number of times before (much of last season was ravaged by a fractured foot). Each time he is forced to do it, the striker could be forgiven for losing faith that his body will ever hold up long enough for him to fully express his ability on the pitch.

It is noteworthy that West Ham’s statement says only that he is likely to miss the rest of the season—which is three full months away. While it might be doom-mongering to suggest that Carroll’s lay-off could extend into the 2015-16 season—and that is something the club have simply declined to reveal at this time—if it is one of the more serious knee injuries, then unfortunately it is not something we can rule out.

Allardyce continued: 

Yes, it's traumatic when somebody is going through a period where they always seem to be, in a short period of time, having to overcome injury after injury.

We thought we were there [with Andy]. Then, all of sudden, with the Liverpool game, now a different injury, albeit to the same knee, it's a huge concern for us all.

It's very depressing for Andy. He knows the process. He knows he has to be very strong in terms of his approach to overcome this injury and get back as quickly as possible.

Hopefully that is soon, certainly in time for the new season. But increasingly, we are reaching a point where we might never see what Carroll could achieve in the game, adding him to the list of players like Ledley King, Jonathan Woodgate and Owen Hargreaves who were robbed of the chance to maximise their careers by the frailty of their physiques.

When Carroll played 39 games for Newcastle in the Championship in 2009-10 (33 of them starts), or indeed played some part in 35 of 38 league games in his first full season at Liverpool (21 of them starts), there was no real indication that Carroll was as injury-prone as he evidently seems to be. But since arriving at West Ham, he has been unable to put a consistent run together, something that has hampered his ability to establish himself for the club and, by extension, his country.

Much has been made of Harry Kane’s recent form and his almost-certain inclusion in the next England squad—indeed, head coach Roy Hodgson basically admitted as much this week, per the BBC—but Carroll, too, must have been pressing his claim with some of his recent performances.

Hodgson is not thought to be a big fan of the striker (even though he took Carroll to Euro 2012), but it remains the case that Carroll offers attributes no other English striker, bar perhaps Rickie Lambert or Peter Crouch, can offer: A genuine Plan B, where his aerial ability and physical strength could offer an intriguing alternative to the movement and technique-based approach of the likes of Daniel Sturridge, Raheem Sterling and Danny Welbeck.

No player in Europe's top five leagues has won more aerial duels per game than Andy Carroll this season (8.43). pic.twitter.com/ngYOxnL0tH

— Squawka (@Squawka) February 13, 2015

Kane, while undoubtedly very raw, is perhaps more of the same in that regard, and Hodgson will surely feel he needs a variety of options come tournament time for the Three Lions. But, with so many players other than Kane also vying for places with their goalscoring exploits, Carroll has to earn his place in the squad through his performances at club level just like everyone else, and an injury removes him from the pool for far longer than just the time he is sidelined.

If we assume Carroll will be fit for the start of the new season, he is still unlikely to make Hodgson’s early season squads (when, hopefully, European Championship qualification will be secured) because he will not have played enough club games to prove his form and supplant someone else. But if he has not made the squad by the end of the year, that does not give him much time—or many opportunities—to press his place before the European Championships start.

The good news for Carroll in this situation, if indeed there is any, is that West Ham cannot really do anything but give him every opportunity to keep coming back. When they signed Carroll in 2013, the Hammers gave him a six-year contract—with a club-activated option for a further two years. Even if that option is not exercised, Carroll is still under contract until the summer of 2019.

With his injury record over recent seasons, no well-run club is going to offer big money for him—so unless West Ham are willing to write off a huge loss on the player, they will have to persevere with him and hope that he eventually overcomes his injury problems.

That may be no bad thing for either party, given that they all will know where they stand. Carroll’s club and country aspirations have taken another huge hit, however, a setback that will take longer than his mere injury lay-off to come back from.

In a bid to boost his attacking options, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is reportedly hoping to lure West Ham United pair Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho away from Upton Park this week.

With the winter transfer deadline fast approaching, The Sun (h/t the Telegraph) reports that Loic Remy has been deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge, leading to interest in the Hammers duo.

The speculation is partly intensified by Andre Schurrle's "imminent" exit from the west London club, with German magazine Kicker (h/t ESPN FC) stating a move to Wolfsburg for up to €30 million is close to completion.

Another factor in the move is whether or not the Blues can capture Fiorentina winger Juan Cuadrado, whose chances of completing a Chelsea move have been examined by former Liverpool forward Stan Collymore:

The Guardian has also reported on Chelsea's gazing at Valencia and Sakho, but West Ham chief Sam Allardyce is quoted by Rhys Turrell of the Daily Star as saying there's yet to be any contact:

"By email, text or phone? If they've sounded us out, which way? The only way they have been sounded out is through the media not through club-to-club."

