West Ham United agreed to sign Pablo Zabaleta from Manchester City at the end of last week.
Pablo Zabaleta
Hammers new-boy Pablo Zabaleta sat down for an exclusive interview with the club’s official website, and opened up on the reason why he chose to move to the East End outfit, after rejecting offers from both Spain and Italy.
The Argentine’s move to West Ham was announced on Friday, and he will complete his switch on July 1st, when he joins the club on a two-year deal.
Manchester City’s Pablo Zabaleta
The 32-year-old has been a remarkably consistent performer for the Citizens, since his moved to the Etihad in 2008, making 333 appearances for the club in the process, and is seen by many as a huge coup for Slaven Bilic.
And the versatile defender spoke to WHUFC.com about his move to the Hammers, explaining how he turned down plenty of offers abroad in order to join Bilic’s revolution at the London Stadium:
Manchester City’s Pablo Zabaleta
“It is true that I got a few offers from clubs from Italy, some interest also coming from Spain and also from England. Of course that decision came also by thinking about my family. I expressed myself to them that to keep playing in the Premier League was a priority. I love the Premier League so much. Of course West Ham has always been my first choice and the reason that it is a fantastic Club and I have a lot of respect.”
West Ham endured a disappointing 2016/17 Premier League campaign, and their woeful defensive record was a major contributing factor behind their struggles.
Their fans will be hoping that the addition of Zabaleta will help tighten up their leaky backline, and with his experience and winning mentality, he will certainly add a level of authority that Bilic’s men have been desperately bereft of over this past year.
Manchester City’s Pablo Zabaleta
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