

West Ham United is delighted to announce the arrival of prolific French striker Sebastien Haller, the Club’s new record signing.

The highly sought-after forward, who turned 25 in June, joins the Hammers on a five-year deal with an option of a further 12 months for an undisclosed fee from German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt.

The deal for Haller means the Hammers have broken their transfer record for a third time in a little over a year following the captures of Issa Diop and Felipe Anderson.



A German Cup winner with Eintracht in 2018, Haller becomes the Irons’ fourth summer signing and cannot wait to bring his considerable talents to London Stadium and the Premier League.

"I feel really great,” said the centre forward. “I think it’s a really good opportunity for me to be here.

"It means a lot (to be the record signing). It proves that the club [has] really wanted me for a long time. I felt this desire to sign me and I’m really happy to sign, also. it is an ambitious club, a nice club, a nice city and nice fans too



"For me I can guarantee that I will give 100% for the club because the club has given me this confidence and I will try to give it back every day in every game.

"I will always give 100% and respect the club. I think this is a normal thing and that I can guarantee. I know it’s a big transfer and there is a lot of expectation around me, and I just want to make people proud of this transfer and I will give everything I have."



Director of Football Mario Husillos said: “We are very pleased to welcome Sebastien and his family to West Ham United.

“It is no secret that we have been in the process of identifying a top class striker to add to the squad this summer, and much work has gone on behind the scenes to ensure that we were in a position to act once the right opportunity became available.

“Sebastien is a player we have been watching closely for some time - he has always been a key target and someone who myself, Manuel Pellegrini and David Sullivan were very keen to bring to the football club.

“He is a player with excellent pedigree and experience in three of Europe’s top leagues. His record at Eintracht Frankfurt in recent seasons has been up there with the top strikers in the Bundesliga, and we believe that his physical and technical qualities will be well suited to the Premier League.

“He is at the perfect moment for us, like many of the players who have arrived at the club in the past 12 months - young, with his best years still ahead of him, yet with good experience and proven at the highest level.

“It is also a big factor that Sebastien was very determined to become a West Ham United player. Our conversations proved that he has great desire and ambition to be successful here and it is clear he is greatly excited by the challenge ahead.”



He added: “The signing of Sebastien is a big investment and another clear signal of our ambition and desire to bring success to West Ham United and our supporters, and we look forward to seeing the big contribution he will make in the coming seasons.”

Haller, who will join up with his new teammates when they return from the Premier League Asia Trophy in China, has become one of European football’s hottest properties during an impressive career that has seen him score more than 100 goals for club and country.

Born in the Paris suburb of Ris-Orangis in June 1994, the schoolboy Haller played for local clubs FCO Vigneux and CS Bretigny before being scouted by Auxerre at the age of 13.





There, he came through the ranks, scoring regularly for the reserves, before making his first-team debut, a month after his 18th birthday, in a 2-0 Ligue 2 win over Nimes in July 2012.

After making more than 50 first-team appearances for Auxerre, the 6’3 centre forward was loaned to Utrecht on Christmas Eve 2014, going on to score eleven goals in just 17 appearances to win the Dutch Eredivisie club’s Player of the Year award.

A permanent move to Utrecht followed in summer 2015 and Haller rewarded his new employers with a further 40 goals over the next two seasons, earning him a move across the border to German side Eintracht Frankfurt.

There, he led the line in 2017/18, scoring 13 goals, before forging a potent partnership with Real Madrid-bound Luka Jovic last season, when he netted 19 times in all competitions, including five in the Germans’ run to the UEFA Europa League semi-finals.

At international level, Haller represented France at the FIFA U-17 World Cup finals in 2011 and has been capped at every age-group level, scoring 13 goals in 21 appearances for the U21s, and is tipped to earn senior honours in the future.

West Ham United would like to welcome Sebastian and his family to east London and wish him every success for his career in Claret and Blue.