Angelo Ogbonna to West Ham: Latest Transfer Details, Reaction and More

Juventus defender Angelo Ogbonna has joined West Ham on a four-year deal from the Serie A champions on Friday. 

The Hammers confirmed the news and provided a quote from its new defender:

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"I am delighted to have joined the Club. I wanted to play in the Premier League and am happy to be in London. My heart told me that the right decision was to play for West Ham United.

“I cannot wait to start working under Mr Bilic and with my new team-mates. I feel ready for this new adventure.”

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While the club did not disclose the cost of the transfer, Goal.com reported the deal was worth £7 million, with the potential for it to rise to £10.7 million. 

The 27-year-old's future has been central to much speculation in recent weeks, with the defender opting to join Slaven Bilic in the English Premier League.

David Amoyal of GianlucaDiMarzio.com reported the player's agent had met with West Ham United on Monday, with a deal with any perspective buyer to be announced the following day:

The centre-back played a sizeable role in Juve's success last term, making 25 appearances in Serie A and featuring in the Champions League, per WhoScored.com.

The defender made his international debut for Italy in 2011, and he will be a quality addition to the Hammers' central core. 

On July 7, Peter O'Rourke of ESPN FC claimed sources believed Ogbonna had opted to become a Hammer, but David Prentice of the Liverpool Echo reported Everton had not given up trying to entice the player to Goodison Park on Monday. 

Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

Last month, West Ham supremo David Gold accidentally tweeted a picture of the player when welcoming Pedro Obiang to east London—fuelling speculation his club were chasing the individual, per Simon Jones of the MailOnline.

Ogbonna will add a physical presence to the West Ham central defence, but he is also a very competent technician with the ball at his feet. The Premier League will be a great stage for him to show his ability and prove the Old Lady were wrong to sell him. 

He will look to provide good value and give Bilic a boost before the pre-season truly gets underway.