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MOHAMADOU KANTé AGREES NEW DEAL, SHOWING LOYALTY TO DEVELOPING PROJECT

West Ham United have secured young midfielder Mohamadou Kanté on a long-term contract until 2031. The 20-year-old has impressed with the U21S after joining from Paris FC last summer.

Mohamadou Kanté agrees new deal, showing loyalty to developing project
Mohamadou Kanté his contract with West Ham has been extended - Photo Credit: WHUFC

Mohamadou Kanté, a youthful midfielder, has inked a new deal with West Ham United that will keep him there until the summer of 2031.

After joining the U21S development squad from Paris FC in August 2024, the 20-year-old returned to the French capital on loan right away and helped the team earn promotion to Ligue 1 for the first time in 46 years.

Kanté has made an impression in his first season with the U21S with his technical skill, physicality, and goal contributions from a deep-lying midfield position. He has scored three goals and provided two assists while starting all eight of our young Hammers' games.

After he signed his new contract, he remarked, "It makes me incredibly proud." "I must continue to push myself and work hard." When you are focused on getting better every day, that is all you think about; therefore, I am thrilled and grateful to the Club for believing in me.

I am extremely grateful to the Club for its confidence in me.

He went on to say, "Physically, I have always had good stamina, but here it is another level," as he considered adjusting to English football. The training sessions are more severe, and I am working harder and making progress in that area.

"I am feeling better and better as we put in a lot of work in the gym and on the field. I am constantly learning, even tactically, and I believe I am growing better and stronger.

Kanté has had to adapt to a new nation, language, and culture outside of football.

"I am getting along incredibly well with my teammates," he remarked. "We understand each other, yet communication can still be a little challenging. I have been taking English classes, and it is nice that we can talk even when we are not playing.

After returning to the Hammers in the summer, Kanté was called up right away to the first team for their preseason visits to the US and Germany. In August, he rejoined the development squad.

He made a mark right away, scoring a late goal against Woking in the National League Cup to finish off an outstanding debut performance.

"I believe what probably shocked everyone was how fast he settled in," said Academy Manager Kenny Brown, who hailed the midfielder's influence thus far. It would not have been simple because he did not join the Under-21s lineup until late in the preseason, and he immediately travelled to Germany and then the United States with the first team.

"Seeing where he is today in such a short amount of time has been incredibly heartening because he had not played any minutes." He appears to be having fun playing football, and it is encouraging to see how he is already controlling matches for the Under-21 team.

He is physically fit, which is the standard for a midfielder in the Premier League nowadays. He is more than just your presence, energy, and ability to cover ground. He can score goals and has great skill with the ball.

He has gotten off to a great start. Although he still has a lot to learn and is still growing, the staff in the dressing room think highly of him. He works hard every day and arrives at work with a huge smile. We are happy that we were able to secure him for the long run by extending his contract.

Everyone at West Ham United would want to wish Mohamadou well in Claret and Blue and congratulate him on his new deal.

VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE

Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.

top-news
Antoine Semenyo’s clumsy challenge handed Chelsea a vital lifeline

Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.

This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.

What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.

VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."

VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.

At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.

Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.

The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.

Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.

A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.

Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth

Referee: Sam Barrott

VAR: Craig Pawson

What: VAR check for a foul in the box

When: 11th minute

BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW

Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.

top-news
Emery snubs Arteta's handshake

Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.

This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.

Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.

Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.

Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.

After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.

It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.

“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.

“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”

About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.

“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.

“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.

“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.

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