Premier League - West Ham swoop late for Di Michele

Eurosport - Wed, 03 Sep 07:44:00 2008

West Ham have signed Italian forward David Di Michele and Congolese left-back Herita Ilunga on loan, with both deals being announced well after Monday night's transfer deadline.

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Di Michele (pictured), 32, is an Italy international and played at the Euro 2008. He joins from Torino, having previously played for Udinese and Palermo.

Ilunga, 26, joins from Toulouse in France. He has also played for Saint Etienne, and started his professional career in Espanyol's reserves.

Both players have been brought in on year-long loans with a view to making their deals permanent, while the club are also continuing to talk to free agent Stephen Appiah over a move to Upton Park.

A statement on the club's official website acknowledged "the lateness of this announcement", and said the signings were subject to registration by the Premier League.

The statement read: "The club recognise the lateness of this announcement but certain formalities including the release of international transfer certificates had to be completed.

Appiah, 27, spent three years at Fenerbahce but was released this summer. He started his career at Hearts of Oak in his homeland but rose to prominence in Italy, with Udinese, Parma and Juventus.

Players without a club - such as Appiah - can move outside the transfer window.

SportingLife / Eurosport

Comment 1 - 19 of 19

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  1. wooo! a legend

    From nezvedz, on Fri 5 Sep 4:00PM

  2. Is this the guy who was banned for "Betting"?

    From fred.sykes@..., on Fri 5 Sep 3:26PM

  3. Di Michele did not play in EURO 2008, that was Di Natale....

    From Alex P, on Thu 4 Sep 10:52AM

  4. West ham have bought foreign because the word is the new coach is an italian

    From iancampbell11@..., on Thu 4 Sep 12:55AM

  5. stop wingging their proven international. look what arsen wenger did with a bunch of nobodies. we need a manager who can get the best out of his or her players who's proven at the top half of leagues. i can only think of harry hudini. come on you irons

    From h901@..., on Wed 3 Sep 10:04PM

  6. stop wingging their proven international. look what arsen wenger did with a bunch of nobodies. we need a manager who can get the best out of his or her players who's proven at the top half of leagues. i can only think of harry hudini. come on you irons

    From h901@..., on Wed 3 Sep 10:02PM

  7. The usual past their sell by date, and never likely to be's when will we ever learn just go into the treatment room or look at the total number of appearances made by the last 6 players we've bought - you wont need a calculator!!!! As per Ljungberg, Bowyer, O'neil,Quashie, Bellamy and Dyer - waste of money

    From Tim, on Wed 3 Sep 4:58PM

  8. Hope to see Apiah at West Ham.

    From Luxy, on Wed 3 Sep 3:36PM

  9. united united united....... come on you irons

    From mightymouse, on Wed 3 Sep 10:30AM

  10. i'm forever blowing bubbles ..... pretty bubbles in the air ....they fly so high and reach the sky .....and like my dreams they fade and die ... fortunes always hiding i've looked every where... i'm forever blowing bubbles .... pretty bubbles in the air

    From mightymouse, on Wed 3 Sep 10:28AM

  11. Hurts me to agree with (jima the yid), but i totally agree,there are some decent players in the championship, who im sure would give everthing to prove themselves in the premiership.
    Im not curbs greatest fan, but i am starting to wonder if its the board that are in adequate after all.

    Paul the hammer

    From withey.paul, on Wed 3 Sep 10:02AM

  12. jm2209: I'd reign back a bit on the accusations of unfair treatment if I were you...remember most clubs who field an ineligible player get points docked. Somehow that didn't transpire for the 'big club' West Ham, and they got to stay with their noses in the money pot of the Primadonnaship while the less wealthy/glamorous Sheffield United were relegated. I'll put it down to 'selective memory'.

    From Paul G, on Wed 3 Sep 9:49AM

  13. Your having a laugh aren't you???
    The deadline is a joke anyway and is against european law!

    This is not unfair what is unfair is that Manchester United do not own Tevez... They are loaning him from Corinthians/Kia Jorachabin... Sound familiar!!! West ham get a £6m fine for doing the same thing... United do it and its fine!

    From jm2209, on Wed 3 Sep 8:54AM

  14. I'm from Toulouse and I know Ilunga rather well. Let me tell you something, I'm glad he's gone ! He's the worst left back i've seen ... Like Gary said, he'll be a bench sitter.

    To tell you the truth, he left Toulouse because his manager asked to play in central defense and he refused it, so the manager sent him to the reserves. He wants to be a left-back and nothing else.

    From jeanmarc b, on Wed 3 Sep 8:52AM

  15. Haven't the Championship got anyone of the same quality, or is it just because their names end in with a Vowel. this is ridiculous no wonder England haven't got choices in certain positions.

    From Greenjob, on Wed 3 Sep 8:23AM

  16. Bit unfair to sign them after the deadline, surly it cant be allowed.

    From michelle.lieberman23@..., on Tue 2 Sep 10:47PM

  17. That's what happens when you have a manager who hasn't manged a club in the top division, not even one in the second.

    Some1 should monitor his signings cause he's not thinking like a premiership manager.

    From Dark.Soul, on Tue 2 Sep 10:41PM

  18. Why would you sign two non-descript foreigners, and not two English players from the lower leagues?!

    From Jima, on Tue 2 Sep 9:40PM

  19. another bunch of quality bench sitters then

    From Gary R, on Tue 2 Sep 8:12PM
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