West Ham have confirmed the signing of German under 19 international Savio Nsereko. He is a player well known to Hammers technical director Nani, who was with him at Brescia.
A fee of £7.5 million is a hell of a lot to pay for a player who has only 20 first team appearances behind him and scored a mere three goals. However, he was player of the tournament at the Euro Under 19s last year.
He’s only 5′ 9, so very much in the Craig Bellamy mould, but as well as playing up front, he is also at home playing on the wings.
I suspect he will be introduced to the team gradually, until he gets used to the style of playing. It’s important we don’t expect too much of him from the get-go.
UPDATE: Juventus have rubbished the Cole rumour.
West Ham Till I Die 
Potentially a fantastic long-term buy. We still need someone up front to partner Cole immediately . Perhaps they will explore the loans market?
Really? Where have they confirmed this?
BIG gamble,but I’m right behind Zola and clarke and nani on this one,after Behrami and ilunga.
A good prospect in my opinion, yes his goal:game ratio isn’t impressive, but to be the star player in the U19 championships is a very good accomplishment. I say we play him for 45 minutes against Hull. and lets hope we see a good relationship between him and Cole.
Mullins has left for Portsmouth. His quality has been debatable to say the least, in my opinion he’s normally quite solid for us and i was very disappointed to see him banned from playing in our cup final. All the best to him at Pompey, although at the moment i dont quite see the attraction.
Carlton to Juventus? I dont see it happening honestly. But i’d like to see him given a runout in an England friendly. How funny that a year ago, he was getting booed off the pitch, now he’s the most in form striker in the premier league at the moment and deserving of an england call-up.
I’d like to see us sign a left midfielder next, but i dont know who i’d kick out of the midfield. Probably noble as it happens, though i am a massive fan of his. Collison, Parker and Behrami are solid every game so i wouldnt get rid of any of them. Then what if dyer comes back in? It looks like we’ve got a competition for places on our hands! For the first time since…. ever!
Haha, the prospects are looking good for us hammers! COYI!!
You could raise our expectations of him by posting a link to a YouTube compilation that turns out to be wholly untrue.
I do not think that this will be West Ham’s only deal this January. Another one or two should follow, especially if Faubert exits. But things are definitely changing for the better at Upton Park, and watch the change acelerate in the summer. Interesting times!
all i can say is im excited to see this boy play… No one really knows much about him apart from Zola, Nani and probably clarke…. (to be fair wat i have seen on youtube does look good, but u can hardly fully judge on tht) However im sure looking at Nani’s record and also Zola’s eye on things they have obviously seen something special with this kid. So lets hope they can get it out of him!!!!
what is wrong with tristan if he is fit give him a run out, if not get rid and bring someone in like bent on loan. or nick philips for half a season on loan and let davenport go the other way .
Michelle & Carlton seem to be developing quite a good partnership up front, hopefully that will continue and this new lad can be introduced slowly. How cool would it be if he and sears click with them being so young!
Sorry Claretandbluepoo, but i believe we’ll need someone big like Cole to partner someone like Nsereko.
I reckon Zola, Clarke and Nani will lead us to europe. Maybe not this season, but give them time. If Pardew could do it so can they right?
Di Michele is not Premiership standard. He tries hard, bless him, but not good enough for me.
Nsereko is very slight of build, but he looks quality from the footage I have seen. Similar to defoe but with more tricks and skills.
I agree, he’s a player we need to integrate slowly… but if we have paid £9m for him, then he’s a player that has been brought in to play now… you don’t pay that kind of money for a player who’s gonna sit in the reserves for the rest of the year adapting to the English game… if you’re good enough, then you adapt whilst playing in the first team…. but yeh, maybe start him on the bench for the first 2 or 3 games… starting with Hull…..
COYI!
It shows good intent from the club. All the rumours from the scaremongers in the press are now proved to be false. Good to see the board sticking by their pledge not to sell our best players. I am very excited by this new lad. It has been years since I have felt this optimistic about our future (as I felt that the Eggy era was always too good to be true).
