West Ham have snapped up Alvaro Arbeloa, instead of Micah Richards.
Alvaro Arbeloa at Real Madrid
The summer transfer window ended on Wednesday night, and West Ham United capped off a busy summer with one more signing – right back Alvaro Arbeloa.
The Hammers had brought in a host of new faces such as Arthur Masuaku, Havard Nordtveit, Andre Ayew, Sofiane Feghouli and Simone Zaza before entering deadline day, and Slaven Bilic found room for one more signing.
With winger Michail Antonio struggling as a makeshift right back and Sam Byram lacking Premier League experience, Bilic needed to add another right back to his ranks, and landed a former World Cup winner in Arbeloa.
33-year-old defender Arbeloa was a free agent having been released by Real Madrid earlier this summer, and having signed a one-year deal with West Ham, he offers major experience to the Hammers.
West Ham fans
A World Cup, European Championships, Champions League and La Liga winner, the former Liverpool defender has enjoyed a trophy-laden career, and will now be used to help Byram develop in the top flight.
Arbeloa was signed as an alternative to Micah Richards, as just hours before the Spaniard’s deal was confirmed, the Daily Mail reported that West Ham had a loan bid for Richards rejected.
Aston Villa’s Micah Richards
With Arbeloa signed, West Ham fans have taken to Twitter to give their reactions – and there are some split opinions amongst supporters, though ex-Hammers defender Danny Gabbidon is certainly impressed with the deal, labelling him a ‘great signing’.
Some believe that Arbeloa will be invaluable to Byram, helping him develop over the coming season, but others think that Richards would have been a better option as fans looked to discuss him as an alternative target for the Hammers.
Here are some of the reactions from West Ham fans after the club completed a deal for Arbeloa…
Are you happy with the signing of Arbeloa?
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