Both players arrived in the Premier League last summer and have been essential to the Hammers' rise through England's ranks, at one point helping the club into the top-four race.

Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker praised Ecuadorian Valencia for his display against Everton earlier this month, dubbing him one of the best acquisitions this term:

Very good finish from Enner Valencia gives West Ham the lead. He's without doubt one of the signings of the season. #WHUEVE

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) January 13, 2015

Valencia's record of four goals in 23 appearances this season isn't exactly prolific, however, and one would argue that Remy sits as a more reliable option off the bench.

Sakho, on the other hand, has been a far more clinical creature in front of goal, as Squawka attests:

Diafra Sakho has now scored 10 goals in 16 appearances in all competitions during his debut season with West Ham. pic.twitter.com/bEObDOwdfO

— Squawka (@Squawka) January 25, 2015

Any move for the east London figures would depend largely on who were to leave Stamford Bridge first, as the club is more aware of over-spending thanks to the sanctions set in place by Financial Fair Play.

However, as David Amoyal of GianlucaDiMarzio points out, the economic benefits to bringing in a player so cost-effective could be substantial:

@rosenkranz10 could be Enner Valencia who is much cheaper

— David Amoyal (@DavidAmoyal) January 23, 2015

Allardyce is currently looking to bring West Ham back into European contention this season and will assuredly try his best to hang on to two assets who have taken brilliantly to the pace of English football.

The Sun quotes Hammers veteran Mark Noble as saying he believes Sakho in particular can lead the club to triumph in the FA Cup:

Mark Noble believes Diafra Sakho could fire West Ham to FA Cup glory http://t.co/PsdN40ep3g pic.twitter.com/mgpTxPkKUy

— The Sun Football ⚽ (@TheSunFootball) January 28, 2015

Sakho came to Upton Park as a striker option, but has proven his use out wide since moving to Stamford Bridge, an area in which Chelsea already have sufficient, if not too much competition.

If either were to complete a move across London, they would do so in the knowledge that their playing minutes would be at serious risk, but as aforementioned, any acquisition would most likely require Chelsea to free up squad space first.

The outrageously talented Argentine centre-forward Mauro Zarate, 27, is on the move again, this time transferring from West Ham United to Queens Park Rangers on loan pending the completion of a medical.

Instead of having a career comparable to ex-Argentine U20 teammate Sergio Aguero, Zarate has wasted innumerable chances by refusing to compromise. 

Leave West Ham United amicably? No chance. 

Zarate feuded with West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce while sucking up to Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp.

"I believe my record entitles me to respect and I have not had that from [Allardyce]," Zarate said, per Darren Lewis at the Daily Mirror. "I now have the chance to play for [Redknapp], a coach who has faith in me and will not allow his personal feelings to get in the way."

Obviously, Zarate has not kept up with the Redknapp-Adel Taarabt soap opera.

Allardyce rebutted Zarate's version of events.

"What [Zarate is] saying is not true," Allardyce said, per Jacob Steinberg at The Guardian. "He wasn't good enough."

ZARATE: New signing Mauro Zarate hopes to emulate his countryman Carlos Tevez at the Boleyn Ground. #COYI #WHUFC pic.twitter.com/WOvkD3MYow

— West Ham United (@WestHam) June 5, 2014

Premier League 2014-15	Goals/Games	Shots Per Goal	Assists	Key Passes Per Game
Andy Carroll	3/9	10.3	1	0.9
Carlton Cole	2/10	4.0	0	0.4
Diafra Sakho	7/13	5.7	2	0.9
Enner Valencia	3/16	10.7	2	0.5
Mauro Zarate	2/7	6.5	1	1.0
Stewart Downing	4/18	9.3	6	3.0

Despite having excellent balance on the ball, possessing world-class technique and being an entertaining footballer to watch, Zarate lacked Sakho's scoring touch and was not a creative outlet when compared to Downing.

You cannot fault Allardyce for cutting down Zarate's playing time because he was neither a productive scorer nor facilitator.

Did Zarate get enough chances? Yes.

In 415 minutes, Zarate scored twice, whereas Manchester City's 35-year-old loanee Frank Lampard scored four times in 344 minutes without having any breakaway speed, or recording a single dribble.

What probably irked Zarate was a lack of security in the West Ham United starting XI which may have affected his confidence.

He deflected blame to Allardyce for not providing enough moral support, rather than accept culpability for not putting up Aguero-like numbers.

This is the same "not my fault" mentality which led to Zarate's impasse at Al-Sadd.

"The Arabs arrived in Argentina ... the first time they asked me to sign, I said 'no'. But they kept on asking and because of the financial side, it was impossible not to take up their offer in the end," Zarate said, per Colin Tattum at the Birmingham Mail. "I went [to Al-Sadd] and I thought it would be different."

You can accept Zarate taking the quick money to improve the quality of life for his family. 

