LONDON – West Ham completed their sixth summer signing on Thursday with a four-year deal for Switzerland striker Albian Ajeti from FC Basel.
The 22-year-old, whose deal includes an option to stay for two more years, signed for an undisclosed fee, though media reports put it at £8 million.
“Once I felt West Ham’s interest, I didn’t have to think twice about signing for such a big, traditional club in the Premier League,” Ajeti said.
“This is a big day for me and my family.”
West Ham’s director of football, Mario Husillos, told the club’s website that the young striker was the ideal addition to the squad.
“He is an aggressive, quick striker who likes to play in the box,” Husillos said.
“He has scored a lot of goals, both for Basel and the Switzerland national team at a number of levels, and we feel he is ready to make this big step with West Ham.”
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/WelcomeAjeti?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WelcomeAjeti pic.twitter.com/h6T0fL1Tuu
— West Ham United (@WestHamUtd)
Ajeti joins Goncalo Cardoso, Pablo Fornals, Sebastien Haller, David Martin and Roberto in joining West Ham this summer.
The London club play champions Manchester City in their first match of the season Saturday.
Meanwhile, Southampton midfielder Nathan Redmond signed a new four-year contract on Thursday, tying him to the south coast club until 2023.
The 25-year-old scored nine goals in the second half of last season as Southampton secured their Premier League survival.
“We’ve got a great group of players here, who I’ve been with for the last three years,” Redmond told Southampton’s website.
“I feel like we can hopefully build something special, and to be a part of it for the next four years is good for me.”
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/SouthamptonFC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SouthamptonFC. Thanks for all the messages and continued support - looking forward to the start of a new PL season ⚽️❤️ pic.twitter.com/B75kkWsPVA
— Redz (@NathanRedmond22)
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuettl said it was good news for the club.
“He’s a player who showed in the last season that he is very important for Southampton.
“And I think it’s a massive signal for the club, and for us all, that he wants to follow our way. It’s a very positive day for us.”
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/SaintsFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SaintsFCboss Ralph Hasenhüttl on @NathanRedmond22's new four-year deal: pic.twitter.com/L1kZfKJxT1
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC)