West Ham United FC

[Cormega]

Carlos and Javier happy to be Hammers!

01/09/2006 09:17

Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano insist they had no fear in turning down some of Europe's biggest clubs in order to join Alan Pardew's exciting young squad at West Ham United.

The Argentinian pair completed a sensational move to Upton Park from Brazilian club Corinthians on Thursday afternoon, and revealed that - thanks to their friend and former Hammers loan signing Lionel Scaloni - they are fond admirers of the claret and blue.

Striker Tevez, widely regarded as one of the most exciting young players in world football, said: "I first heard about the possibility of joining West Ham United 48 hours ago. I had followed the club quite a bit last season because I am a close friend of Lionel Scaloni. We watched every West Ham game in Argentina because of our friendship and he spoke very highly of the club, its supporters and the manager.

"Yes, it's true, other clubs in the Premier League and around Europe were interested in signing both myself and Javier. But when we met Alan Pardew the choice was simple - he made us both feel really wanted.

"I know there will be a lot of fuss around us because we are two new players from Argentina, but we see ourselves as team players, not individuals. That was another attraction for coming here - Mr Pardew explained that there is a great team spirit at the Club, and we want to be a part of that.

"When you are thousands of miles away from home, team-mates become like family, and it is important to have a good spirit - it shows we are all working together. We both want to learn English, because it is important to integrate with the team and our new colleagues."

Mascherano, who at 22 is the same age as Tevez, was equally excited about the move and admitted that it was also the influence of the Hammers boss that persuaded him to put pen to paper at Upton Park.

"Mr Pardew's enthusiasm rubbed off on both of us," says Javier. "He talked about his vision for us and the club, and we both became very excited. He is organised, with a clear idea of what he expects, and I was very impressed with his approach.

"I am also aware of some of the great players at West Ham. I know of Anton Ferdinand - he is talked about a lot in Argentina as a great player of future, while I also like Nigel Reo-Coker, who is a very dynamic captain and displays the work ethic that is clearly in place at West Ham.

"We also like the sound of English football being quicker, with a lot of pressure. We will both improve as players because of that. And I am excited about playing in the UEFA Cup. In Argentina, European competition matches are watched with great enthusiasm, and it will be a wonderful experience for us."

Tevez has been handed the number 32 shirt at Upton Park, while Mascherano will wear number 16. Both have already shown a keen willingness to settle into life at Upton Park straight away - the first question they asked upon being presented with a West Ham United shirt was: 'Tell us about the Hammers - where does that symbol come from?', while as Chairman Terence Brown revealed, Javier even asked to be given the number six shirt made famous by Bobby Moore!

Both players are currently in London on international duty with Argentina ahead of their friendly match against Brazil at Arsenal's new Emirates Stadium on Sunday, and will report for their first day's training with the Hammers on Tuesday.

Details of their official unveiling as West Ham United players will be announced here on whufc.com as soon as they are confirmed.

[Austrian Hammer]

jaja, ich wusste ja dass was passieren wird. und es macht mich nicht glücklicher:

West Ham in takeover discussions 

 

West Ham are having "exploratory discussions" over a possible takeover.

The move comes hot on the heels of the club luring Argentine pair Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano to the club.

"Discussions are at an early stage and there can be no certainty that an offer for West Ham will be forthcoming," said a club statement to the Stock Exchange.

"The board also confirms that there is no contractual link between the signing of the players (Tevez and Mascherano) and the bid discussions."

Media Sports Investment (MSI) owned the rights to the Argentine stars, who signed from Corinthians on transfer deadline day.

MSI have a stake in the Brazilian club and Kia Joorabchian is the company's president.

MSI pulled out of a potential takeover of the Hammers in November 2005 after failing to agree a price with the club's directors.

West Ham would not be drawn on revealing who they were in discussions with about the possible takeover.

But Joorabchian told BBC Radio Five Live on Thursday: "MSI is a company that will not invest in European football as such by investing in a club, so that speculation is out for sure."

das was für mich den verein ausgemacht hat, scheint bald nicht mehr zu existieren. schade. ich habe eigenlich diesen verein unterstützt, weil es nicht um die großen millionen ging. doch jetzt wird der verein wohl eine gesellschaft, die NUR auf gewinn ausgerichtet ist.

