West Ham confirm signing of Samir Nasri until end of season on £80,000-a-week deal
WEST HAM have signed Samir Nasri on an £80,000-a-week deal until the end of the season.
The 31-year-old was slapped with an 18-month ban for breaking the World Anti-Doping Agency's rules after receiving intravenous treatment in Los Angeles in December 2016.
"I mean, 60,000 people every game at home. We play in the Olympic Stadium.
"The training ground is there and you have owners who wants to invest and have a good team. Everything is there to be doing great things.
“Coming back to the most competitive league in the world, with a team full of ambition with a manager that I know. It’s the best job in the world, and I’m really excited about it”
West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini managed Nasri at Manchester City, with the pair helping the club to a Premier League title.
Pellegrini added: ";He is a player I obviously know well from our time together at Manchester City and I am happy to be working with him again.
WHY WAS SAMIR NASRI BANNED FROM FOOTBALL?
SAMIR NASRI was banned from football for six months following the investigation into the intravenous drip treatment he received at a Los Angeles clinic.
Uefa suspended the former Manchester City and Arsenal midfielder after he was attended to by a private medical company, Drip Doctors, in his hotel room while on holiday.
He later posed for a photograph with the organisation’s co-founder Jamila Sozahdah that drew worldwide publicity.
At the time the Frenchman was on loan from City to Sevilla.
Nasri, 30, had reported feeling ill and vomiting before calling a doctor, his Maryland-based former girlfriend Dr Sarabjit Anand who provided an initial diagnosis.
He then received 500 millilitres of hydration in the form of sterile water containing micronutrient components on December 26, 2016.
"He has been working very hard here in recent weeks to build up his fitness and condition after a long period without playing, and he is now very determined to return to his best."
His contract was terminated by mutual consent with Turkish club Antalyaspor in January, and he has been training with West Ham in a bid to prove his fitness.
West Ham’s board agreed to a personal plea from first team boss Manuel Pellegrini to give Nasri a chance.
And he could now could make his first appearance for the club against Birmingham in the FA Cup on January 5.