West Ham United have re-signed midfield player Gary O’Neil on a free transfer after the player was officially released by The Hammer’s at the end of last season.
O’Neil’s contract expired at the end of the 2012/2013 season and was put in the free agent pool as the club had not agreed an extension with him.
However, after being free to discuss terms with other clubs the 30-year-old midfielder has signed on again with West Ham United.
Speaking to SkySports O’Neil said:
Everything’s been agreed.
I didn’t need a medical, obviously they know me quite well. All the terms are agreed and everyone’s happy, so I’ll just sign Monday morning.
It took a little while. With everyone being on holiday stuff drags out, but we got there in the end.
On being released only to re-sign, O’Neil added: “That’s the way it comes out in the press, slightly differently to how it is. We were always sorting it out and I was confident I would end up there.
With O’Neil signing on again I believe he can only be a squad player at best, and if we are to improve we need to be signing players of a higher calibre to either go straight into the first team or at least provide more competition for places than being just an injury backup player which O’Neil was last year.
Even though I think O’Neil finished the season strongly I thought it was time we said goodbye to players like him and Matt Taylor who I think are just taking up wages an squad positions. I would prefer we gave someone like Ravel Morrison a chance after he had a good season of regular football with Birmingham.
It makes me wonder how much of the budget was spent bringing in Andy Carroll from Liverpool and how much we have left for some other quality additions.
About Iron Bobby
if gold and sullivan not only want a top 10 finish and are now looking at top 6 finish, signing players like Gary O’Neil and what seems to be Jack Colback, I cant see how a top 10 finish is possible?
We need to start signing player better than this West ham. Not a happy hammer!!!
Look at the date of the article you Muppet June 29, 2013
Don’t disagree with you Chris, other than not pacey in centre midfield either. O’Neill was solid last year when he came in to deputise for Noble, so can understand why he was resigned. I do hope this will enable us to bring in a goalscorer; we have a target man in Carroll we now need a goalscorer, which would mean SA will either need to play two up top or one just off Carroll. We definitely need pace wide out right, so that needs rectifying. All this though no good if SA sticks to last season’s tactics; we need to be more aggressive at home and able to break out quickly away from home.
Our centre midfield does not need strengthening in comparison to other areas (Strikers/wingers), and Sam is pretty set on the infallible Nolan and Diame/Noble first team. So why would any player who is cheaper and better than O’Neil want to come to us to sit on the bench? Sensible business from West Ham