West Ham United have agreed a five-year deal with Turkish midfielder Murat Saglam, whose contract at Wolfsburg expires in the summer, The Times understands.
Under-fire Hammers boss Slaven Bilic was keen to wrap up a deal for Saglam early as West Ham’s bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur were also in pursuit.
Saglam can be best described as a versatile, attack-minded youngster. He regularly plays as a number ten for Wolfsburg U19s, but he is capable of playing centre forward, on the wings and at right-back.
In his debut season at under-17 level, Saglam netted nine times in 26 appearances – from midfield. He was then promoted to the under-19s, where he has netted three times and assisted five this campaign
Murat also has three appearances for Turkey U19s under his belt – all at an attack-minded wing-back role.
Despite growing speculation surrounding Bilic’s future in the press, it is business as usual for the Croat at West Ham and the signing of Saglam highlights the board’s long-term plans for Slaven.
