West Ham sign former Everton youngster

Michael Graham

West Ham have confirmed the signing of former Everton and England Under-19 international Nathan Holland on a three-and-a-half-year deal.

He failed to make a senior appearances for the Toffees after joining the Goodison Park club when he was nine.

“It’s amazing, I’m quite gobsmacked to be honest,” he told the club’s official site. “When I first came down, (academy director) Terry (Westley) introduced me to all the staff and they were all very welcoming. They’ve shown a lot of faith in me and I just want to repay that and kick on.

“It’s all a bit of a family thing down here. Everyone is close together. It’s a brilliant set up they’ve got and I think it will only help me improve. I think I can do that.

“I like to be direct. I like to get assists and get at people and just try and dribble and combine with other people. Hopefully I can add more strength to the team.”