West Ham sign Sengal's Cheikhou Kouyate

Cheikhou Kouyate

West Ham have signed Cheikhou Kouyate from Belgian side R.S.C. Anderlecht for a 4-year deal or a fee of around £7million. The 24 year old has played in UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League from his time in Belgium.

The Senegalese told West Ham TV: "I am very happy, because today West Ham have given me the chance to play in the Premier League. So I'm very happy to join such a club and that gives me great pleasure. I know a few players who were also at the club, [Carlos] Tevez, Demba [Ba], Andy Carroll, who was obviously here last season. West Ham are a team who are known and who are going to help me to progress. For my part, I'm going to try to do great things here and try to improve further still as a player. That I'm here now is thanks to the manager, because he went out of his way, leaving his holiday for me, so he has done everything he could for me to join the club. He, my advisers and agents helped me make the right decision and said West Ham was the ideal club for me, because as a kid I dreamed of playing in the Premier League and now it's here that my dream has been realised."

Kouyate who has 5 international caps playing for Senegal, was part of the 2012 Senegal’s Olympics team where they lost to evantual champions Mexico in the quarter finals.

The center back who can also play as a defensive midfielder, is the second signing of the summer for West Ham after signing Argentina’s striker Mauro Zárate who has previously played for Birmingham City.