West Ham United News

Carlos Soler signs for West Ham Unied from PSG..

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West Ham have secured the signature of Paris St-Germain midfielder Carlos Soler on an initial loan.

Soler, 27, moved to the French capital from Valencia in 2022 and is also a Spain international.

His transfer to London is another acquisition for new Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui, who has already brought in the likes of Niclas Fullkrug and Aaron Wan-Bissaka this summer.

Soler expressed his delight at sealing a move to London and the Premier League with West Ham, commenting: "I am really excited to be here as a West Ham player.

"It has always been a dream of mine to play in the Premier League, and to be doing it in London with a club like West Ham is an incredible feeling.

"I can’t wait to feel the support of the fans, who I have already heard so much about from conversations with people who know the club, like my good friend Pablo Fornals.

"I am excited about meeting my new team-mates and giving my all for this club in the best league in the world.”

West Ham United 1-3 Manchester City - Hammers undone by Erling Haaland..by Gary Rose, BBC Sport journalist

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Trying to take points off Manchester City is a difficult task for any side, let alone when they face them with Erling Haaland in the form he currently is.

The Norway striker scored a hat-trick - his second in a row - as Pep Guardiola's side claimed a 3-1 victory at London Stadium.

If not for his current deadly prowess in front of goal, however, West Ham may have got something from this game.

They were a distant second best in the first half but were much improved after the break, particularly after Mohammed Kudos hit the woodwork.

But they did not capitalise on their improved spell as their finishing proved poor, substitute Niclas Fullkrug summing it up in the closing stages when he stabbed wide from a promising position.

The Hammers have taken three points from three games so far, but their defeats were against City and Aston Villa - who are likely to be up challenging the top four again this season.

Son in law went to this game, he described Man City as in " a different league " to WHU,( he is a WH fan) and I daresay a few others in the PL, but added that it was a pleasure to watch them all the same

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West Ham are considering a move for 35-year-old former Germany defender Mats Hummels, who is a free agent after leaving Borussia Dortmund.

West Ham are interested in 33-year-old former Liverpool defender Joel Matip and 31-year-old Republic of Ireland international and ex-Sheffield United player John Egan, as they look to the free-agent market for a new centre-back.

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We asked you for your thoughts on West Ham's transfer window, their start to the season and where you believed they would finish.

In our poll, a whopping 77% of you said the Hammers will finish between sixth and 10th,

Here are some of the comments you sent our way:

Paul: Best squad in a very long time but they will need time to get the new system working. Feels like the team love the new system and will be better for more time together on the training ground and in match play. The mix of experience and youth is very good, it seems super Tim Steidten can really pull the strings now. It's a new beginning.

Carl: A much more positive outlook both tactically and in the transfer market. We really have some good players now and once they have gelled together with the manager's ideas I think top six is not out of reach!

Geoff: West Ham are going to struggle - too many new faces have to learn how they each work. New manager to make his mark but overall I feel West Ham are a long way from challenging for top half. Battling to avoid relegation - unless every player lifts their on-field performance.

Chris: I think we’ll finish between 10th and 14th position wise. We signed a few good players but we’re still short of a forward with pace. We should be dipping into the out of contract players not only for a centre half but for a forward.

Michael: Very mixed….Kilman looks a great signing and Summerville is promising. Can’t see the point of Rodriguez, no different from Alvarez and am not happy about Ward-Prowse leaving. That’s 10 goals a season let go. Fullkrug looks like a slower version of Danny Ings so Antonio will still be our main striker when he’s 46 probably.

Rob: In just three Premier League games under Lopetegui we can already see a change for the better in terms of creative play, passing and ball retention. Given the quality in the new look squad I’m sure this will soon produce more goals for and less against!

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Liverpool 5-1 West Ham: Hammers suffer more Anfield pain..

West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui, speaking to Sky Sports after his side were thrashed at Liverpool in the Carabao Cup:

"We don't deserve this score because we did a lot of good things. We made a very good first half. They scored an offside goal [and] we suffered the first goal.
"After we had 10 players, they scored more goals. The last 20 minutes, we didn't manage well. The players made a big effort. We were in the match until this moment despite the referee decision.
"I'm sorry for our fans."

