31-year-old joins Hammers on day his doping ban comes to end
Tuesday 1 January 2019 19:00, UK
Samir Nasri has joined West Ham on an initial deal until the end of the season.
The two-time Premier League winner has signed with the Hammers following a successful period training with the club and his move includes an option to extend his stay further.
Nasri reunites with West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini on the day the former France international completed an 18-month doping ban. He is available to play again from January 1.
"You choose a club because of the ambition, and I think that West Ham has everything to be one of the biggest clubs in London, for sure," Nasri, who has been without a club since leaving Turkish side Antalyaspor in January, said.
"I mean, 60,000 people every game at home, we play in the Olympic Stadium. The training ground is there and you have owners who want to invest and have a good team. Everything is there to be doing great things.
Coming back to the most competitive league in the world, with a team full of ambition with a manager that I know. It's the best job in the world, and I'm really excited about it.
"Coming back to the most competitive league in the world, with a team full of ambition with a manager that I know. It's the best job in the world, and I'm really excited about it."
Pellegrini had expressed his desire to bring Nasri to the club should the 31-year-old prove his fitness and the Chilean is delighted to welcome the player, who won the Premier League title with him at Manchester City in 2014.
"He is a player I obviously know well from our time together at Manchester City and I am happy to be working with him again," Pellegrini said.
Samir will give us another dimension in our attacking play.
"He has been working very hard here in recent weeks to build up his fitness and condition after a long period without playing, and he is now very determined to return to his best.
"Samir will give us another dimension in our attacking play. He is a very technical player, with excellent quality on the ball, and the ability to create big moments in important matches.
"He already has very good experience of the Premier League and we hope that he will have a positive impact on the team between now and the end of the season."
Nasri arrived in English football with Arsenal in 2008 and spent three seasons under Arsene Wenger prior to joining Manchester City, before he was sent on loan to Sevilla following the arrival of Pep Guardiola.
In February 2018 he was banned from football by UEFA following an investigation into the intravenous drip treatment he received at a Los Angeles clinic, which was in breach of the World Anti-Doping Agency's rules.
The ban was increased from six to 18 months in August but backdated to July 1 2017.
