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The managerial practice of raiding one’s former club looks set to strike again at Upton Park, as new West Ham United manager Avram Grant prepares to make a move for French forward Frederic Piquionne. Piquionne, who played under Grant on loan at Portsmouth last season, is thought to be close to a move to East London. The New Caledonia-born forward, who is currently contracted to French side Lyon, impressed during his time on the south coast last season and caught the attention of a string of English clubs. The Hammers are rumoured to have fought off strong interest from both Fulham and newly-promoted West Brom, but is he a good signing for the Upton Park side?

The departures of Guillermo Franco and Ilan, coupled with the patchy form of Carlton Cole, Alessandro Diamanti and Benni McCarthy, clearly highlight West Ham’s need for more firepower. Frederic Piquionne may help to alleviate this concern. The 31-year-old managed to rack up a respectable 11 goals for relegated Portsmouth last season, a credible feat for someone playing in such a weak, struggling side. This tally included strikes against Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, thus demonstrating his ability to competently perform at Premier League level.

In addition to this, Piquionne frequently demonstrated his power and pace at Fratton Park last season, virtues that one would not associate with some of West Ham’s current forwards. The tall forward is also left-footed, and would help to provide balance up front with first-choice striker Carlton Cole. Piquionne alternated between featuring as a lone-striker and as part of a strike partnership last season, and will help to bolster West Ham’s range of attacking options.

Whilst Piquionne may not be the glamorous, ambitious signing that the club’s fans crave, he may prove to be a shrewd acquisition for the side. Having spent the best part of a year working with him, Avram Grant will be fully aware of Piquionne’s abilities and attitude, and should be able to coax the best out of the 31-year-old. Although Piquionne’s record in France is less than prolific, he has clearly shown his talent within the Premier League. With a fee for the forward mooted to be just over €1million, Piquionne could turn out to be the bargain of the summer.

Are you excited by the prospect of Piquionne teaming up with Carlton Cole?

Follow all things Claret and Blue at www.twitter.com/WestHam_News

Follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/zarifrasul

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Click on image below to see the ITALIAN babes at the World Cup

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Wigan Athletic defender Titus Bramble is hopeful that he will make a quicker than expected return from injury and be ready for the start of the new season.

The 28-year-old missed the final games of last season due to a stress fracture of the foot, but the centre-back believes that he is on track to return to the fold ahead of the expected 14-week recovery period.

He told the Wigan Observer:"The foot feels good.

"I've been in and out of the club over the summer and it's just a case of getting the strength back now.

"I think I'm doing as well as I could be at this stage and fingers crossed it stays that way.

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"The initial estimate was 14 weeks out, but I'm hoping that was worst-case scenario. I'm definitely aiming to beat that and I think I can."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

When the subject of playing the ‘Tottenham way’ comes up the same names are always mentioned. Hoddle, Gazza, Ginola, Lennon – the breed of player who has a special place in the heart of Tottenham fans. They are the entertainers who play according to the history of the club. They have the skill, creativity and flair that keep the paying public entertained and have the ability to change a game with a little touch of class.

So when news that Joe Cole was to become a free agent, well, it just seemed to make sense. The fans would love him, the manager already loves him and Defoe and Bale, who have urged Levy to seal the deal, are just two of the players who love him. For a footballer who just wants to feel loved, he couldn’t ask for much more. He is, as John Terry verified, an Englishman who is one of the few who can ‘break down a defence’ and would get his wish of not having leave London if he opted to change blue to white. He’s even saying the right things. He has criticised English teams for playing too much ‘kick and rush’ football and for always looking to hit the front men too early, believing they should instead favour a more fluid passing approach. Music to my ears.

So Joe Cole is a good fit for Tottenham. But where does Joe Cole fit if he arrives?

On the basis that Cole does sign our squad will consist of an embarrassment of riches when it comes to midfield talent. Even presuming that the likes of Bentley, O’Hara and Jenas move onto pastures new it still raises the question of who should miss out when the starting XI is announced on game day.

Cole has the benefit of being a versatile player, so could play anywhere across the middle. But he has said that when he finds a new club he would prefer to adopt the central creative role which he began his career with at West Ham. So if Cole gets his way, our midfield four could read: Bale and Lennon on the flanks and Palacios and Cole in the middle, but what of Modric, Huddlestone, Kranjcar and new signing Sandro? Alternatively he could play on the left, but how could Bale be dropped after his explosion onto the scene last year? Moving Bale to left-back is an option, but a risky one considering that he has showed that his abilities in defence can be exposed by top sides. It’ll be tough to get a balance and keep everybody happy, and with the new squad regulations imposed by the FA a few more players could be shown the door.