On Edson Alvarez's red card: "Second yellow card - it can happen. He can't play the next game. I'm very proud of the players who played until 60 minutes."

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Brentford 1 West Ham United 1 - Analysis: Soucek secures point for Hammers..by Bobbie Jackson, BBC Sport Journalist

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Julen Lopetegui is yet to set the world alight since taking charge of West Ham over the summer, despite spending over £100m in transfer fees.

West Ham have won just one of their six games in the league under the Spaniard but their performance against Brentford suggests improvements are being made.

The Hammers fell behind inside a minute and then enjoyed the majority of possession and chances for the remainder of the first half.

Lopetegui made two tactical changes at half-time, brining on Konstantinos Mavropanos and Carlos Soler for Mohammed Kudus and Emerson.

West Ham looked much-better balanced in the second period and it took just under 10 minutes to get level.

Tomas Soucek, brought in for the suspended Edson Alvarez, bundled the ball in from close range after some neat build-up play on the edge of the box.

Clear cut chances were few and far between in what remained of the game, although West Ham looked the more likely to register as they pressed on for a second with momentum on their side.

With no victory since seeing off Crystal Palace on 24th August, West Ham are desperate to get back to winning ways and they have a golden opportunity to achieve that when Ipswich visit London Stadium on Saturday.



BRENTFORD (4-2-3-1): Flekken 6; Van den Berg 6.5, Collins 6, Pinnock 6, Ajer 6.5; Damsgaard 6, Janelt 6; Schade 6 (Yarmoliuk 60, 6)
Carvalho 7 (Konak 85), Lewis-Potter 6.5, Mbeumo 7

Subs not used: Valdimarsson, Mee, Meghoma, Trevitt, Roerslev, Ji-Soo, Yogane

Goals: Mbeumo 1' - Booked: Yarmoliuk, Lewis-Potter - Manager: Thomas Frank 6


WEST HAM (4-2-3-1): Areola 6; Wan-Bissaka 6, Todibo 6, Kilman 6.5, Emerson 5.5 (Mavropanos 46, 6); Rodriguez 5.5, Soucek 6,
Bowen 6.5 (Irving 93), Paqueta 6 (Summerville 76), Kudus 5.5 (Soler 46, 6); Antonio 6 (Ings 76)

Subs not used: Fabianski, Cresswell, Coufal, Guilherme

Goals: Soucek 54' - Booked: Emerson, Kilman - Manager: Julen Lopetegui 6.5


Referee: Simon Hooper 6

Attendance: 17,050

Saturday 5th October 2024 - Premier League - Venue: The London Stadium

West Ham United 4 (Antonio 1, Kudus 43, Bowen 49, Paqueta 69) Ipswich Town 1

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Hammers captain Jarrod Bowen put daylight between the teams with a 49th minute strike

Match report by Michael Emons, BBC Sport journalist at London Stadium

West Ham gained their first home Premier League win of the season as they overpowered newly promoted Ipswich Town, who remain without a victory since their top-flight return.

Goals from Michail Antonio, Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta gave the Hammers the three points and eased the pressure on manager Julen Lopetegui after an indifferent start since he replaced David Moyes as manager.

Antonio swept home Bowen’s low cross after 48 seconds, but in a frantic start Liam Delap equalised with Alphonse Areola unable to keep out his 18-yard strike, despite getting a hand to the ball.

Ipswich missed chances to move ahead and that, along with a number of defensive errors, proved costly.

Dara O'Shea cleared Tomas Soucek's effort off the line after Ipswich lost possession inside their own penalty area, but the hosts restored their lead when Kudus reacted quickest to head in from close range after Antonio's header had bounced off the crossbar and down on to the goalline.

But the hosts dominated after the break and Bowen, left out of England's squad for the Nations League matches against Greece and Finland, put the game beyond Ipswich with a fine low strike.

