West Ham have completed their first signing of the summer as defender Nayef Aguerd has joined the club from Stade Rennais.
The 6ft2″ centre-back appeared 31 times this season for the Ligue 1 side, scoring twice and providing three assists from the heart of defence, and will join the Hammers for a reported £30m.
He penned a heartfelt goodbye to the French side on social media over the weekend.
Welcome to West Ham United, @AguerdNayef! 🇲🇦⚒ pic.twitter.com/BDotHMUpEZ
— West Ham United (@WestHam) June 20, 2022
The Moroccan defender has signed a deal which will keep him at the club until 2027, where he will partner Kurt Zouma or Angelo Ogbonna at the heart of David Moyes’ defence.
“I was really excited when I heard about West Ham’s interest,” Aguerd said in his debut West Ham interview. “I knew I needed to go to the Premier League, it’s a dream for every player.”
“West Ham is a historic club,” the defender added. “I saw a few of their games this year, and I saw the fans and the atmosphere were fantastic, with the bubbles!”
Moyes backs signing to succeed
Aguerd becomes the club fourth most-expensive signing, behind Sebastien Haller, Felipe Anderson and Kurt Zouma, and only one of those has worked out for the Hammers.
However, Moyes has backed his new addition to succeed in Claret and Blue, hailing his attitude during negotiations.
“He’s a great addition that will add to our defensive options,” said Moyes.
“I have been really impressed with Nayef’s character and attitude during our discussions.
“He has a great desire to improve and be successful, and I am sure he will fit in very well to the environment we have at Rush Green.”
It is the first signing of what could be a busy summer for the Hammers, with Jesse Lingard continuing to be linked with a move to the club and a backup striker and central midfielder also on the agenda.
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