da betobet： This time last year, nobody had really ever heard of Dimitri Payet or Manuel Lanzini.
da wazamba： Most Hammers fans had never heard of Diafra Sakho or Cheikhou Kouyate before they arrived in Sam Allardyce’s era and going back, we all wondered why John Lyall was signing Frank McAvennie.
However, each of these players have become stand-out signings for West Ham. ‘Big Sam’ is derided for his time at the Hammers, but you can’t argue with what he did and some of the signings that he made. His style of play, however, is a different matter.
Only this week, West Ham announced their second signing ahead of the new season and once again, and Irons fans are wondering who this new man is that attracted a host of top clubs.
Sofiane Feghouli has arrived at the Olympic Stadium on a free transfer from La Liga side Valencia, following in the footsteps of Toni Martinez. Yet another superb acquisition and for free shows how astute the West Ham recruitment team are.
So what does Feghouli have that West Ham wanted? Here are FIVE reasons he may be the latest transfer masterstroke in the east end of London…
Style Of Play
A total of 42 goals in 243 professional appearances isn’t a record of a goalscorer, but then Feghouli isn’t a striker. The French-born Algerian international winger likes nothing better than staying out wide and honing in on his marker one-on-one. He is lightning quick and will chase everything – there’s no such thing as a lost cause with Feghouli around.
He is comfortable in possession for the most part and tricky with it. Ample upper body strength means he’s adept at keeping hold of the ball, too. West Ham’s new terrier, it would seem.
Experience
At just 26, Feghouli is precisely the right age to complement Bilic’s superbly crafted squad. He is old enough to have gained the experience required at the top level and still young enough to be a force for a few years.
And West Ham will have him for at least three of those after tying up a free transfer. With 40 Algerian caps and nine goals, Feghouli has experience at international level as well, and his knowledge and abilities will surely help the Hammers in the Europa League next season.
Desire
He actually wants to play for West Ham. There was no appearance of being unsure and then talking to multitudes of clubs before further deliberation. By all accounts, Feghouli spoke to a few clubs and considered Bilic’s proposition to be the most interesting and the Croatian himself, the most convincing manager.
Feghouli told whufc.com. “The history of the Club is important for me in my decision. Playing in the Premier League is very important for players in their careers and I am happy to play for the Hammers.”
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Europe
Feghouli not only played in Ligue 1 with Grenoble, but he subsequently played in one of the toughest leagues in Europe, La Liga. Six seasons with Los Che tells you a lot about the player. Amongst his games for Valencia were 42 appearances in European competition, including 22 in the Champions League, which brought the Algerian an impressive haul of 10 goals. The 2012 Algerian Footballer of the Year, is an important figure for his national team, having appeared at three major tournaments.
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Another Unknown
Just like Dimi Payet and Manuel Lanzini, and just in the same way that Michail Antonio broke onto the scene, Feghouli is an unknown. He’s slipped under the radar for the majority of clubs, although one of the other top teams interested in his services was Inter Milan – which says a lot. Defences in the Premier League will have this flying Algerian, taking them on and attacking them for 90 minutes and they will not know how to handle him. Many players will come into the Premier League this summer, but the vast majority will be known to the coaches and they’ll be working out their ways of stopping them. West Ham have yet another unknown to unleash onto an unsuspecting league.
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