The future is bright , the future is Claret and Blue!!
Totally agree Falvo, thats exactly why Villa have just signed Heskey to compliment Young and Gabby up front
Seriously, where has this been confirmed?
I thought they always announced signings via the official website?
We will obviously just have to see if this is money well spent but the signings of Behrami and Illunga have been excellent so we should be hopeful that Nani/Zola have got it right again.
The most encouraging aspect, however, is that what the Board and Zola have been saying, about building, not selling and re-investing the Bellamy money have all come to pass. All of a sudden it seems like a different club.
Greezy, would that be like the compilation i saw on Faubert on youtybe when we signed him. mmmmm
I just hope and pray that Chelsea win the Premiership, Champions League and the FA Cup. Scolari is hailed a hero and referred to as the best manager in the World and probably the best Chelsea manager ever. Because I would be gutted if Zola and Clark were enticed back to Stamford Bridge if Scolari fails.
This season seems to be about stabilising the ship and staying in the Premiership, I can’t wait for next season, what a turn around……”fortunes always rising”
Iain I’m Just wondering where you saw the signing being reported I cant seem to find it anywhere, I’m quite excited all the same.
Looking the amount of experience midfielders we have on our squad I certainally hope we dont end up short through Injuries it appears to put a small bit of dependance on our good old friend Kieran Dyer.
Colm, if you go to http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/west_ham_utd/7851056.stm they’ll give you the update
And Roshi: maybe it should be: ‘fortunes suddenly rising’
Just a thought 😛
The more we play, the more we see the benefits of better coaching, better judgment of talent and most importantly better finess. All these things take time to show themselves but I am now really excited about the future. Has anyone noticed how few injuries we seem to be getting now?
It seems to me also that GZ and Clarke get the best out of players in the same way that Clough and Taylor used to. They take good players and make them very good. Cole is a prime example. He is really getting noticed now and playing some great football but it ewasn’t that long ago that he was a fringe player who most supporters (me included) wanted to get shot of. I feel that whoever we bring in will improve and whoever we get rid of will suffer as a result, once again, akin to Notts Forest in their heyday. I think we can only go from strength to strength with this team.
For the first time in a long long time time I go into games expecting to get at least a draw. Does anyone else feel like that?
Still not happy with the ownership or financial health of the club but one thing at a time. We can only hope that GZ and Clarke get the backing they need to move us even further forward.
Thanks eddie chappers, and yes the trio of Heskey, Agbonlahor, and Young poses a threat now that you mention it. Ilike Aston Villa though and Martin O’Neill too. I only hope he manages to keep a hold on Agbonlahor and Young.
I hope everyone has noticed the lack of game time available for the Bentley Boys (Reo-Coker and Harewood). I find it hilarious and think it won’t be long before they move on to little things. I’m thinking Harewood to Norwich or Cardiff and Reo-Coker to Stoke or Hull.
At the rate we’re going, they’ll all regret leaving West Ham to rot after scraping us away from relegation.
Oh times are so good for us Hammers at the moment! I’ve a very good feeling about the way our management is run and the attitude of our players! COYI !!!
would like to see Savio make an appearance for the Gunners match. We will need the pace.
This is going to be a trying week for us but i think we will get the points,
I also believe that GZ and Clarke would not be lured to Chelski if the situation presented itself.
GZ has values and he knows we love him here and we have faith in him. He has something to prove with us.
Savio! Savio!
You were brought by Gianfranco!
We don’t know how to say your name!
So we’ll call you the new Jermaine!
How about that for a chant if he’s any good… and plays up front
Savio who?
Seems as if Savio is going to be West Ham’s “record signing” so far. We didn’t pay more for any player except Bellamy maybe (Deano £7.25m; Bellamy also 7,5mio?).
Lol i can’t wait for a comentator to try and pronounce his surname. Especially tht……..(fill in ur own words)…….. Andy Gray
As previously commented on it surprises me that more top european clubs weren’t in for him. I suppose this should send the alarm bells ringing but I believe Nani knows the player well and Zola will be acutely aware of him. I’m excited about this one – I think he could be an awsome signing.
