Republic of Ireland defender Gary Breen has ended his spell of unemployment by signing for West Ham.

He is believed to have signed a one-year contract with the option to extend his stay at Upton Park next summer.

Breen went to the World Cup finals this summer without a job after his contract at Coventry expired, but a string of inspired performances in the Far East attracted attention from some enviable suitors.

The 28-year-old is said to have turned down a move to Parma, while fellow Serie A heavyweights Inter were also rumoured to be interested.

But Breen, a Londoner by birth, has settled for a switch to the capital's East End to link up again with Glenn Roeder, who he played alongside at Gillingham as a teenager.

"The main factor was certainly Glenn," Breen explained. "I've worked with Glenn, who played in my position, before - and hope to learn even more now I have signed for West Ham.

"I know he's a good coach and a couple of the lads here speak highly of him. Without sounding too blasé, I had a lot of fantastic offers, but I'm not going to say who was in for me.

"I had a lot of offers from abroad, but I thought it was best to stay in the Premiership to consolidate my position with Ireland."



I think this is a good signing for West Ham, he has proved himself at CB for Rep of Ireland:)

Originally posted by Chelsea2001
he has proved himself at CB for Rep of Ireland:)

Yup, yup. He is a good CB for Rep. of Ireland.

Top notch! We needed someone to shore up our backline a little, pleased to have Breen on board! :)

Originally posted by hermolt
Top notch! We needed someone to shore up our backline a little, pleased to have Breen on board! :)

yea, he also said he turned down moves to much bigger clubs as well, such as Inter Milan who were prepared to pay him £50 000 a week but he wanted to stay in the EPL and be back with his former boss, Glenn Roader, i think this is an excellent signing

Thats strange to get a compliment from a Chelsea fan!
Its one of the best signings of the summer, he is in his prime, and we got him on a one year contract, so if it doesn't work out it'll be fine.
1-JAMES

Defence; 30-SCHEMELL, 15-BREEN 2-REPKA , 5-LABANT

Midfield; 26-COLE, 6-CARRICK, 8-SINCLAIR

Attack; 14-KANOUTE, 10-DI CANIO, 9-DEFOE

WHAT A TEAM!! EUROPE HERE WE COME!!

Originally posted by NickJ
Thats strange to get a compliment from a Chelsea fan!


Well i highly rate Breen, he has done superb for Rep of Ireland, if he moved to Tottenham or Fulham i may have had a different view:D :p

Breen in Inter MIlan? Thats bogus:D Happy he signed with an EPL team;)

Originally posted by SB9Dragon
Breen in Inter MIlan? Thats bogus:D Happy he signed with an EPL team;)

It came from his mouth, but i guess he wanted to play in the best league in the world, he would have been a superb signing for Inter, he is very very very underated

My friends a die-hard Inter fan, he says Inter did put an offer, as did Parma. Juve and Valencia also were interested, but he played with Glenn Roeder when he was 18 at Gillingham so that was a main factor.

Today we signed PSG's Edouard Cissé on loan for a year, with a view to permanently signing him should he impress..I would have liked to get Izzet as well, but the team we have lined up should seriously challenge for a UEFA Cup spot. But you know, it IS West Ham, and anything could happen. Look for young Garcia to bob up in the EPL should we get hit by injuries, he apparently put in a top class pre season.

Oh, and anyone want a striker? We've got Titi Camara going cheap..:D