Nayef Aguerd might have only visited London for the first time recently – but his transfer to West Ham United is the culmination of a lifetime’s footballing journey.
The 26-year-old, who has joined the Hammers from French Ligue 1 club Rennes on a five-year contract, is a self-confessed admirer of the Premier League – a competition to which his attributes appear perfectly suited.
The Morocco international centre-back – who has 25 senior caps for his country to his name – arrives with two impressive seasons with Rennes under his belt, having enhanced the reputation he established at FUS Rabat and Dijon.
And after making the transfer to east London, the defender will now link up once again with long-time friend Pablo Fornals, whom he first encountered in a chance meeting whilst the Hammers’ No8 was plying his trade in La Liga.
“I went to Málaga – he [Pablo] used to play there,” Aguerd recalled, speaking to West Ham TV. “I went in for a test.
“I was in Morocco so I went in only for tests, so I knew him from there in Malaga. We stayed in contact, and now he’s a good friend.
“When we started to talk about the interest from West Ham, I sent Pablo a message wanting to know about how the Club is, what the teammates are like… He had some influence and was able to answer some questions for me!
“I also spoke to [Wolverhampton Wanderers defender] Roman Saïss, the captain of our Morocco national team, a lot about coming here and playing in the Premier League.
“When I told him about West Ham’s interest, and asked him about the league, he told me: ‘You need to sign there. You will love the country, you will love London, and the football is the best in the world’. I also spoke to [fellow Morocco internationals] Imran Louza and Adam Masina at Watford.”
Aguerd and the Hammers will kick off their 2022/23 Premier League season by welcoming Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to London Stadium on Sunday 7 August.
As far as Premier League debuts fall, a match against the reigning champions could be seen as an intimidating assignment – but the Moroccan is not fazed by the prospect.
His calm and composed character – off-the-pitch as much as on-the-ball – means he fully believes his new team can record a similarly impressive, if not better, result to the 2-2 draw against the Citizens in May.
The centre-back smiled: “Manchester City was also the last home game of this last season also [a 2-2 draw].
“It will be a tough challenge. They’ve just signed [Erling Braut] Haaland too, who is a great player. And there is not only one player at Manchester City. There are a lot of players with a lot of qualities.
“But I am not alone. There is a team around me and we will do everything we can to stop Manchester City.
“I saw the last game at home against them, the 2-2, and this team showed they can stop a team like City.”
With London Stadium’s capacity set to expand to 62,500 ahead of the new campaign, the match is certain to be played out to the backdrop of another spectacular atmosphere in east London.
“It’s perfect for me,” Aguerd smiled. “I would say it’s a positive pressure.
“It’s the same in the national team. When we play games, there’s 60,000 people at the game. They push us to win – and you need that.
“The pressure is for the other team, when we’re playing at home. It’s going to be good.”
A well-spoken and thoughtful individual, Aguerd has clearly prepared fully for his transfer to the Club.
And having met up with Angelo Ogbonna at Rush Green Training Ground whilst speaking to West Ham TV duties, Aguerd admitted his excitement – having also followed the Irons’ impressive UEFA Europa League campaign this season – to being a part of this special group of players.
“Ogbonna was injured [since November] last season so I didn’t see a lot of him,” Aguerd admitted.
“Kurt Zouma, I played against him when he was at Chelsea, in the Champions League. He’s a strong guy and he can jump high. Issa Diop also played in France and he is very good also, as is Craig Dawson.
“I don’t like to talk a lot about the other players, because I’m only a player like them, but I’m looking forward to playing with them.”
A change in Club has heralded a change in squad number, with Aguerd adopting the Hammers’ No27 shirt in the season to come.
And that shift comes with a more personal motivation, the centre-back admitted.
“This is the first time I’ve worn No27,” the Moroccan said with pride.
“I promised my best friend in Morocco that, during my career, I would put his favourite number on my shirt.
“I told him that, one day in my career, I would put this number on my shirt. I didn’t know when, but I would do it one day. It’s his favourite number because he loves [former Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina midfielder] Javier Pastore, who wears the No27.
“I told him that one day in my career I would do it.”
Promise, fulfilled – a trend Hammers will hope to see continue for Aguerd in the Claret & Blue over the years to come.