[gennaro ivan]

wie wurde der transfer eigentlich bei den fans aufgenommen?

kann da wer was berichten?

wenn man sich die hintergründe so vor augen führt, ist das ja nicht mehr so die sensation. vielmehr ist dadurch eine abhängigkeit von abramovich entstanden.

[Austrian Hammer]

ok abramovich hat damit eher wenig zu tun.

die englischen fans sind von den spielern begeistert. jedoch haben auch einige nach der gestrigen sensation angefangen nachzudenken. es wurde im vertrag ja vereinbart, dass die spieler für je 35 mio pfund gehen können und dies auch müssen, wenn ein angebot vorliegt.

bezüglich der übernahme gibt es auch gespaltene meinungen. einige sagen, dass das nicht mehr das west ham bedeutet, das es einmal war, und andere sagen, es ist zeit mal etwas zu gewinnen. jahre in der mittelmäßigkeit sind schmerz genug. jetzt wollen auch sie mal eine mannschaft, die um die meisterschaft mitspielen kann.

ich persönlich bin gespalten. sähe einer übernahme aber negativ entgegen.

[Cormega]

hm, weiß jetzt auch nicht mehr wie ich zu dem ganzen stehen soll. Einerseits freu ich mich über die Verpflichtung dieser zwei tollen, jungen, argentinischen WM-Stars...gehör da wohl auch zu einem von denen , die den Verein gerne etwas weiter oben sehen würden (um UEFA Cup Plätze mitspielen). Jedoch fürchte ich auf der anderen Seite (ähnlich wie Austrian Hammer), die Gefahr dass unser charismatischer Club West Ham United mit solchen Stars und einer eventuellen Übernahme (Gott bewahre..), an Identität verliert.

bearbeitet 2. September 2006 von Cormega

[andy23]

Glaube nicht das West Ham zu einem zweiten Chelsea wird.Wenn jemand bereit ist Geld in den Verein zu investieren kann man das nur begrüssen.

Bin überzeugt davon das West Ham egal was die Zukunft so bringt weiterhin den Weg mit den eigenen jungen Spielern gehen wird.Desweiteren sollte es uns dann auch möglich sein die jungen Spieler die man Jahrelang ausbildet endlich halten zu können.

West Ham hat für den englischen Fussball in der Vergangenheit sehr viel getan,und da wäre es meiner Meinung nach einmal an der Zeit das Sie auch etwas zurückbekommen und die eine oder andere Trophäe in den Osten Londons wandelt.

[ianrush]

The Times  September 02, 2006

West Ham's family values tested by £80m takeover bid

By Gary Jacob and Dan Sabbagh

A NIGHT of celebration for West Ham United supporters was followed by uncertainty yesterday as the club confirmed negotiations for an £80 million takeover bid that could end one of the longest family ownerships in football.

If Terence Brown, the West Ham chairman, and two descendants of the men who founded the club in 1895, Charles Warner and Martin Cearns, decide to sell their shares, Kia Joorabchian, the head of Media Sports Investments (MSI) and the man who brokered the deal that took Carlos Tévez and Javier Mascherano, the two Argentina players, to Upton Park on Thursday, will buy a controlling interest in the Barclays Premiership club.

Brown, Warner and Cearns own two thirds of the shares, and although the business is nominally a public company, if they agree to sell, remaining fan shareholders will not be able to prevent a takeover.

Joorabchian, it is believed, may step down within weeks from MSI to assume control of West Ham, clearing their debt of £22 million. The 35-year-old Iranian-born British national is thought to be backed by a consortium from Iran that believes the club is financially viable but undervalued, with the potential to obtain much higher revenue. The club own their stadium and have other valuable assets, including training grounds and a community centre.

West Ham confirmed his interest and added that discussions were at an “exploratory” stage. “There can be no certainty that an offer for West Ham will be forthcoming,” the club said in a statement to the London Stock Exchange.

