West Ham Sign Argentine Playmaker, Lazini On Loan

West Ham have added Argentine playmaker, Manuel Lazini on a season-long loan from UAE side, Al-Jazira with an option to a permanent deal.

Lazini, a product of the same River Plate youth setup which produced the likes of Alfredo Di Stefano and Javier Mascherano, made his debut in August 2010 and went on to make 22 league appearances for River in his first season.

After a loan spell at Brazilian side Fluminese, Lazini returned to River and helped the club reach the last-8 of Copa Libertadores, scoring eight goals in 26 league appearances in the 2012/13 campaign.

He told West Ham’s TV: “This is very emotional because it is one of the best teams I have ever signed for,” he tells West Ham TV. “It is a very important step for my career and for my future.

“I am someone who always gives 100%. I’m an attacking player, I can change the game’s tempo and I hope to give my maximum for the fans to appreciate me.”

After another impressive season at the Buenos Aires outfit, he moved to Al-Jazira in 2014 where he became the youngest player to play in the UAE Arabian Gulf League at the age of 21.

Lazini scored 8 goals in 24 appearances last season as Al-Jazira finished as runners-up in the UAE top flight.

Lanzini, who has been capped at U-20 level by his country, becomes West Ham’s seventh summer signing following the arrivals of Dimitri Payet, Angelo Ogbonna, Pedro Obiang, Carl Jenkinson, Stephen Hendrie and Darren Randolph.