West Ham United completed the signing of Colombian international defensive midfielder Carlos Sanchez, on a two-year deal from Fiorentina on Thursday.
Sanchez becomes the ninth signing that the Hammers have made this summer, following the likes of Issa Diop, Ryan Fredericks, Fabien Balbuena, Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko, Lukasz Fabianski, Jack Wilshere and Lucas Perez.
Sanchez has past experience in England with Aston Villa
The 32-year-old boasts past experience in England, having made 48 Premier League appearances for Aston Villa between 2014-16. He also was part of the Colombian squad which played during the 2018 World Cup and received a red-card during the South American nation’s opening day shock defeat against Japan.
After Aston Villa, Perez moved to Fiorentina in Italy, initially on loan before the deal was made permanent last summer. He spent the second-half of last season on loan with Espanyol in Spain.
He adds depth to Manuel Pellegrini’s squad
Sanchez’s move to the Hammers is likely to come as a surprise to many fans of the club, as he looks like a player who is past prime. It is likely that manager, Manuel Pellegrini, considers him as the club’s replacement for Cheikhou Kouyate, who left them this summer to link up with Crystal Palace.
Sanchez’s move to the Hammers makes him the only specialized defensive midfielder in the club’s squad heading into the new season. He may not be a first-team regular, considering the talent that is present within the squad, however, he adds depth to Pellegrini’s side, which on paper looks like it could stand a good chance of gaining a strong finish on the top half of the standings and also potentially challenge for one of the Cup competitions.
Sanchez appears to be delighted over the move.
“I’m very happy to be here. I’m very excited and looking forward to achieving lots,” he said as reported by The Independent.
“I decided to come here because, first, it is the Premier League, second, it’s a beautiful club and the fans are always helping the club and, third, for me it’s an amazing opportunity and an amazing project the club are leading, being ambitious and keen to achieve good things.
“I’d like to thank all of the people, the whole club, for having me.”