As for how to pronounce his name is it just a silent N at the beginning (making it sereko)?
Yes Burnhammer, the press are truly stumped by this signing. It totally disproves their disinformation about the club and its financial position. Afterall, the story line was always that the club were in financial melt down and this was caused by BG’s losses. Hence, it was argued that club’s best assets need to be sold in order to avoid the club slipping in to administration.
Duxbury’s insistance that the club was in an healthy position, was fire walled from the owners losses and would retain its best players was duly rubbished. But who has been proven right Duxbury or the running dogs of the press? Duxbury of course, by a mile! There are a lot of people that need to admit that they have been unfair to Duxbury.
The tabloid story lines have been blown out the water! Afterall, how could a club in financial crisis afford to reinvest the monies generated by Bellamy’s sale? The purchase of Nsereko is the perfect rebuke. It proves we are financially stable and, whilst the owner can not currently invest additional monies in the squad, there is certainly no financial meltdown.
The issue now is to secure new investment so that the long term deveopment and security of the club is secure. That will happen soon either via a sale of the club or BG bringing in new investors as part of the restructuring of his interests.
But the tabloids are vinidictive beasts and you can bet your life they will now try to up the ante on the Tevez issue. I firmly believe that their sensationalist nonsense will be proven erroneous on that issue as well!
However, as much as I enjoy seeing the press eat their own words, West Ham need to plan for a repproachment with the media. They need a damn good publicist to dispell the bad publicity hanging over the club and establish better long term communications and media relations for the club.
Excellent point Claretandbluepoo. I was thinking that exact same thought – Freddy and Savio forming a formidable partnership in the reserves then progressing to the first team.
I like the song but maybe this fits better:
Saviiiiio, whoah-oh
Saviiiio, Whoah-oh-oh-oh
We can’t pronounce his name
He’s better than Jermaine.
Still not confirmed on the website or on sky!
Ye thats a bit better lol
Seems like a lot money but then again I thought Ashley Young was lots when Villa snatched him from us but many is the time I have admired hm since.
Sorry to see Hayden Mullins go although he was not going to get any better at finding a defence splitting pass or having a shot at the goal rather than over it or wide of it.
If GZ and TC really have the skills mentioned they can surely get Spector up to at least Hayden Mullins level.
I agree with SJ’s comments.
The good thing about this deal is that approx half the money we received for Bellamy has gone straight into a replacement who is 10 years younger. He is very well known to Nani and GZ through his international connections and of course his wages must be a fraction of the reported £70K a week that Bellamy was on.
I reckon Bellamy was double bluffed by the WHU management into leaving as soon as they knew that the Nsereko transfer was a done deal.
He may not be the finished article yet, we just don’t know, but with the undoubted skill and enthusiasm of our management team we may of unearthed a real gem.
I cannot for one second believe that this is a gamble signing as this move has been mooted for a long while now and I am sure a lot of due diligence has been carried out before committing to the deal.
Didn’t they say nothing’s official until it’s on the main website?
Don’t jinx it haha.
I haven’t been so positive about West Ham since the days of Brooking, Devo et al.
One thing that seems to have gone unnoticed on here. On Saturday, in the 2nd half, we put together what must have been almost 50 passes. This would have been unthinkable under Curbishley and how dim does he sound when giving his analysis?
If we best Hull we move up to 7th. If we can stay there the season will be viewed as a great success………….and there’s still the FA cup! 😉
Yes that little bit of passing was brilliant to watch, and also the commentator saying something about the hartlepool players are probably wishing the referee blows up early!!! LOL
I must say that I don’t really see this as a gamble. Now Illunga on the other hand I did, and was promptly proved wrong, Behrami would be my hammer of the year thus far – both Nani signings. So no not a gamble, I just hope he can get into the team ASAP ( within the next 3 games would be ok) as it’s a hell of a lot of money for a player to settle down in the reserves.
