Behrami joins West Ham

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Official: Behrami A Hammer

Valon Behrami has swapped Rome for East London as West Ham United announce the capture of the player from Lazio...

Alan Curbishley has landed one from the wish-list, securing the services of Valon Behrami from Lazio after a £5m swoop.

The 23-year-old has been unsettled in Italy and, following a good showing for co-hosts Switzerland at Euro 2008, was widely tipped to move on this summer.

The Hammers will be glad to get the transfer sorted with minimal fuss, as the winger briefly looked set to buy out the remaining two years of his Biancocelesti contract after meeting some resistance from the club over his departure.

The capture of versatile Behrami will further strengthen Curbishley's squad, which was plagued by injury last season and finished a disappointing tenth despite high pre-season expectations.

West Ham's official website confirms that, "West Ham United have secured the signing of the highly regarded Switzerland international Valon Behrami in a £5m deal from Serie A giants Lazio.

"Behrami, who wore the No85 shirt for Lazio, previously played for Genoa and Verona having moved across the border in 2003 from Lugano. The Kosovo-born player had also attracted attention at international level for Switzerland, having been capped at various youth levels.

"He will wear the No21 shirt next season."

Dream Come True

The player himself told the website: "I am very happy to last be able to sign for West Ham. For me it is a dream come true to play for the club and in the Premier League. I am very much looking forward to becoming part of the team here.

"After the European Championships, I spoke with West Ham who expressed their interest in me coming here. It was something that enabled me to make my decision very quickly and now I can't wait to train and play for West Ham."

Behrami, who made 64 appearances for the Aquilotti in three years, will wait until his new side returns from the United States before joining up with the squad. Curbishley's men are in North America to take on the MLS Allstars as part of their pre-season schedule.

Hammers bigwig Scott Duxbury enthused: "We are delighted to have signed Valon. We beat off a lot of interest from other clubs to get him and we are very pleased to now have him here at West Ham United. He is a player who will be a valuable addition to the squad as we aim for a successful season ahead."

The midfielder was linked with Italian sides Fiorentina, Juventus and Palermo this summer, but his agent clamed he favoured a move to the Bundesliga in Germany before West Ham entered the fray.

Determined Duxbury continued: "There will not be a mass exodus and fans can be assured that we are working hard as always to ensure high-calibre competition in all areas of the team."

Fantastic signing from West Ham to be honest, they've got a quality player. He was reportedly a wanted man from many clubs, especially in Germany, but also in Italy and England.

No disrespect to West Ham, but I think he could have joined a better/bigger club, but anyway.

I'm happy for him that he will be playing in a great league such as The Prem, and I have no doubt he will develop and gain great experience.

You guys must surely remember him from the Euro 2008 (if not from Lazio), he made some fantastic performances.

[Evertonscouser]

Surprised there werent more teams putting in bids for him.... will be a good asset to West Ham. But If he wants to further his career he wont be there long.