The goal once more came from a defensive error from Ipswich. Ben Johnson's looped backpass asked a lot of goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, but he could not control the ball and lost possession with Bowen grabbing his second goal of the season shortly after.

His second assist of the afternoon followed later on, with a square pass with the outside of his boot, with Paqueta tapping in unmarked from close range for West Ham's fourth on a miserable day for the visitors.

MATCH FACTS

WEST HAM: (4-2-3-1) Areola 6.5, Wan-Bissaka 6.5, Todibo 7, Kilman 7, Emerson 7 (Cresswell 83), Soucek 7, Rodriguez 6.5 (Alvarez 70, 6), Bowen 8, Paqueta 7 (Summerville 83), Kudus 7.5 (Guilherme 85), Antonio 7 (Soler 70, 6).

Subs not used: Fabianski, Coufal, Mavropanos, Ings

Goals: Antonio (1'), Kudus (43'), Bowen (49'), Paqueta (69')

Bookings: None

Manager: Julen Lopetegui


IPSWICH: (4-2-3-1) Muric 5, Johnson 5, O'Shea 6, Greaves 6, Davis 6, Morsy 5, Phillips 5 (Taylor 74, 5), Burns 5 (Ogbene 74, 5), Hutchinson 5 (Chaplin 83), J Clarke 5 (Szmodics 73, 5), Delap 6.5 (Hirst 83).

Subs not used: Walton, Clarke, Townsend, Woolfenden.

Goal: Delap (6')

Bookings: Clarke (31')

Manager: Kieran McKenna 5

Referee: Anthony Taylor 7


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West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui, speaking to Sky Sports: "It’s always important to win

"It was an important day for us but we deserved to win against a good team like Ipswich. We started very well but suffered a goal in an action I think we can avoid but after the mentality was strong."

Who could be described as 'irreplaceable' for West Ham ? - BBC Radio London's Xavier Bird offers his suggestions for West Ham:

Jarrod Bowen: It goes without saying. Superfan Danny Dyer sent a video message to Julen Lopetegui over the summer, requesting the new Hammers boss build the team around his son-in-law. Lopetegui has since made him captain.

Bowen scored 16 times in the Premier League last season, equalling the record set by Paolo di Canio in the 1999-2000 season. There is still a question mark over the fitness of Nicholas Fullkrug, while against Ipswich, Michail Antonio scored for the first time since the 2-2 draw against Liverpool in April.

For now, Bowen remains the main player West Ham turn to for goals.

Edson Alvarez: Alvarez had a very impressive first season with the Hammers, particularly considering he arrived under the daunting expectation of replacing Declan Rice.

The main issue last season for the Hammers was he was essentially their only holding midfielder. They have since brought in Guido Rodriguez, which has helped ease pressure on the Mexico man, but they still lack defensive solidity in midfield when Alvarez is absent - and that is a bit too often given he picks up too many yellow cards.

Alphonse Areola: Areola made a mistake against Chelsea for Nicolas Jackson’s first goal recently, something which really set the tone for the rest of the West Ham performance that afternoon.

For the most part though, he has been very solid between the sticks for the Hammers, and has ultimately staked his claim to a position which had for so long been nailed down by Lukasz Fabianksi.

The problem for West Ham is that Fabianski remains their number-two keeper. Should Areola pick up a significant injury, as Hammers fans feared he might have done when he came off at half time in the defeat to Manchester City, West Ham would be relying on a 39-year-old in one of their most important positions.

Lucas Paqueta: The Brazil playmaker has not been quite right so far this season. Whether a potential ban from football hanging over his head - should he be found guilty of breaching FA betting rules - that should not necessarily come as a huge surprise. His lack of cutting edge on the pitch so far this season has definitely affected West Ham though.

Paqueta is capable of creating something out of nothing, is by far the best passer in the team, and also (not that you would expect it) was a hugely important player in terms of winning the ball back when David Moyes was the manager.

Should there be a lengthy ban, which is something that has gone quiet for the moment, West Ham fans might have to readjust their start-of-season expectations for their side.