West Ham United has finalized the acquisition of Konstantinos Mavropanos, the former Arsenal defender, from Stuttgart for a transfer fee amounting to £18 million.
The accomplished centre-back, who boasts 19 appearances for the Greek national team, has inked a five-year deal with West Ham, making his way to the London Stadium. This move comes after West Ham's £30 million pursuit of Harry Maguire fell through in the previous week.
Mavropanos, who had been a part of Arsenal from 2018 to 2022, amassing a modest tally of eight appearances, will also see his former club, Arsenal, benefit from his transfer. A portion of the fee paid to Stuttgart will be allocated to Arsenal, accounting for 10% of the total sum.
Despite receiving interest from clubs such as Eintracht Frankfurt, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Nottingham Forest during the current transfer window, Mavropanos was drawn to the prospect of returning to London under the guidance of David Moyes, West Ham's manager.
After confirming his arrival, Mavropanos shared his excitement with the club's official website, stating,
I’m excited to return to the best league in the world, and it’s a privilege to do so with@WestHam as a team with a rich history. I’d like to thank everyone at the club for their faith in me. I’m really looking forward to getting to work.
Mavropanos made 89 appearances in total for Stuttgart after spending two seasons with the club on loan before completing a permanent move for a reported £2.9m fee last summer.
He will join the likes of Kurt Zouma, Nayef Aguerd, Angelo Ogbonna and Thilo Kehrer as options in the centre of defence for West Ham.