With Champions League football beckoning, and the hope that a new set of fixtures will be added to the calendar, a deeper squad in terms of talent was going to be needed. But other than a new striker and maybe a defender, Tottenham don’t need a whole host of new players.

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Cole would be a great addition to the squad if a deal can be done, there can be no doubt, both in terms of his ability and experience, but in place of whom? Over to you, Harry Redknapp.

Written By Karl Sears

West Ham United manager Avram Grant is as confident as his club’s owners that midfielder Scott Parker will remain with the Irons this summer.

Spurs have been rebuffed in a £7million bid for the 29-year-old England international, with Hammers co-owner David Sullivan maintaining his stance that Parker is not for sale at any price.

That view was backed up by Grant following his side’s 2-0 pre-season win at MK Dons.

He told Sky Sports News: “From my side there is no news.

“We have ambitions at this club, we want to progress and we want to go forward. We have a plan for the next few years, not only for one year and Scott Parker is a big part of these plans.

“I am happy for him. He is a good player and he is a good lad. He is good for the vision of the club.

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“He is professional. He knows that he is a very important part of our ambitions to progress and to be a very good team.”

Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish has confirmed that his club have made an increased bid for Wigan Athletic’s French winger Charles N’Zogbia.

The 24-year-old Les Bleus international is known to be keen to leave the Latics, with both the Blues and Sunderland having shown an interest in the player.

McLeish told his club’s official website:“We have made another bid for Charles and we wait to see if it’s successful or not. We’re awaiting Wigan’s response.

“At the same time we’re in the hands of the gods in terms of the other offers. If there are other clubs in for him, then we have to wait and see

“But we’ve tried and we’ve tried our best and the board have worked hard to make these kinds of things happen.”

N’Zogbia joined the Latics in January 2009 and has since scored eight goals in 54 appearances in all competitions.

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He had previously spent four-and-half years at Newcastle United, having arrived in England from Le Havre in the summer of 2004.

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Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti was not entirely satisfied with his team's display in the 4-1 Champions League Group F victory against last season's Slovakian champions MSK Zilina.

After the Blues had eased into a 3-0 interval lead, they cruised through the second half, to Ancelotti's obvious annoyance.

Michael Essien had given Chelsea a 13th-minute lead before Nicolas Anelka's brace put the visitors in control at half-time. Daniel Sturridge added a fourth soon after the break before Tomas Oravec pulled a goal back for Zilina in the 55th minute.

Ancelotti said after his side's easy victory:"Every game in the Champions League is hard to play. We started very well in the first half, we played fantastic football, the second half was different.

"Zilina put more pressure on our defence. The back four played a good match but when you are 3-0 up it's normal to have more difficulty.

"The key was Anelka, he played a fantastic game. He created space, he had opportunities, he was the key for this game.

"He can play the position in front, sometimes we use him more wide, sometimes he plays in the middle but he shows the same skills if he plays wide.

"I think that Petr (Cech) could have done better with the goal we conceded but we faced a lot of crosses. We had to put more pressure on the wide side. Defensively the back four had a good game.

"I hope to watch my team play a fantastic game for 90 minutes. Obviously I was a player so I know sometimes there are difficult times, the opponent can come back in the game.

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"If I have to judge the performance I am very happy because it's not easy to win 4-1 away in the Champions League.

"I am happy Sturridge scored, but he has to improve his positioning. I would like him to play more infield rather than out wide. He showed fantastic movement to score, I am happy with his performance."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

As English Premier League stars eagerly awaited the news of Fabio Capello’s latest England squad yesterday, there was a first call up for a striker. It was not Newcastle’s Andy Carroll but Bolton’s 33-year old veteran Kevin Davies. The former who sports a shock of long black hair has been in imperious form this season and had been widely tipped for an inaugural call up to England’s senior squad. His club manager Chris Hughton felt compelled to comment on this speculation: “I haven’t spoken to the England manager about Andy.” The former Irish international may be seeking to guard his prized asset ahead of an impending court case. Managing the progression of this prodigious young talent is the priority for his club who may feel that international football is too much too soon for Carroll.