Just on another point if I may (this may be in another post somewhere) Scott Parker, simply has to keep the Captains armband – he has become the spine of the team, works so hard 100% of the time and the way he dealt with situations involving the ref on Saturday has to be applauded, showing total respect and possibly saving C Cole from a second yellow.
This lad is a class act just what the dr orderd hes the creative left winger with bags of energy and pace we have been crying out for. COY!(ikinlovewestham)
We must have signed him for our left side,dont think hes a goal scorer,his strike rate is 3 in 17,there again how many games did he start, and was he playing left wing not up front.
I wouldn’t worry Chris. If Zola can get Cole to hit 5 from 5 games after 1 week of shooting practice with him I’m sure Nsereko’s capable of it too.
if i’m honest i wudn’t have signed him i want players that r gonna come straight in to the team at th moment cos we are starting to leave ourselves short now with really only carlton cole more likely to score goals then sears, di michale n tristan i’d want sum one to come straight in and make an imidiate impact to the team!! i’m hoping he proves to be an excelent signing i really am but i just think we need sum one who has a predigree to score goals!!
Iain –
I know you ban swearing and even **** sometimes.
Can you please ban ‘LOL’; ‘lol’ or any variations thereof? I find it offensive to the
Queen’s English.
This signing is a big show of intent by the club. As stated by others, it shows that the board are being true to their word and that the club is indeed on a stable footing. Bringing in young players of this caliber really raises the bar for the young players already at the club. We are in a great position with some real talented lads coming through the academy and bringing in youngsters of this quality to play alongside them is going to be great for them and us. We will get to see them all develop at the same pace and push each other on. Not selling our best players is so positive. It shows not only that we do not need to but also that the managment team believes in the players that are there, positive feelings for all involved. It is great to see the club being so positive and ramming all the rubbish the tabloids print back down their throats. Just S.U. to show up as the bunch of two faced idiots they are and things can really push on.
I would just like to wish Hayden all the best. He always did his best for us and was a good solid guy to bring off the bench for the last 20 of a match when we are winning but i can understand that he wants regular games, i hope it goes well for him.
Did someone say we need someone big like cole up front with this new fella?
i dunno…maybe we should try …..cole?
I think it’s definitely the way forward to bring players to the club who can be developed here. I don’t agree with paying out big money for players who don’t really feel any sense of belonging to West Ham, the first pay rise they’re offered and they’re off.
Been tryin to think of a song for the boy all day! I do like the ‘we can’t pronounce his name, he’s better than jermain’
we need a few more songs…new thread iain?
nothing on the official site yet
Would/will be a great signing ! but we havent done the deal yet !
We all are positive, its great to see!!
Cheers hayden for all your efforts lad, solid player for us, always gave his best…good luck at Pompey.
Savio I think could be a great signing, I agree I think he will be played left midfield to start with.
Hey like my dreams……. how amazing would it be if he turned out to be as good as Henry or Ronaldo…. Ars and Manure bought them for a lot as good prospects eh…we can only hope.
It’s so nice to see Ian’s blog being so positive of late. Things are truely looking better. Lets all hope things continue this way.
I hope the boy does good, not sure if Nani knows one end of a player from another – what exactly has he been doing all this time?
What has happened to Tristan – is he ever going to play a full game – he must be match fit by now – if he is not upto it why are we putting him on the bench every week?
Shame about mullins one of the players who did give his all – I suppose he is getting a bit long in the tooth and we still need to cut the squad wage bill.
I hope all the boys are going to give bellers a warm welcome if he decides to play when city come to town – priceless F%%k O%f CB
Looks like a younger more direct ashley young for a similar price tag than we almost paid for him a couple of years back. bein voted the best player at the u19 euros would indicate he’s probably one of the best u19 year olds in europe so 7.5mil is a bargain!
You sure Hes signed?
Well I hope they haven’t bought him on just one tournaments merit. COUNTLESS clubs have come undone throughout the years buying players on one tournaments performance.
