5 January 2007, by Tom Kundert

West Ham complete swoop for Boa Morte

Portuguese winger makes London switch on 3-year contract

In a rapidly undertaken transfer swoop, West Ham have signed Portuguese international Luis Boa Morte on a three-year contract. The Fulham captain has cost the Hammers seven million euros.

In a carefully coordinated operation West Ham contacted Boa Morte on Wednesday and within 24 hours the player and club had reached agreement on a contract lasting until 2010.

The 29-year-old will take a medical on Friday morning before officially signing on the dotted line. Ironically, Boa Morte’s first Premiership game in a West Ham shirt is likely to be against his former Fulham team-mates when the two clubs meet on 13 January.

Boa Morte’s consistently impressive Premiership performances have led him to be the subject of much transfer speculation in the past.

Fulham rejected a high offer from Newcastle United for his services in 2005 and handed the captaincy to the World Cup player in an effort to keep him happy at Craven Cottage.

However, the lure of playing for a bigger club has proved too much to pass up for the former Arsenal man.