Though, what is inexplicable is he wanted out as soon as he got to Qatar, which explains his detour to then-Premier League club Birmingham City.

Then-Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish conceded Zarate was too good for them.

"I am sure performances like that will make it very difficult for us to hang on to [Zarate]," McLeish said, per Martin Smith at The Telegraph. "I hope he has a future in the Premier League because he loves his football and he's a great kid."

Lazio president Claudio Lotito went all in on Zarate, but denied claims of a monumental transfer fee.

"The figures that have been reported by the press don't represent the reality," Lotito said, per the Daily Mail. "The terms of the agreement foresee a valuation of the player which will rise to around €25 million because Zarate will turn out better than Lionel Messi."

For about one season, you saw Zarate's two-footed play, his audacious vision, panache style and him being a difference-maker for Lazio.

Even if Zarate did not reach his ceiling of Messi, Lazio had a world-class player on their books.

Lotito presumptuously told Liverpool to quit their pursuit of Zarate, who had a tentative agreement to extend his loan at Lazio into a permanent deal.

"There is zero chance [for Liverpool to sign Zarate]," Lotito said, per Reuters (h/t ESPN FC). "Lazio will exercise their option to buy Zarate and [Al-Sadd] will not sell Zarate to Liverpool, full stop."

Zarate scored 13 goals during his first Serie A season at Lazio.

Lotito invested upwards of €25 million, so he expected excellence going forward and was overly harsh on Zarate when he underperformed.

Zarate revealed he could not cope with the pressure. 

"I watched a game and then I went to the bathroom to cry ... Why have I come home? I needed to feel important, to feel liked," Zarate said, per Andres Garavaglia at Sky Sports. "The blame is on Lotito and a few players, in addition to the coach, it is them who make the decisions."

Again, the "not my fault" mentality rearing its ugly head.

Zarate was a one-season wonder.

Post the 2008-09 season, Zarate scored 12 goals and registered 11 assists in his next 68 Serie A games.

What did not compute in Zarate's mind was Lotito and the Lazio suits who invested eight figures only to see a frustratingly inconsistent footballer.

When Zarate had the chance to prove his critics wrong on loan at Inter Milan, he scored two goals and created another two in 951 Serie A minutes.

Spot the odd one out, per FIFA.com: 

[Sergio] Aguero (10) and [Mauro] Zarate (9) or [Angel] Di Maria (18) ... always worked excellently together.

They all had good dribbling skills, linked well in passing moves and had the knack of doing the right thing at the right time.

Zarate expects clubs to treat him as if he was born with a silver spoon, even though he is not a world-class player. 

It is as if Zarate is still living in the past thinking it is the 2007 FIFA U20 World Cup when he was on par with Aguero and Di Maria.

Once Zarate humbles himself, he may finally realise his potential.

Until then, Queens Park Rangers is the latest club to take a punt on Zarate, a player that is seeking career satisfaction, yet happiness seems to be wherever he isn't. 

+allanjiang.

When not specified, statistics via WhoScored.com. 

Ex-Toronto FC centre-back Doneil Henry is reportedly close to securing a move to West Ham United of the Premier League, according to the Canadian Press (h/t Sportsnet).

Sources confirm transfer fee, terms agreed on for Doneil Henry move to West Ham. Work permit is last obstacle. http://t.co/PEDuGqgjWr

— Neil Davidson (@NeilMDavidson) December 20, 2014

Henry, who has had a strange year, was sold to Cypriot club Apollon Limassol. However, he was then loaned back to TFC for the 2014 MLS season.

Now it seems as if the Canadian defender will be going to the Premier League. He trained with West Ham last year, but he is now extremely close to sealing a transfer to one of England's best sides this season.

All that stands in Henry's way is a work permit, per Luke Wileman of TSN:

Doneil Henry's representatives have confirmed to TSN that the work permit hearing is on Monday and if successful he will sign for West Ham

— Luke Wileman (@LukeWileman) December 20, 2014

Henry appeared in 70 games for TFC since 2010 and has earned 14 caps for Canada at just 21 years old.

The Canadian has extremely high potential. He's strong in the air and effective with his tackling. He averaged nearly two tackles per game and 3.7 interceptions, via WhoScored.com.

However, Henry is also prone to mistakes. He lacks concentration and makes rash decisions on occasion, such as his foul against Igor Juliao against Sporting Kansas City.

Wonder if all of those who felt Doneil Henry wasn't good enough for @torontofc will have a change of heart if he moves to West Ham?

— Jason deVos (@jasondevos) December 20, 2014

On the other hand, Henry is still just 21 years old and can develop into a quality defender. Sam Allardyce and his coaching staff should be able to help him improve. They wouldn't be on the verge of signing him if they didn't have faith in the Canadian's abilities.