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Hammer locked in car boot

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Former Hammer Demba Ba has revealed that he was once locked in a car boot as West Ham went to desperate attempts to keep his planned signing a secret.

The striker joined the Hammers from Hoffenheim at the start of 2011, with the club at the time in a desperate relegation battle.

His £3.5m transfer came shortly after a failed move to then Premier League rivals Stoke City collapsed following a failed medical over concerns on his knee.

But keeping the former Senegal international protected at all costs was not on West Ham’s agenda.

To prevent waiting reporters from spotting his arrival at the club, he was forced to get a friend to smuggle him into the training ground.

Ba told The Athletic: ‘They said they didn’t want journalists to find out, so I obeyed.

‘It wasn’t the biggest boot. It was like ‘boom, boom’, I’m hitting my head at every corner.’

Despite then going on to bag a highly impressive seven goals in 12 games, Ba was unable to remain in Avram Grant’s side in the top flight as they ended up finishing rock bottom.

Ba added: ‘It was a good dressing room but ultimately we didn’t have the necessary quality.’

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I am Season Ticket Holder in West stand lower at the London Stadium and before that, I used to stand in the Sir Trevor Brooking Lower Row R seat 159 in the Boleyn Ground and in the Eighties I stood on the terraces of the old South Bank. I am a presenter on the West Ham Podcast called MooreThanJustaPodcast.co.uk. A Blogger on WestHamTillIdie.com a member of the West Ham Supporters Advisory Board (SAB), Founder of a Youtube channel called Mr West Ham Football at http://www.youtube.com/MrWestHamFootball,

I am also the associate editor here at Claret and Hugh.

Life Long singer of bubbles! Come on you Irons!

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