West Ham sign Anderson from Lazio for club record fee

LONDON: West Ham United have signed attacking midfielder Felipe Anderson from Lazio on a four-year contract for a club-record fee, the Premier League side said on Sunday.

The 25-year-old, capped once by Brazil, became manager Manuel Pellegrini’s seventh close-season signing with Sky Sports reporting West Ham will pay an initial 35 million pounds ($46.31 million) with the deal potentially rising to 42 million pounds.

“West Ham is a club with a lot of tradition, lots of great players have played here, like Bobby Moore, Carlos Tevez and (Paolo) Di Canio,” Anderson told the club’s website.“They were great players and idols here, and I’m aiming big, who knows, maybe I could hit their heights and be a legend here too. I’m really happy to be here. It’s a dream come true.”

Anderson’s “undoubted creative ability” was a key factor in West Ham’s decision to sign him, the club said.“We believe that we have signed one of the most exciting talents in European football,” director of football Mario Husillos said in a statement.

“Felipe has shown a fantastic level of performance at Lazio in recent seasons and we believe that he will now bring that quality to the Premier League. He is also a player very suited to the style of Manuel Pellegrini.”

West Ham, who finished 13th last season, will begin their new Premier League campaign against Liverpool on August 12.