PLAYER PROFILE

Dean Ashton

Position: Forward

Height: 6'3

Weight: 12st 0lbs

Date of Birth: 1983-01-24 Swindon, England

Dean Ashton

Alan Pardew got the aerial threat he felt his West Ham side had lacked in the first half of the 2005/06 Premiership season when he signed Dean Ashton from Norwich City for £7million in late January 2006.

Ashton's arrival at Upton Park ended a lenghty pursuit of the striker, with Norwich reluctant to sell a player they viewed as vital to their play-off hopes. However, following some hard-bargaining, a club record fee took the 22-year-old to London. It was a second record-shattering move for Ashton, who had broken Norwich's modest record transfer fee when he signed for £3million from Crewe Alexandra in the January 2005 transfer window.

A graduate of the famous Crewe youth set-up. Ashton made his reputation with an impressive scoring record at Gresty Road, racking up 61 league goals in 131 starts. His scoring record was less prolific at Norwich, as the step-up to the Premiership took a while to navigate and the club was relegated.

However, his strength in the air and eye for goal kept him in the goals, and he moved to West Ham United in early 2006.

However, he has so far struggled for the Hammers as an injury suffered in August 2006 kept him out for the rest of the 06/07 season.

He will hope to avoid such troubles in 2007/08.