West Ham have bid farewell to another playerplaceholder image
West Ham have bid farewell to another player | Getty Images
West Ham have sold a defender at the very end of the summer transfer window.
West Ham have confirmed an exit many hours after the summer transfer window closed on Monday evening. The window closed at 7pm, with an earlier time than usual due to it falling at the start of the international break, with many players needing to travel.
The Hammers had an interesting end to the summer window, snapping up Brighton defender Igor Julio at the last minute after beating rivals Crystal Palace to the signing.
But there were also exits, with Emerson Palmieri departing to join Marseille, and he wasn’t the only player to join the French club. Nayef Aguerd has also departed, with the transfer taking some time to come off. In fact, it was not confirmed until 9am this morning, on Tuesday, despite the English window closing at 7pm on Monday night.
A club statement confirmed: “West Ham United can confirm Nayef Aguerd has joined Olympique de Marseille on a permanent transfer. The Morocco international defender departs after three seasons in east London, during which he made 61 appearances for the Club, including the 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League final victory over Fiorentina in Prague.
“Aguerd spent the 2024/25 season on loan with Spanish club Real Sociedad. The Club would like to thank Nayef for his contribution and wish him the best for the future.”
West Ham signed Aguerd for £30million back in 2022 and he now leaves for £19.9million. The 29-year-old made 41 league appearances for West Ham, although he spent last season on loan with Real Sociedad, making 21 league appearances.
The 55-time Morocco international struggled to install himself as a regular starter and now makes way to create space for the incoming Igor.
Igor joins the Iron
Igor is said to have chosen West Ham over Palace due to the likelihood of getting more playing time. He said upon arrival: “I am really happy to be here at West Ham United. It is a big Club, a historic Club, with fantastic support and a special identity. I saw this in Prague during the Europa Conference League final two years ago, and I feel very proud to now be representing the colours.
“The project here is very exciting - there are many good players at the Club and I know that there is a very positive environment in the dressing room that it will be great to be a part of. I am ready for the challenge and looking forward to giving everything I can to help the team and the Club.”
Hammers boss Graham Potter added: “I’m really pleased to have signed Igor and look forward to bringing him into our group. He is an experienced defender with a good pedigree, who knows the Premier League well and has impressed during his time with Brighton.
“He has strengths and qualities that we believe will help us and add to what we already have here, and I know he is really excited about the challenge and wearing the West Ham United shirt. It’s been a positive few days with the arrivals of Mateus Fernandes and Soungoutou Magassa, followed by a great win at Nottingham Forest yesterday, and it’s nice to round it off by welcoming Igor to the Club.”
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