West Ham have finally reached a solution to their left-back woes after they signed Arthur Masuaku from Olympiakos on a 4-year deal. The left-back becomes the 8th signing of Slaven Bilic this season as the manager looks to make a positive start to life at the Olympic Stadium.
West Ham suffered a major setback after a positive start to the transfer window when Aaron Creswell was ruled out for up to four months after getting injured in pre-season. West Ham have signed players like Feghouli and Nordtveit who are expected to beef up their attacking options as they look to improve on a promising 7th place finish last season. The Hammers had an uplifting last season where they performed admirably against all the big clubs but fell short in the consistency department which made them miss out on an automatic European qualification spot.
West Ham have been actively on the lookout for a left-back and after having been thwarted on a couple of occasions in their pursuit have finally managed to secure their target.
Masuaku began his career at Valenciennes where he came up through the youth system. He has also represented France at the under-19 stage. The player joined Olympiakos in 2014 for whom he has made over 100 appearances since. During his time at the club, he has won back-to-back titles and will look to help the Hammers end their trophy drought after they won the now defunct Intertoto Cup back in 1999.
The player was already considering a move away from Olympiakos and grasped at the opportunity to play in the Premier League where he will team up with Dimitri Payet, after playing against the latter during their days in the Ligue 1. While adjusting to a new league is always difficult, the player will be aided in the transition by his countryman and the club will hope they continue their rapport onto the field and form a fruitful partnership on the left flank.
He is essentially a like-for-like replacement for the injured Aaron Creswell as the Frenchman is adept while going forward and joins regularly in the attacking play. He is known for his dribbling abilities and his physique will come in handy in the robust nature of the Premier League. While he needs to buckle up on his crossing and his expertise on the ball needs polishing, at 22-years of age the player has lots of scope to improve. With 12 appearances already in the Champions League, the player already has good exposure in European football which bodes well for him.
The player will most likely make his debut against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge which will immediately give Masuaku an idea on what the season has in store for him.
