So, West Ham are very industrious in the transfer market again this year.
The board and Slaven Bilic are proving to be shrewd and hard negotiators with potential players, agents and their clubs and it all bodes well for the Hammers.
It’s always about getting the right deal, value for money and a player that will fit seamlessly into the West Ham ranks without rocking the otherwise calm boat that Bilic has already put together in the short time he has been at the helm.
With Gokhan Tore it has been a labour of love to get this deal over the line. It is always a major plus that a player actually wants to play for the club other than for the money.
With Tore, he stated that the fans and his ex-manager played a huge part in his decision to leave Turkey for East London. Feghouli said the same for the charismatic Croat. He obviously has that certain something.
On the official West Ham United website on Monday, Tore said: “I am very happy to be at West Ham. I watched many games that they played last season and saw how passionate the fans are.
“That made me want to come here and I am looking forward to playing in front of them. Slaven was also a big factor in me coming here and he is a great manager. He is the main man and knows me very well. I could not have said no to him.”
“He is the best manager I have worked under and he is like a father to the players. You feel like you are family.”
The player is no stranger to these shores after a stint at Chelsea within their youth system for two seasons. From Chelsea the 24-year-old went onto Hamburg in 2011 for a season before moving on again.
Tore tried his luck in Russia, but had an unsuccessful spell with Rubin Kazan before joining Besiktas, first on loan for the 2013-14 season and then on a permanent deal in the summer of 2014.
Tore scored 19 goals in 111 games for Besiktas, but he was not included in Turkey’s squad for Euro 2016.
The winger adds impetus to the West Ham attack and will add width, pace and trickery in a team now brimming with potency in setting up the goals, and now the club need to find a player to put the chances away.
Under Slaven at Besiktas, Tore seemed to click and then lived up to his reputation. He became one of the most sought after players in the Super Lig and scored a career high eight goals with eleven assists in Bilic’s final season in Turkey.
His father figure approach to Tore has seen the player blossom and at the same time tame his occasional wild side. Tore is no angel with previous altercations with teammates and a bullet in the shoulder in a nightclub, just a few of his more colourful stories.
Hammers fans will also be hopeful of seeing the Tore-ing goal celebration at points next season, where he covers up his face with one hand. It harks back to a game his grandmother used to play with him and caused a social media sensation in Turkey last season.
There is no doubt that this was one of the signings that Bilic craved and the supporters at West Ham will soon discover what it was that made Bilic go all out for the Turkish international.
[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]
[ad_pod id=’greatest-players’ align=’center’]
