Jordan Hugill has promised to give ‘nothing less than 100 per cent’ every time he pulls on a Claret and Blue shirt after joining West Ham United.
The 25-year-old centre forward completed a deadline day move from Preston North End and will meet his new teammates for the first time on Thursday.
The new No12, whose move completes an amazing, heart-warming climb from non-league to Premier League, cannot wait to walk out at London Stadium and hear Bubbles being belted out by 57,000 passionate Hammers…
Jordan, welcome to West Ham United. I understand you trained with Preston in the morning, then got the train down to London and completed your move, so what’s your reaction at the end of an action-packed day?
“I'm absolutely delighted. It's been a long day and a stressful one at times, but to get this over the line is amazing for me and it's now a new challenge for me and hopefully I can bring what I did at Preston here and show what I can do. We got on the train at lunchtime and I couldn't tell you what happened, it's all been a blur!”
You are now ‘Jordan Hugill, Premier League footballer’, so how does that sound?
"It's amazing to know I'm a Premier League footballer, to know where I've come from in the last five years to where I am now in the Premier League is amazing. I'm still pinching myself to see if it's all real, but hopefully I can bring my qualities from Preston here to West Ham. Without a doubt it's a huge opportunity and I'm looking forward to it.”
We know you have done brilliantly at Preston North End over the last couple of seasons, but how would you describe the qualities you are bringing to West Ham United?
"Wherever I have been in life, not just in football, but in whatever I do, I give everything and that’s going to be the main thing for me. I'm going to give absolutely everything for this Club and for my teammates. It's a new challenge for me, playing in the Premier League, but they are going to get nothing less than 100 per cent.”
You grew up in the North East and have played for Port Vale and Preston, so what do you know about West Ham United?
"I know a lot about West Ham and its history. Upton Park spoke for itself and now the big move here which was a brilliant thing. The one thing that has struck me about watching West Ham over the years is the fan base that we've got. It's amazing how good the fans are here, so I'm looking forward to walking out at London Stadium and hearing the old Bubbles!"
Your footballing journey has been pretty unique, so what can you tell us about your rise to the top?
“It’s been a pretty mad one! When I was 18, I went off to the Glenn Hoddle Academy for a year and nothing eventually came of that and I found myself playing non-league up in Middlesbrough for about a year.
“When I was about 21, after a lot of hard work, I got picked up by Port Vale and from there I moved to Preston, and from Preston to here! It’s been a mad story and, considering five years ago I was working behind a bar, it’s unbelievable. It’s still quite surreal now, but I’m just delighted to be here.”
You’d have played in front of crowds of just a few hundred in non-league, and now you’re set to play in front of 57,000 here at London Stadium. How does that feel?
“It’s something I’m really, really looking forward to and I honestly can’t wait for that first game to come round and to walk out there onto that pitch through all the bubbles!”
“Definitely, and I’m hoping to replicate what they have achieved. If you look at how well they’ve done, if I can aim to do the same, that would be great for me.”
You must be looking forward to training and playing with the likes of Chicharito, Manuel Lanzini, Marko Arnautovic and Joao Mario…
“Without a doubt! It’s still a bit surreal at the moment. You’re saying these names to me at the minute, but they’re not sinking in, to be honest. I’m looking forward to getting into training, meeting all the lads and hopefully doing well with them as well.”
You’ll be testing yourself against the best, too…
“It’s one of the things you want as a footballer, to test yourself and push yourself to see how well you can do and how much you can do and by playing against the best players in the world you can do that.”
Thank you, so what’s your message to West Ham fans?
“You’re going to get nothing less than 100 per cent from me, week-in, week-out, no matter what’s going on, you’re going to get 100 per cent.”