I hope they see more in him then just voted player of the U19’s. That is one hell of a price tag for an unproven Premiership player. Although cheap doesn’t exist mid season.
this is a player that will be around for the long term future of the the.3 more year’s we will be unstoppable, noble,jack, savio, bajner,tomkins,junior stan….,and how can i forget Freddie sears hammer for life
still nothing official ? have we done the deal or not ? or does this mean there is more to come, we were supposed to be having a press confrence today it did’nt happen ?
Javier saviola has turned us and everton down for pompey !!!!
It looks obvious that Gianluca Nani is aiming for young prospects,and a bright future ahead that`s ok,but at the moment we need a striking partner to match with Carlton Cole and that could be only Javier Saviola……….how on earth he would choose Portsmouth instead of us.Carlos Teves can pass a word .COYI!!!!!
I dont see Savio as an unknown for Nani as dont forget he brought him to Brescia three years ago and has obviously seen the extent of his improvement to date therefore providing an indication of the player he is going to become- a lot of money but in an age where the spuds are seemingly buying everyone for around £17 million could be excellent business
I’m not so sure we are getting anyone just yet, Davenport deal will go through 1st he will be the last to go, so we will be stuck with neil,fabert and lbm untill the summer.
The new deals for upson green and parker still not confirmed and illunga not been tied up yet, WHAT IS GOING ON !!!!!?
Where does it say he signed to Pompey?
You may mean Javier Saviola. Not our kid
we said javier saviola ?
Does the delay in getting an official confirmation on the signing mean we can hope for a few more hours at least that there will be a double announcement – Savio and ???????
Lets hope so woodford roy lets hope so or it could mean it’s all fell through !! The plot thickens, Ha
Nevermind E1. maybe a misundertsanding. Just hope we have the under 19 Savio kid
saviola is shite great speed no finish!!!!
He’s ours, fellas!!
“Savio Nesereko is now a West Ham player,” said the player’s agent, Patrick Bastianelli, to Tuttonapoli.net. “He signed a contract for the next six months, plus a further four years. He is very happy to have the chance to play in the Premier League.”
A shite argentine international mmmm were have I hurd that before ?
Still nothing on the official site ?
They won’t be up now, E1. Official statement tomorrow.
i think there will be a double anouncement. zola mentioned arrival(s). hopefully we picked up hamsik although not sure how much we need someone in his position.
It’s on the epl website about transfers. So if that isn’t official enough (along with his agent), then i don’t know what is.
u cud actually give the source for this…
cause as of now nothing has been confirmed…
I DONT KNOW WHY IDIOTS LIKE URSELF POST THIS WHEN ITS NOT
SIGNED AND SEADLED YET….UR A MUPPET
Y do people see 7th as the success, last year was the consolidation season. We can go for 5th or 6th and attack the fa cup. Let’s show people the true quality we have and makes us the place where people want to be! Coyi!
Still all speculation and nothing from the club.
HAMMER: I don’t think we are saying 7th is success but the team is in a transition period and to finish 7th would be a good season, do you really think that we could do much with the current squad in europe and we don’t have the money to buy buy buy, so we will be building and improving this and next season. I agree that we should take the fa cup on and try to win it.
We need to bide our time and real success will come with better players and a sound financial footing and better home support, more noise. coyi !!!
Hammer – if you are referring to me, I suggest you learn to read and try typing English while you’re at it. The source of the quote and who quoted it are both in the post.
Grow up, you illiterate buffoon.
The transfer has now been confirmed on the club website and that he will be available for the Hull game. He also speaks German, Italian and English which is an improvement on Bellamy.
In terms of others coming in it seems unlikely if Nani has been quoted correctly. He has apparently said that this would be all in this window.
DevoDevo, i’m with you on that one! Come on how hard is it really to practice basic grammar. I find it very hard to respect anyone with such a slender grasp on grammar.
I have to admit i’m slightly nervous about this signing, all the footage i’ve seen of him he’s either blasting it over, or trying to take 6 players on and getting pushed off the ball.
But I know, Keep the faith !!
