West Ham United broke the bank and splashed £45 million on the signing of French striker Sebastien Haller last week.
The 25-year-old scored 15 goals for Bundesliga side last term Eintracht Frankfurt, and was also on Manchester United radar.
Haller wasn’t Hammers’ first-choice, but they quickly wrapped up a deal for him after Uruguayan striker Maxi Gomez chose Valencia ahead of them after leaving Celta Vigo.
The Frenchman is now West Ham’s new club-record signing, and all eyes will be on him next term.
Haller was keen on playing European football, though, but decided to join the East London stadium outfit because of manager Manuel Pellegrini.
“It was not very complex. He is a great manager and, quite simply when a great manager tells you that he is interested in you, that’s already a strong sign,” he told L’Equipe (via GFFN) what the Chilean did to convince him to join West Ham.
“He knows me, thinks that I can adapt to this club. And then for the moment it is not like there are 36 strikers in the squad, which is lucky for me, initially. I, of course, wanted to come here.”
Pellegrini made a name for himself during his days at Manchester City, and the Premier League-winning boss will always attract big players where ever he goes.
The former Real Madrid manager will hope to lead the Hammers to a top-seven finish next term, as they clearly have a squad capable of finishing as the best of the rest, while upsetting the odds and finishing in top-six can’t be ruled out too.
Should Haller hit the ground running, West Ham could become a force to reckon next season, and it will be interesting to see how the striking powerhouse fares in the English top-flight.
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