The identity of Joorabchian’s wealth is unclear, although he appears to have control over Corinthians, the Brazilian club. The London-registered MSI shows no turnover — but it is only one of four companies named as investment partners in Corinthians. None of the other three appears to be registered in the UK. Joorabchian has been linked to Russian oligarchs, including Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea, but denies the connection. Joorabchian first approached the club about a takeover last year and returned to the table about a month ago. As well as fulfilling takeover rules, Joorabchian would have to prove to the Premier League that there were no conflicting interests and he would face other checks, such as bankruptcy.

West Ham denied that Joorabchian’s interest in the club is linked with the arrival at Upton Park of Tévez and Mascherano, who were signed from Corinthians on Thursday. “The board confirms that there is no contractual link between the signings and the bid discussions,” the statement said.

Both Argentina players are contracted to MSI, a company that Fifa is investigating to ascertain whether it is for the “good of the game”.

An £80 million takeover would make Brown, who controls 40 per cent, £32 million richer. Warner, great grandson of Arnold Hills, the club founder, owns another 21 per cent, while Cearns, a son of a former chairman, holds 9.1 per cent.

West Ham are covered by the takeover rules, even though the club’s shares are not traded on any stock exchange. Joorabchian, or any other buyer, cannot agree to buy more than 30 per cent of the shares without making an identical offer to all shareholders. Fans, though, could refuse to sell, although minority investors’ rights are limited, and once a buyer obtains more than 90 per cent, the rest of the shares can be compulsorily purchased.

The confusion surrounding the arrival of Tévez and Mascherano at Upton Park deepened when it emerged that the Corinthians official website had listed the pair as signing for Manchester United in the hours before the transfer deadline. The Brazilian club put Tévez’s price at £7.5 million and Mascherano’s as £11.75 million, seemingly well outside West Ham’s budget.

Guardian Blog

Eyebrows raised at deal shrouded in mystery

For now, Carlos Tévez and Javier Mascherano are West Ham players, although eyebrows will have been raised at the passing of a deal that in almost every sense is unusual.

Paul Kelso

September 1, 2006 10:13 AM

West Ham's sensational capture of Carlos Tévez and Javier Mascherano is undoubtedly the biggest coup of this or any other transfer window, but it is not just in English pubs and Premiership grounds that the significance of the Argentinian pair's arrival will be debated.

Thanks to the complex structure of the deal and the mysterious ownership structure of Media Sports Investments (MSI), the investment vehicle that yesterday sold the players' registrations to West Ham, administrators in Britain and Europe will have raised eyebrows at the passing of a deal that in almost every sense is unusual.

Although the transfer lists in today's papers will baldly state that Tévez and Mascherano yesterday moved from Corinthians to West Ham, the reality of the deal is more complex and remains in part opaque. The players were contracted to and paid by the Sao Paulo club but they were at least half "owned" by MSI and its front man Kia Joorabchian, an Iranian-born, British-educated businessman.

MSI yesterday sold its share in the pair's registration to the Hammers because FA regulations prevent player registrations being owned by anyone other than a club. MSI has secured lucrative sell-on clauses, however, meaning West Ham will have to sell either player should they receive an offer in excess of €50m (£35m) per player or match the fee themselves, with the lion's share of the profit going to MSI. For celebrating West Ham fans the one cloud on the horizon may be that the pair will spend this season in the Premiership shop window before departing to more glamorous employers.

Joorabchian became familiar to an English football audience last year when he tabled a £90m offer to buy West Ham from the chairman Terence Brown. The offer was not accepted but relations between the two parties remained good enough for the deal of the season to be engineered almost out of the blue.

Welcome though the signings will be to Hammers fans who will now dream of Champions League football, Joorabchian is a controversial figure in Brazil, where he was investigated after buying Corinthians in 2004, in Russia where he developed links with the exiled media oligarch Boris Berezovsky, and in the corridors of the European governing body Uefa where allegations of claimed links to European clubs, including at least one from the Premiership, have come to the attention of the chief executive Lars Christer Olsson.

Joorabchian, 35, made his entrance into football in 2004 when he appeared in Sao Paulo as the frontman for MSI's takeover of Corinthians, which saw the company promise to pump $35m into the club over 10 years. Joorabchian presented Tévez as a $22m (£11.5m) "present" to the fans and the most high-profile player ever to swap Argentina for a Brazilian club. Within months, however, Joorabchian and MSI found themselves the subject of an investigation by the Brazilian Central Bank and the organised crime unit. The investigations threw up extravagant claims but no proof of any wrongdoing.

