West Ham are closing in on the signing of Felipe Anderson following the completion of the transfer of Andriy Yarmolenko, who has become the club’s fifth recruit of the summer transfer window. The Ukraine forward has joined from Borussia Dortmund on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee.
“I am very happy to sign for West Ham United,” said the 28-year-old. “West Ham is a big club with good fans and I am happy to come to play in the Premier League. 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.”
Director of football Mario Husillos said: “When we had the opportunity to sign him, we did not hesitate, because he really is the kind of player that we were looking for. He is a left-footed player but can play on the right and is very quick, very good one-on-one against a defender. He gives the team a lot of attacking options and scores goals, is fast on the counter-attack and provides aerial threat with his height.”
The Hammers are continuing to pursue Lazio’s Anderson, and have applied for a work permit, while they are understood to be confident of agreeing a deal with Corinthians to sign the Paraguayan defender Fabián Balbuena.
Meanwhile, French teenager Matteo Guendouzi has joined Arsenal from Lorient, the Premier League club have announced. The signing of midfielder Guendouzi, 19, follows the capture of Uruguay international Lucas Torreira on Tuesday and becomes new manager Unai Emery’s fifth addition of the summer.
Guendouzi started at Paris St Germain before moving to Ligue 2 side Lorient’s academy in 2014. He made his debut two years later, making 30 appearances, and has represented France at the nation’s under-18, under-19 and under-20 levels.
“We are delighted Matteo is joining us,” said Arsenal boss Emery. “He is a talented young player and a lot of clubs were interested in him. He has big potential and gained good first-team experience last season with Lorient. He wants to learn and improve and will be an important part of our first-team squad.”
“Arsenal have always been the team closest to my heart and a side I’ve wanted to join since I was a child,” Guendouzi, who will wear the number 29 shirt, said. “It gives me great pride – it’s incredible. I hope I can do great things here. It doesn’t get any better than coming to a club like this, with so much history, like Arsenal. I’m hugely proud.
He added: “I want to win titles, titles, titles. I want to establish myself here, which would be amazing. Winning silverware, as I said, is very important to me and winning things here at Arsenal would be incredible.”