• 32-year-old arrives at Upton Park for an undisclosed fee
• Relief for Zola after Gudjohnsen deal fell through

West Ham United have today completed the signing of Benni McCarthy from Blackburn Rovers for an undisclosed fee.

The South African striker has signed an 18-month deal at Upton Park after passing a medical and being granted a work permit.

McCarthy has scored four goals in 16 appearances for Blackburn this season but has spent most of the campaign on the bench.

The 32-year-old’s arrival will be a source of relief for the West Ham manager, Gianfranco Zola, after he missed out on Eidur Gudjohnsen. The Icelandic striker, a former team-mate of Zola’s at Chelsea, had agreed to join West Ham on loan from Monaco, and passed a medical there, before changing his mind and signing for Tottenham Hotspur instead.

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• Allardyce has been suffering from ‘chest discomfort’
• 55-year-old ‘very disappointed’ to miss Bolton fixture

The Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce will miss the next three Premier League matches as he is to undergo surgery after suffering “chest discomfort.”

The Rovers boss will be absent from tomorrow’s game against his former club Bolton, the midweek fixture at Fulham, and the match against Stoke at Ewood Park next weekend.

The 55-year-old is having an angioplasty, a procedure which will widen one of his coronary arteries.

A statement on the club’s website said Allardyce “has recently complained of brief episodes of chest discomfort and investigations have revealed a narrowing to one branch of his coronary arteries. Sam will next week undergo an angioplasty with the insertion of a stent to correct this narrowing.”

Rovers’ chairman John Williams said: “Sam is very disappointed, particularly at missing the Bolton fixture, but his well being is of prime consideration. We all appreciate that Premier League football is a stressful business and prevention is always better than cure.”

Assistant manager Neil McDonald will take charge in his absence.

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