West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has said former Blues left-back Aaron Cresswell is a “very, very good signing” ahead of the 24-year-old’s return to Portman Road for Wednesday’s friendly against the Hammers (KO 7.45pm).

Cresswell signed a five-year deal at Upton Park a fortnight ago, the clubs having agreed a guaranteed £3.75 million fee which could rise to £7 million with top-ups.

“Aaron is a very interesting case because, as far as we looked at other targets, when I looked at his career history, spoke to Mick McCarthy and looked at what he has done in the last couple of years, he was right on the doorstep,” Allardyce told West Ham’s official website.

“He started at 17 at Tranmere Rovers and played 70 games and Paul Jewell took him to Ipswich when he became manager there. He has played nearly every game over the last three seasons, so he never misses any games through injury.

“He is 24-years-old and there has been a very good, steady development over those years. He has over 200 games in the bag and, after moving from League One to the Championship.

“He was in the PFA Team of the Year last season, so all of the players he played against saw him as the best left-back in the Championship.

“Of course, the price was right, which was the biggest factor in our transfer dealings this season - if the player is right and the price is right, we do the deal.

“The biggest stumbling block is the size of the fees that are being asked for today. This one was a very, very good signing indeed, not just for right now but also for the future.”

Cresswell told the Town official site that he is looking forward to making a quick return: “It’s great to have the chance to come back to Ipswich and properly say my goodbyes to the players, the staff and the supporters.

“It was difficult to leave the club as I’d built up a great relationship with everyone there but like any player I want to play in the Premier League and joining a fantastic club like West Ham is a great opportunity for me.”

Meanwhile, former Town striker Connor Wickham has turned down a lucrative new contract with Sunderland.

Wickham, who was the star of the Black Cats’ remarkable escape from relegation last season, has a year left on his current deal on Wearside.

Sunderland may now decide to sell the England U21 international to avoid him moving on for a much lower fee in January or compensation next summer. Leicester, Southampton and Crystal Palace have been linked, but it’s understood bigger clubs at home and abroad have also shown interest in the former Blues academy player.

The 21-year-old moved to the Stadium of Light from Town for an initial £8.1 million in the summer of 2011. The deal included a sell-on clause which would see the Blues receive an undisclosed percentage of any profit Sunderland might make if he is sold.

Photo: Action Images

StuartBrett8 added 10:20 - Jul 15 Wickham to Man Utd for £40 million and we get 25% would be great :) lol
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JimmyJazz added 10:41 - Jul 15 Does anyone know if Connor ever reached any of his transfer top-up milestones? A lesson there for anyone assuming we'll get 7 million from Cresswell. Can't see Sunderland making a profit on a player who only came to life for a handful of games during his entire spell in the North East.
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brian_a_mul added 10:47 - Jul 15 Interesting development regards Wickham, I hope he doesnt get too big for his boots, he still has it all to prove at Premier League level. If he goes chasing the cash I fear he will get distracted and not become the player he can be. Sunderland paid big money for him and gave his chance,he should stay on for another few seasons with a big chance to play first team with a big club, with a good manager and good prospects. The fans love him for what he did last season and he could be on his way to cult hero status if he shows a bit of loyalty.

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PunchNoHopers added 11:16 - Jul 15 Wickham has rejected a new contract, and rumours in the North East suggest that they want to cash in on him instead of letting him leave on a free at the end of his contract, and would probably accept an offer around 5M. Whether anyone is prepared to pay that much for him is debatable, but if the figure is correct then we won't get any sell-on fee from him moving. Mind you if he sees out his contract, perhaps we can snap him up again as a free agent when we get to the Premiership!

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howdonblue added 11:20 - Jul 15 It always makes me laugh when ex players state how hard it was for them to leave
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 13:03 - Jul 15 Wickam left too early and at too young an age. Cressie is 24, so if he's going to do it, now is the time. I'm not sure whether he'll hack it in the PL, but I wish him luck.
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masetheace added 13:16 - Jul 15 Who cares . Stop looking back and look forward !!
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Solly added 14:08 - Jul 15 Reading between the lines: "He's British, he's very good - he was cheap." But still, can't grumble. Really can't wait to see Cressy in the Premier League.
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SitfcB added 15:49 - Jul 15 Wickham being greedy.
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jabberjackson added 16:10 - Jul 15 Wickham always leaves clubs at the wrong time He, or his agent, are very greedy individuals His career will amount to very little I fear Word on the Sunderland street is that he doesn't have enough bottle Shame as he is an incredibly technically gifted forward Spends too much time tweeting and showing off his foul tats on camera Good luck to him though
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blueboy1981 added 21:36 - Jul 15 ....... don't be anti - Wickham because he left us - this lad has all the potential for a very successful career, so who can blame him for making the most of it. Shame he was another youngster who escaped - but I feel he would soon have set his sights higher than us. Watch him really kick on this season.
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carsey added 21:51 - Jul 15 I don't wish either of them ill particularly Cressy but equally I don't give a fig how they get on. Both chose to leave Portman Road rather than be part of ITFC. In Wickham's case I have no doubt he thought he was better than he really is and saw the £ signs. Quite why so much is written about ex players on here sometimes baffles me. It's not like we have lost any world class players in recent times most of them were average at best.

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Cheshire_Blue added 12:32 - Jul 16 Big Sam clearly feels he got Cresswell on the cheap!!
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gosblue added 13:46 - Jul 16 I love it when our boys go on to a higher level and produce the goods. I wish it could be with us but we are probably a couple of years away from that. what we don't want to see is wasted talent. Connor & Keiron are prime examples. And don't get me started on the Jordan Rhodes debacle.
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