Thursday 2 August 2018 17:45, UK
West Ham have signed 21-year-old Portuguese forward Xande Silva on a three-year deal.
He has represented his country at every level from U15 to U20 and has moved to the London Stadium from Vitoria de Guimaraes for an undisclosed fee.
West Ham unveiled the forward on Thursday and confirmed he will make his debut for the club's U23 side in Friday's training ground friendly against Watford.
"This is a very important moment for me. This is a new experience for me, out of Portugal. I am very happy to be here at West Ham," the player told the club's official website upon his unveiling.
"I am a technical player and I am very fast. I will give West Ham 100 per cent on the pitch every time I play.
"It's a big dream of mine to play here in England."
Silva played 26 times in the Portuguese top flight for Vitoria de Guimaraes last season and reached the quarter-finals of the 2017 FIFA U20 World Cup with his nation.
"I would like to welcome Xande Silva to West Ham United and wish him a successful future with the club," said academy director Terry Westley.
"He has shown good promise in his early career with Vitoria de Guimaraes and through the youth levels with Portugal.
"He is now joining a very talented group of Under-23 players here and will continue the next stage of his development with us. We look forward to watching his progress over the course of the coming season."
