- West Ham United sign French full-back Arthur Masuaku on four-year contract
- Twenty-two-year-old arrives from Greek Superleague champions Olympiacos
- Former Valenciennes left-back has extensive UEFA Champions Legaue experience
West Ham United are delighted to confirm the signing of French left-back Arthur Masuaku.
The 22-year-old arrives from Greek Superleague champions Olympiacos on a four-year contract for a fee of £6.2 million.
The Lille-born defender, who has won back-to-back domestic titles with the Piraeus club, has played more than 100 senior games despite his tender age, including 12 in the UEFA Champions League.
“It’s a big honour for me to be part of this Club,” said Masuaku. “I was speaking with my agent about some opportunities, but when he told me about West Ham and also the coach, I didn’t think twice, so in my mind, it was West Ham.
“Now, to be able to play with players like Dimitri Payet, I was thinking on the way here, it’s going to be crazy! I can’t wait to play with him and also all the rest of the team.
“For me, the Premier League is the biggest league in the world. When I was 18, my target was to come here, so now I am here, I have to prove myself to the fans and to the team so that I can play for this big Club.”
Born in Lille in November 1993, Masuaku spent five seasons with nearby RC Lens as a schoolboy before joining Valenciennes at the age of 14 in 2008.
There, the 5’10 full-back continued his development and was rewarded with a first-team debut while still a teenager in a Coupe de France defeat at Istres in January 2013.
The following season, 2013/14, the defender established himself as first-choice left-back in Ligue 1 – France’s top-flight – and he totalled 28 appearances in all competitions.
Then still just 20, Masuaku attracted the attention of a host of top European clubs and was snapped up by Greek giants Olympiacos in July 2014.
The former France U19 international was immediately installed in the starting XI, playing 40 times in his debut season in Greece, including eight times in European competition.
Indeed, Masuaku’s European debut for the club was a notable one, as he scored in a 3-2 UEFA Champions League group stage win over the previous season’s runners-up Atletico Madrid in September 2014.
Masuaku tasted double glory in his first season in Greece as Olympiacos lost just four times to runaway with the Superleague by 12 points, while Skoda Xanthi were beaten 3-1 in the Greek Cup final.
Having again qualified for the Champions League, Masuaku featured against Arsenal and Bayern Munich in last season’s group stage, where Olympiacos were unlucky to be eliminated with nine points.
Domestically, he played 24 times as the Red-Whites romped to the Superleague title by 20 points, losing just one of their 30 league matches, but a final defeat by AEK prevented Masuaku from securing a second straight domestic double.
International football-wise, the Hammers’ new boy was capped by France at both U18 and U19 levels.
Masuaku will not be eligible to play in the UEFA Europa League Play-off round against Astra Giurgiu of Romania after featuring for Olympiacos in their Champions League third qualifying round defeat by Hapoel Be’er Sheva. He would be eligible to feature in the group stage if West Ham beat the Romanian champions.
*Stay tuned to West Ham TV for Arthur Masuaku’s first interview as a Hammer later today!
Source: www.whufc.com