EPL: West Ham signs Javier Hernandez for £16m

BBC – West Ham have completed the £16m signing of striker Javier Hernandez from German club Bayer Leverkusen. The former Manchester United forward has signed a three-year contract.

In May, Hernandez – widely known by the nickname Chicharito, which means ‘little pea’ – became Mexico’s all-time leading scorer.

“The Premier League is the best league in the world and when the opportunity came, I was desperate to sign for this club,” he said.

Hernandez, 29, scored 59 goals in 156 appearances for United after arriving at Old Trafford in 2010, before joining Leverkusen for £7.3m in August 2015.

He netted 39 times in 76 matches for the Bundesliga club.

“West Ham is a historic club and very ambitious,” he added.

“I’ve had three fantastic years playing in Spain and Germany, but England was really the first big chapter in my career and I am so happy to be back.”

The deal for Hernandez follows the club record signing of Marko Arnautovic, who signed a five-year deal for a fee of £20m, which could rise to £25m.

The forward, who has been capped 62 times by Austria, scored seven times in 35 games in all competitions for Stoke City last season.

The Hammers signed Manchester City and England goalkeeper Joe Hart on a season-long loan deal on Tuesday last week. Former City defender Pablo Zabaleta also signed on a free transfer.