West Ham United have completed the signing of Modibo Maiga for £5 million.
What can we tell you about him?
1) Maiga is 25-years-old and signs from French side Sochaux who finished 14th in Ligue One, four points off the relegation zone.
2) He is a striker who made 17 starts last season, plus six substitute appearances, scoring 9 league goals.
3) Maiga is a Mali international, and competed at the African Nations Cup last year, until contracting Malaria and being forced to miss his country’s 1-0 semi-final defeat to Ivory Coast.
4) He is Champions League winner, but not the one you may be thinking of. He played twice in Raja Casablanca’s run in 2006 to help them win the Arab Champions League, while just a teenager.
5) Newcastle United almost signed him in January, but he failed a medical after a knee complaint, which he disputed. They signed Papiss Cisse instead and never looked back. Maiga said afterwards he wanted to prove them wrong and make them regret the decision to pull out, and now has the opportunity at West Ham.
Watch Modibo Maiga in action…
Will Maiga be a good signing for West Ham? Will he be a first choice next season?
image: © Tom Cuppens
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