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Yaya Toure and Salomon Rondon on West Ham’s radar as Manuel Pellegrini plans to attack the transfer market

Getty Images
Getty Images

New West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini has immediately promised the club’s fans “attacking football” and “four or five” new signings this summer.

The 64-year-old signed a three-year contract worth up to £10million a year after meeting co-chairman David Sullivan in central London yesterday. The former Villarreal, Real Madrid, Malaga and Manchester City manager, who left Chinese Super League club Hebei Fortune last week, also visited the club’s training ground.

Yaya Toure, who enjoyed a good relationship with Pellegrini when the pair were at City, is a free agent and could be an early signing for the Chilean, although the 35-year-old Ivorian will have to modify his salary demands.

West Brom’s Venezuela striker Salomon Rondon is another player who is likely to be on his radar.

Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images

​Rondon played under Pellegrini at Malaga and relegated West Brom are prepared to allow the 28-year-old to leave for a fee of around £16m.

Pellegrini said of his appointment: “I’m very happy because I return to a league that, for me - and I always say the same thing - is the best league in the world and especially because I come here to West Ham. Every time I spoke with the owner, Mr Sullivan, I always had the feeling that he wants me.

“I hope that next season we are going to play football that will delight the fans. I always play attacking football and we must try to reach important targets in the season.”

Pellegrini, who clinched the Premier League title for City in 2014 with a 2-0 victory over the Hammers, also believes European club qualification is achievable.

“I am excited about this project,” he said. “My mentality is always to have a winning mentality and I will hope that I can repeat here what I did with all my clubs in Europe, where I have always arrived in European competition.

“I know that this league is very good and it’s not easy to do it but I think that working all together with the owners, the technical staff and the fans, we have an important power and can think about reaching important targets for the season.”

Of his meeting with co-chairman Sullivan, Pellegrini said: “Every time you have a meeting, you have feelings about whether it was good or bad - and I had the meeting with him, just talking about football and talking about West Ham.

“We agreed on a lot of things he wants for this club in the way I think a football club must be managed, so we have a lot of common ideas.

“I think West Ham has a very good team. I know all of the players and I saw most of the games that they played last season, so I am sure that, with the players we have in the squad, and bringing maybe another four or five players in, we are going to have a strong team.”

Sullivan said he had listened to the club’s fans and their wishes.

“I am delighted to welcome Manuel Pellegrini to West Ham United,” he said. “He is one of the world’s most respected football coaches and we look forward to working with him.

“We have listened to fans who asked us to be ambitious. We hope they agree it is an exciting appointment.

“It was important that we appointed someone with knowledge and experience of the Premier League, who already has an understanding not only of the teams and players we face but of West Ham United and our ambitions.

“Manuel brings a reputation for attacking football and getting the best out of his players. We believe he will attract new talent to the London Stadium as well as improving the current squad.

“Above all, he is a winner who knows what it takes to succeed at the highest level and is driven to continue that success.

“Manuel is the first West Ham United manager to have a Premier League title on his CV and we believe that his experience, quality and proven record of taking teams forward quickly will ensure that he is successful here.

“Manuel will shortly announce the names of the new staff he will bring in and he will then get down to shaping the squad he wants. We all wish him the very best of luck.”