MSI is registered in London, with Joorabchian and a Nojan Bedroud of Maidenhead, Berkshire, listed as the sole directors. Joorabchian has been on compassionate leave from Corinthians for several months after the death of his father. The transfer of Tévez has also thrown up suggestions of indirect links between the businessman and Berezovsky.

Joorabchian acknowledges that the two men are friends but denies that the Russian is a source of MSI's cash. Joorabchian also denies ties between MSI and Roman Abramovich, who was linked with the company by the Spanish newspaper AS, its story fuelled by reported sightings of Abramovich's yacht in Buenos Aires shortly before the Tévez deal was announced.

It was these suggestions of links between club owners stretching around the world and across Europe that alerted European administrators to the activities of Joorabchian. Allegations made in the Dutch media were forwarded to Olsson, who forwarded his concerns to leading football administrators across the continent and members of the European Parliament. Olsson's warning shot was in part the catalyst for a review of European football governance sponsored by the sports minister Richard Caborn and carried out by a Portugese politician, Jose Luis Arnaud. The review called for EU law to be changed to allow football to be governed by different rules to the rest of business, specifically allowing the authorities to investigate collaboration between clubs. Currently Uefa can only intervene if an individual or club own more than 51% of two clubs.

Irgendwas stinkt da gewaltig...

bearbeitet 2. September 2006 von ianrush

[Cormega]

anscheinend müssen Tevez und Mascherano doch nicht immer spielen, zumindest hat Pards in den englischen Zeitungen und auch mit der Aufstellung gegen Villa ein klares Zeichen gesetzt, dass er nur aufstellt, wie er es für richtig hält und nicht wass irgendein Vertrag oder Sponsor sagt.

Naja, was gibts zum Spiel gegen Aston Villa zu sagen? Im Vorhinein wäre ich mit 1 Pkt enttäuscht gewesen aber nach der katastrophalen ersten Halbzeit können wir Hammers froh sein, dass es nach 45min nur 0-1 stand. Unglaublich wie viel Platz die Villans hatten und noch unglaublicher dass wir hinten jedes Kopfballduell verloren haben, was dann auch zwei Kopfbälle von Angel erlaubte, die beide "on the bar" gingen. In der zweiten HZ erarbeiteten wir uns dann wenigstens die ersten Chancen und erzielten dann nach einem guten Corner von Bowyer das 1-1 durch (wen sonst als) Bobby Zamora. Doch nach paar Minuten hätte es schon wieder ganz anders aussehen können als, ich glaub Petrov wars, bereits Roy überlüpft hat und Mears in letzter Sekunde auf der Linie geklärt hat. Die eizige gute Phase hatten wir dann in den letzten 30min, wo dann auch Tevez, unter tobenden Applaus ins Spiel kam. Klar ist der Junge noch von seiner Normalform entfärnt, trotzdem spürte jeder im Boleyn, dass für Villa Gefahr droht, sobald unser Carlos einen Run startet. Hatte dann auch paar gute Reingaben, fand aber leider keinen Abnehmer.

Naja, alles in Allem ein etwas enttäuschentes Spiel. Dachte, durch die Verplichtungen, ist die restliche Mannschaft so richtig on fire und spielt 90 min Villa an die Wand. Dass das nicht der Fall war, zeigt aber auch wie stark Aston Villa diese Saison ist...allen Respekt. Trotzdem war der Upton Park Besuch wieder ein schönes Erlebnis. Allein das "I'm forever blowing bubbles" am Anfang des Spiels ist das ganze Eintrittsgeld schon mehr als wert. Naja, Stimmungsmäßig macht uns, außer Liverpool vielleicht, sowieso keiner was vor.