Great news and definitely one for the future, it looks as though Zola is of the Wenger mentality whereby he likes young players athletically gifted that can be coached to improvement, based on the supposed list of transfer targets anyway. I think this is a good thing, for the future of the club, I hope that Zola is around long enough to see if he can turn us into a new football dynasty, the way that Man U and Arsenal have achieved long term success is the only sustainable way, time will tell I guess.
As for Bellamy, he has said that “I never went on strike and although I have done many bad things in the past, this report is completely untrue.” He is not the sort to lie so I am inclined to believe him, we all know he went to Man City for mercenary reasons but I am glad that we had him for a short while and he always gave 100% for the club when he stepped over the white line so imho good luck to him.
I agree with someones earlier post.
Looks like Bellamy was set up for the fall. Let Spuds think they have a chance of signing him, boost the price a few mill. and bingo ! 14mill. from City. Good business.
Personally im a bit uneasy to hail him so quickly as a great player.
i think theres two important considerations to take into account:
1) if he is that good then why wasnt he snapped up by one of Europe’s elite clubs
2) he was playing in serie b!
granted.. there seems to be a bit of a renaissance at west ham at the moment and i do have complete faith in the coaching staff. most notably steve clarke.
however. i just think we should hold out a little bit before we talk about him being a new great. it also concerns me that freddy sears place may be in considerable jeapordy now and allied to that when all our strikers are fit we will have ashton, nsereko, sears, michele cole and tristan. thats alot of strikers to fill just two places up top! maybe he’s been brought in more as a wing forward than an out and out goal scorer.
still. as already pointed out. behrami and illunga have been great acquisitions and i hope this little fella is another tick in that box
We have made well over £35million in this and the last transfer window, they buy some 19yr old kid, shout some spill about not selling to the spuds and everyones a happy Hammer. Duxbury must be laughing his slippery arse off!
It’s really great to see the club buy talented youth with potential, rather than only buy proven prem players. After Behrami, I really have faith in Nani’s ability to spot talent. With the strong British youth that we’ve always produced through the academy I am beginning to feel very positive about the future of our club.
I understand your point E1 but the club will most likely be sold in the summer if BG can’t cope and we will have a much stronger investor. Getting into europe adds profile to your club also and it will be more enticing for other players and investors. I doubt we will get another billionaire if we aren’t showing any sign of excelling in terms of results and performances. Europe also makes you money through qualification and through higher league positioning. Tht in itself could go a long way to funding a nice young signing, tht will be a star. If we can get into europe and have a new wealthy investor at the end of season, they mite be able to fund 3-4 more high quality players to add to our team and give us a better chance of keeping our current stars. I was hoping for those stars to come in when eggy was in charge…lol. Ah well future looks good for the hammers as long as no-1 stuffs it up again. COYI!!!
Good to see so much optimism and good spirit amongst us, i’ve been really happy with the way the transfer period has worked out for us so far, good to see the board and management have stuck to their word and kept our quality players whilst offloading squad players. Just got to be patient with the new fella he’s only 19, hopefully he blossoms into a real star.
Really confident for the rest of the season.
For anyone who cares, i know you probably don’t but anyway i’ve changed my id to IOWHammer from Hammer to avoid confusion as there seems to be a number of Hammer/hammer on here now. My post is the first Hammer on this post and not any of the others, cheers for listening 🙂
Lets push for UEFA shall we? Only Everton and Wigan above us now, WIGAN!
I’m thinking that without Heskey, Wigan are gonna start falling. Hard.
Whereas Everton, how the hell are they still scoring without strikers? Cahill, Fellaini, Arteta, Osman, Pienaar. All good midfielders but not strikers! Tonight is a big night, Everton lose to Arsenal, Wigan lose to Liverpool, and we beat Hull. Fingers crossed! COYI!!!!!!
Mind you i didn’t realise our next four fixtures are Hull, Arsenal, Man U, Bolton.
I’m hoping for 8 points out of that! COME ON YOU IRONS!!
Savio Nsereko looks like a real talent. hope he stays for a long long time. His value will increase exponentially, although hopefully we’ll never sell him