Andre Ayew joins West Ham for record fee - Twitter Reacts

By Scott Challinor

With Diafra Sakho’s 2015/16 campaign at West Ham United blighted by injury and poor form, the Senegalese has often been linked with a move away from East London. This, coupled with the exodus of forward players that were on the books of the Hammers last season, has given manager Slaven Bilic the exciting task of adding reinforcements to West Ham’s frontline.

The Croatian boss has also had the conundrum of a misfiring set of forward players to contend with at the Iron.  Last season’s leading scorer was the livewire Dimitri Payet who contributed 12 from the left-wing. Next in line was Andy Carroll who notched nine Premier League goals in a spearhead role.

No out-and-out forward managed to break into double figures this season, and with Europe on the agenda this term, it is an issue that the gaffer has been forced to resolve. Now, Bilic has added another Hammer to the ranks at the Olympic Stadium, smashing the club’s transfer record to sign Swansea City’s Ghana international Andre Ayew for £20.5 million.

Still lacking a prolific striker, Bilic will hope that the Ghanaian can contribute more goals from out wide as Payet did last season, to share the load and ease the pressure on forwards Andy Carroll and Enner Valencia, but Bilic may even use him centrally at times having already brought in Valencia’s Sophiane Feghouli to feature out wide. Ayew pens a four-year deal at the ambitious East London outfit, and needless to say the man himself was very excited about his move:

And some Hammers fans were already getting excite about the magnitude of their signing, whilst it received praise from neutrals elsewhere too:

https://twitter.com/ashkhannnn/status/762934126173315072

Of course, there was also obvious excitement regarding the partnership the Ghanaian will have with Dimitri Payet at the Hammers, with the two having played together at former club Olympique de Marseille in Ligue 1:

Some even took the hype of signing the exciting Ghana international to the extreme, comparing him to Manchester United’s coup of bringing Paul Pogba back to Old Trafford:

In fact the hype became so much that even the politicians of his native Ghana bought into the buzz:

Although, his hefty £20.5million price tag didn’t escape attention either, and it brought into perspective a great deal about the modern football market:

Commanding a fee of such standing would always come under scrutiny for a winger who featured in a struggling Swansea City side last season, though time will tell if the Ghanaian can have a big impact for the Hammers and justify his expense.

Getting into double figures last season suggests he is more than capable of having the desired effect at West Ham United, and of course his European experience with Marseille will undoubtedly prove vital as the Iron take on the Europa League. Good signing? Heavy fee for an almost guaranteed flop? Andre Ayew has a lot to prove this season, and West Ham fans cannot wait to see what he will bring to the table.

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