Sofiane Feghouli has discussed his decision to join West Ham over the summer.
Accrington Stanley’s Janoi Donacien in action with West Ham United’s Sofiane Feghouli
West Ham United winger Sofiane Feghouli has told the club’s official website that his decision to join the club over the summer wasn’t a difficult one.
Despite having great attacking players in Dimitri Payet, Manuel Lanzini and Michail Antonio last season, manager Slaven Bilic moved to bring in more options for his attacking midfield roles.
Even before snapping up Gokhan Tore on loan from Besiktas and Andre Ayew from Swansea City, Bilic swooped to land winger Sofiane Feghouli on a free transfer from Valencia.
West Ham’s Sofiane Feghouli celebrates
The former Grenoble starlet, 26, hit 31 goals in 202 games for La Liga side Valencia before his contract expired at the end of last season – and West Ham swooped to sign him on a three-year deal.
So far, Feghouli has endured a stop-start opening to his West Ham career; he may have scored his first goal for the club in a Europa League tie against Domzale in August, but has played just 90 minutes of Premier League action having struggled for form and fitness.
West Ham’s Sofiane Feghouli scores their third goal against NK Domzale
The Algerian international will be hoping to kick on and live up to his billing over the coming months, and has now discussed his decision to leave Valencia and join West Ham.
Feghouli told the club’s official website that his decision ‘wasn’t too difficult’, as he wanted to play in the Premier League, and knew that he wanted to join the club after speaking to manager Bilic.
The wide man added that he knows Bilic has wanted him for years, and the Croatian knows how to get the best out of him as a result.
West Ham’s Sofiane Feghouli in action with NK Domzale’s Jure Balkovec
“It wasn’t too difficult to come to my decision,” said Feghouli. “I was coming to the end of my contract at Valencia and for various reasons, we were unable to renegotiate and so, I needed to find a new club and consider the offers that were being made.
“I wanted to give the Premier League a go because it’s one of the best leagues in the world and attracts so much attention from around the world. I knew about West Ham and I had heard a lot about the passion of the fans. After speaking to the manager and listening to his project, it was an easy decision for me to join the Club.”
“Slaven has followed me for a couple of seasons and so he knows how I play and where best to play me for the good of the team,” he added.
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