West Ham CONFIRM the arrival of Greek defender Konstantinos Mavropanos from Stuttgart for £18m – with former club Arsenal to receive 10 per cent of the fee
- West Ham have been searching for reinforcements at centre back this summer
- They have added defender Konstantinos Mavropanos from Stuttgart for £18m
- WATCH: ‘It’s All Kicking Off’ – Episode 2 – Mail Sport’s brand new football show
West Ham have completed the signing of former Arsenal defender Konstantinos Mavropanos from Stuttgart for an £18million fee.
The centre-back – a 19-time Greek international – moves to the London Stadium on a five-year-deal after the Hammers’ £30m move for Harry Maguire collapsed last week.
Mavropanos spent four years on the Gunners’ books between 2018 to 2022, but made just eight appearances, although Mikel Arteta’s side are set to receive 10 per cent of the fee paid to Stuttgart.
The defender has also had interest from Eintracht Frankfurt, Wolves and Nottingham Forest this summer but was attracted by the prospect of a return to London under David Moyes.
After his arrival was confirmed, Mavropanos told the club’s website: ‘I am really happy and excited to be here – and to be back in the Premier League with West Ham United.
West Ham have completed the signing of Konstantinos Mavropanos from Stuttgart for £18m
The centre back – who has won 19 caps for Greece – signed a five-year deal with the Hammers
Mavropanos spent four years at Arsenal from 2018 to 2022 but made just eight appearances
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‘It’s an exciting time to be joining the club after last season’s Conference League win – and I am really looking forward to the next step in my career. I can promise the fans I will give everything for them and the shirt.’
Meanwhile, Moyes – who saw star man Declan Rice move to Arsenal for £105m earlier this summer – was delighted to add further reinforcements to his squad after Sunday’s impressive 3-1 victory over Chelsea.
He said: ‘I’m pleased to welcome Konstantinos to West Ham United. We’ve been looking to add to our centre-half options this summer, so it’s good we’ve been able to bring in an international defender of his ability.
‘We’re really looking forward to integrating him into the group.’
Mavropanos made 89 appearances in total for Stuttgart after initially spending two seasons with the club on loan before completing a permanent move for a reported £2.9m fee last summer.
He will join the likes of Kurt Zouma, Nayef Aguerd, Angelo Ogbonna and Thilo Kehrer as options in the centre of defence for West Ham.
Hammers boss David Moyes outlined his delight after bringing in another defensive option
The Greek international (right) played 89 times for Stuttgart across three seasons at the club
The Greek defender – who helped Stuttgart avoid relegation in the Bundesliga last season – is the third major summer arrival at the London Stadium following the additions of Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse.
There had been suggestions last week that Mavropanos’ move had broken down after an issue with his medical but he has now made the switch.
It caps off what has been a positive few weeks for the club as after reports emerged about Moyes clashing with technical director Tim Steidten over their transfer business – which saw them be the last Premier League club to make a signing – they have now brought in three impressive recruits.
However, they are still likely to search for further reinforcements with Gianluca Scamacca, Nikola Vlasic, Arthur Masuaku and Manuel Lanzini all joining Rice in leaving the club over recent months.
The Hammers travel to table-toppers Brighton this Saturday evening after picking up four points from their opening two games.
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