Aja, auch sehr geil ist, dass es anscheinend gar kein Problem ist Autogramme von den Spielern zu bekommen. Wollt eigentlich nach dem Spiel gleich ins Pub nach Camden, da aber die Schlange vor der U-Bahn Station so unendlich lang war, ging ich zurück zum Stadion und sah rund 100 Leute, die vor dem Parkplatz der Spieler warteten. Ich hab mir zwar nicht viel erhofft aber hab mich halt dazu gestellt. Halbe Stunde später kamen dann auch die ersten und die meisten nahmen sich wirklich die Zeit um Autogramme zu geben, für Fotos bereit zu stehen oder einfach bisschen mit den Fans zu reden (so wie bei Tyrone Mears: and..you like it here at West Ham? - Yea, i love it..except your cockney..usw.). Nach ca. ner Stunde hatte ich dann auch Unterschriften in meinem Matchprogramm von: Bowyer, A.Ferdinand, Reo-Coker, C.Cole, Harewood, Green und Etherington. Kann die, wenn ich wieder zu Hause in Linz bin auch gerne einscannen.

So, freu mich schon auf meinen nächsten Bescuch, der dann hoffentlich zu Weihnachten (Boxing Day) klappen wird.

[Schapu]

Hab selbstverfreilich die laufenden entwicklungen mitverfolgt... naturalmente freu ich mich über die beiden gauchos, welcher preis dafür zu bezahlen sein wird, wage ich jedoch nicht abzuschätzen - wer ein wenig ahnung von der premier league hat weiß dass auf lange sicht ohne einen derartigen "einstieg" die hammers wohl nie um internationale starts mitgespielt hätte... andererseits wars ja gerade dass was ich am verein so mag/mochte - das underdog dasein...

najo - vielleicht schaff ichs auf meine alten tage endlich mal in den upton park

[CarolusMagnus]

Was passiert jetzt mit Reo-Coker?

Hat es den Anschein, er wird zum Reservisten oder will man eine neue Position für ihn finden?

[Cormega]

Was passiert jetzt mit Reo-Coker?

Hat es den Anschein, er wird zum Reservisten oder will man eine neue Position für ihn finden?

1217747[/snapback]

warum sollte man eine neue Position für ihn finden? Er wird wie derzeit im def. Mittelfeld spielen. Mascherano nimmt den Platz neben ihn von Mullins ein. Aufstellung wird ziemlich sicher so aussehen:

-------------Zamora-------Tevez------------------

Benayoun----------------------------------Bowyer

-----Mascherano------------Reo-Coker------------

Konchesky--Gabbidon--Ferdinand--Mears (Pantsil)

----------------------Carroll---------------------------

bearbeitet 13. September 2006 von Cormega

[andy23]

warum sollte man eine neue Position für ihn finden? Er wird wie derzeit im def. Mittelfeld spielen. Mascherano nimmt den Platz neben ihn von Mullins ein. Aufstellung wird ziemlich sicher so aussehen:

-------------Zamora-------Tevez------------------

Benayoun----------------------------------Bowyer

-----Mascherano------------Reo-Coker------------

Konchesky--Gabbidon--Ferdinand--Mears (Pantsil)

----------------------Carroll---------------------------

1217898[/snapback]

Würde mich dieser Aufstellung im grossen und ganzen anschliessen.Würde nur Etherinthon links spielen lassen und Benayoun anstelle von Bowyer nach rechts geben.

[herr_obskur]

für das, dass es sie gar nicht verdienen in der CL zu sein    (Maccabi war eindeutig die bessere Mannschaft)

1190213[/snapback]

dir ist aber schon klar, dass israel gar nicht in europa liegt..? wer da was nicht verdient hat...

wurscht.

back to topic

[Austrian Hammer]

Heute gehts los gegen Palermo. Hoff ich bekomm irgendwo einen Stream her, sonst muss ich mich halt mit der zusammenfassung auf eurosport begnügen.

Come on you irons!!!

[Cormega]

Heute gehts los gegen Palermo. Hoff ich bekomm irgendwo einen Stream her, sonst muss ich mich halt mit der zusammenfassung auf eurosport begnügen.

Come on you irons!!!

1219870[/snapback]

ich glaub UBC Sports überträgt das Spiel. Den Sender kann man soweit ich weiß auch über TVAnts empfangen...muss ich aber am Abend dann in Linz mal selber genau schauen...