Bellamy wants Euro return at West Ham

Jul 11 2007 by Alex Lowe, Liverpool Daily Post

CRAIG BELLAMY is determined to fire West Ham into the Champions League after completing a club- record £7.5million move from Liverpool to Upton Park.

The Wales captain agreed a five-year deal with the Hammers once it was made clear he had no future at Anfield following the arrival of Spain international Fernando Torres.

Bellamy, 28 later this week, only spent one season at Liverpool and has led a nomadic existence in recent years, with short spells at Newcastle, Celtic and Blackburn.

But he is ready to lay roots in east London and is convinced the Hammers will be competing among the elite before too long.
Bellamy said: "I want to play in Europe, it’s important to me, and I felt that same drive and ambition here at West Ham.

"It would be naive of me to say we are going to qualify for the Champions League next season but that’s one thing we are really going to be pushing for here in the future.

"The club is looking to strengthen what is already a very good squad, and West Ham are renowned for their open and attacking football, so everything is perfect for me.

"I had a great experience at Liverpool and I believe West Ham will benefit this year because I know I am a better player for it.

"I’ve signed a five-year contract here and I will be here for the long term. I’ve moved around a bit in recent years. Now I want to settle.

"I’m 28 later this week and hopefully approaching the prime years of my career. I believe West Ham are going to see the best of me."

Bellamy joins former Blackburn colleague Lucas Neill.

The Australian turned down the chance of a move to Liverpool to sign for West Ham in January and Bellamy understands why.

"I supported Liverpool as a boy and would have had the chance to play Champions League football again next season but I needed to look beyond that, in the same way that Lucas Neill did when he came here," said Bellamy.

"I understood Lucas’s position. If he’d joined Liverpool, he would have been a squad player, like I was. Some people don’t understand it, but the opportunity to be a senior figure at an ambitious club like West Ham is very attractive."

"The club is looking to strengthen what is already a very good squad, and West Ham are renowned for their open and attacking football, so everything is perfect for me.

"I had a great experience at Liverpool and I believe West Ham will benefit this year because I know I am a better player for it.

"I’ve signed a five-year contract here and I will be here for the long term. I’ve moved around a bit in recent years. Now I want to settle.

"I’m 28 later this week and hopefully approaching the prime years of my career. I believe West Ham are going to see the best of me."

Bellamy joins former Blackburn colleague Lucas Neill.

The Australian turned down the chance of a move to Liverpool to sign for West Ham in January and Bellamy understands why.

"I supported Liverpool as a boy and would have had the chance to play Champions League football again next season but I needed to look beyond that, in the same way that Lucas Neill did when he came here," said Bellamy.

"I understood Lucas’s position. If he’d joined Liverpool, he would have been a squad player, like I was. Some people don’t understand it, but the opportunity to be a senior figure at an ambitious club like West Ham is very attractive."

Bellamy is West Ham’s fourth summer signing and takes manager Alan Curbishley’s spending since he arrived to nearly £40million.

He joins midfielders Scott Parker and Julien Faubert plus goalkeeper Richard Wright in arriving at Upton Park this summer.
The deal breaks West Ham’s previous transfer record of £7.25million, which the Hammers paid Norwich for Dean Ashton in January 2006.

Bellamy will effectively replace Carlos Tevez, whose move to Manchester United will go through once the contractual complexities are untangled.

Bellamy’s career has been blighted by scrapes off the field and he fell out with manager Graeme Souness while at Newcastle - but that was of no concern to new manager Alan Curbishley.

He said: "I’m really pleased to have signed Craig. He is the right age with the right experience and has two qualities that I really like - he is hungry and also a little bit angry. He is keen to prove to lots of people what he can do having not been given much of a chance at Liverpool. I’m certain that we are going to see the best of him at West Ham."

"People have raised eyebrows at the fact he has played for a few clubs but, if you actually look at his record, it isn’t anything out of the ordinary.

"He did fantastically well at Blackburn and then Liverpool came in to activate the release clause he had. Every move has been to better himself and now he is coming to us in the prime years of his career.

"He is hungry to do well and I’m sure he will be a great asset to us."

Never known for being shy, Bellamy turned out for his first day’s training in a pair of fluorescent yellow boots.