Carroll’s goals for Newcastle in the Championship last season were vital. He was the Magpies’ top goal scorer, netting 19 times in the division. Far from resting on his laurels the target man has been eager to display that his skills have matured since he last featured in the top flight. Press reports focused on the striker’s decision to adopt the legendary No9 shirt ahead of this season, thereby following in the footsteps of Jackie Milburn, Malcolm Macdonald and Alan Shearer. Yet Carroll handled the pressure with a calm assurance and has scored four league goals thus far. “It’s every young Geordie lad’s dream to be a Newcastle No9,” he said.

Three of that overall tally came in Newcastle’s first home game of the season against Aston Villa. The 21-year old led the line at Old Trafford the previous week and was hastily criticised by some jaded journalists for missing a free header from close range. Those chances are not handed out on silver platters was the argument from the press box. The popular forward redeemed himself in formidable style at St James’ Park, indicating that he could well bring them the goals they require this season. On that day Newcastle’s combative midfield dominated the opposition and were mindful to get the ball to their traditional centre forward. He was strong, linked up well with Kevin Nolan and was clinical when presented with goal scoring opportunities.

His first goal came after calmly knocking in a rebound after Brad Friedel was forced to parry Nolan’s header. Exhibiting his potency against an experienced Villa defence, he scored with a low volley after Mike Williamson’s cross. He completed a memorable hat-trick by converting substitute Xisco’s pass, immediately inviting comparisons with the onlooking Shearer. The 6ft 4in forward was additionally on target in their away draw at Molineaux. Carroll cancelled out Sylvan Ebanks-Blake’s classy opener by rising highest to powerfully head in a Joey Barton free-kick.

The call for Carroll to feature in the upcoming European qualifiers developed into something of a clamour after these performances. His role as a conventional centre forward is a familiar one in the English game but crucially he has demonstrated a finishing touch, awareness and intelligent link up play. The outgoing Emile Heskey has rejected Capello’s overtures to lure him back to the international stage. On the eve of Monday’s squad announcement Carroll was dropped to the bench for Newcastle’s trip to Eastlands, after failing to score in his last four appearances. Speaking after the game Hughton said, “Andy had a virus last week and if you look at his performance, he had perhaps lost that edge.”

Shola Ameobi was legitimately handed a starting place ahead of Carroll due to his impressive performance in the League Cup at Stamford Bridge. The same argument could be applied at international level where players such as Darren Bent and Kevin Davies have been stalwarts for their respective clubs. Similarly to Adam Johnson (who did make the England squad) at Manchester City, Carroll is being warned not to feel as if he has arrived already.

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Birmingham City midfielder Barry Ferguson is enjoying life at St Andrew's so much that he would like to finish his career with the Blues.

The 32-year-old former Scotland international moved back to the Premier League in the summer of 2009 from Rangers and has since enjoyed a renaissance in form.

He told the Sunday Mercury:"I love it here. I have said plenty of times before that I wasn't enjoying my football during the last few months in Scotland.

"I made the decision with Rangers that I had to move on because I was going pretty stale up the road. I was playing the same teams week in, week out.

"The manager gave me the opportunity to come down and I think I had to prove again that I could play at this level.

"I'm enjoying every minute of it. The boys are fantastic, everything about the club is great and I'm enjoying my football.

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"I have got another two years left on my contract now and hopefully I will see them out."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Sunderland striker Darren Bent has apologised for the team's poor showing during Sunday's Premier League derby clash with Newcastle United.

The Black Cats fell to a demoralising 5-1 defeat at St James' Park and, although the England man netted a late consolation goal, he admitted they should have performed much better.

Kevin Nolan's hat-trick and Shola Ameobi's double put Steve Bruce's beleaguered outfit to the sword and Bent's comments come after chairman Niall Quinn offered his apologies to the club's supporters.

"We are all sorry about Sunday's result, which was a bad one for everyone concerned," Bent told the club's official website.

"It's important someone came out and apologise to the fans, who are the people who pay money to watch the games.

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"We let a lot of people down. We know the fans are hurting and, believe me, the manager and the players are hurting as badly as you are."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Some footballers seem to be unable to live ordinary lives with any degree of ease.

Whereas you an I can only dream of what we might do if we were to earn a fraction of the monies they do and think of houses, holidays and tellys as big as a supporting wall can cope with, their primary concern appears to be hookers, prostitutes and all manner of fleshy delights.

Here then is a tribute to those men who shook off the shackles of humdrummary and smirked in the face of the flamin’ mundane. Rooney, Allinson, Bosnich and Ribery here’s to you and to having to occasionally pay for it.

Click on the hooker to start the gallery!

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