West Ham’s impressive rebuild under Manuel Pellegrini continues.
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Ukrainian star Andriy Yarmolenko is the latest to join Pellegrini’s revolution at the London Stadium, with the striker arriving from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth $23.1 million and signing a four-year contract.
Yarmolenko, 28, has long been linked with a move to the Premier League and he arrives after just one season with Dortmund in the Bundesliga. He scored six times in 26 games in all competitions for the German giants in 2017/18 before heading to the Hammers.
He previously spent his entire career with Dynamo Kiev, scoring 137 goals in 341 games despite playing as a wide forward for most of his career. He also has 35 goals in 77 games for Ukraine.
Speaking about his move to east London, Yarmolenko had the following to say.
“Of course, I am very happy to sign for West Ham United. West Ham is a big club with good fans and I am happy to come to play in the Premier League,” Yarmolenko said. “The Premier League is the best league in the world and I know that an interesting project is being built here at West Ham. The team wants to achieve high things and I am excited for this challenge.”
Yarmolenko alongside Javier Hernandez, Marko Arnautovic and Andy Carroll certainly gives West Ham plenty of attacking options, even if Manuel Lanzini will miss a big chunk of the season through injury and Michail Antonio is rumored to be on his way out.
Pellegrini has already added Jack Wilshere, Lukasz Fabianski, Issa Diop and Ryan Fredericks this summer to significantly strengthen West Ham’s squad ahead of his first season in charge. Arnautovic and Yarmolenko seem particularly well-suited to playing with each other, as both love to surge forward with powerful runs and can finish when given an opportunity.
This is what West Ham’s fans can expect to see from Yarmolenko, who loves to cut inside from either flank and can also be deployed centrally.
Announcing Yarmolenko... #WelcomeAndriy pic.twitter.com/ZEnkm955sY
— West Ham United (@WestHam) July 11, 2018