West Ham United confirm Jonathan Calleri arrival on season-long loan

West Ham United have confirmed the signing of Jonathan Calleri after he received international clearance on Tuesday (16 August). The Argentina striker will join the club from Uruguayan side Deportivo Maldonado on a season-long loan.

"West Ham United are delighted to announce that exciting Argentine striker Jonathan Calleri has completed his season-long loan move to east London," a statement on the Hammers' official site read.

The 22-year-old striker, who was part of Argentina's squad at the ongoing Rio Olympics, has joined his new teammates and is part of the squad that will travel for their Uefa Europa League playoff tie against Astra Giurgiu. Calleri is delighted to have arrived in the Premier League and has made it clear that he is going to work hard to minimise the time he takes to adapt to his new surroundings.

"It is a new chapter for me and so I am excited to get started here and to fit in as quickly as possible, so that I can be as useful as possible to my new teammates and manager," the Argentine forward said.

"The Premier League is the best league in the world and so I am delighted to have this opportunity to play in such a prestigious league."

"These are exciting times for me personally and I am motivated to adapt my game to this new environment. I am a player who always tries to work as hard as I can and to do my best for the team," he added.

London rivals Tottenham Hotspur had shown interest in signing the striker earlier in the summer, according to the Mirror, while La Liga giants Barcelona were also said to be keen to sign him. However, Slaven Bilic won the race for the forward, who has had spells with Boca Juniors and Sao Paulo, as he looks to bolster his forward line as they prepare to tackle the Premier League and the Europa League.