Edvin Austbø Joins West Ham United on Four-Year Deal

Edvin Austbø has completed his move to West Ham United, signing a four-year deal at the London Stadium with an option for a further year, as the club continues to rebuild for a push back to the Premier League.

The 21-year-old Norwegian forward will wear the No 35 shirt and spoke with clear excitement about the step in his career and the scale of the challenge ahead.

“It feels really good to be a Hammer,” he said. “Ever since I knew about the interest, I wanted to come here and have butterflies and am really looking forward to start playing for this amazing club.

“Obviously, the ambitions of the club are big and it's also for me as a player.

“The talks I had with Nuno and Nils Koppen were amazing and I just felt from the start that this was a good match and that I really wanted to come here.

“I watched English football on TV when I was a little kid. Everyone in Norway knows West Ham. It's such a big club and a club that belongs on the highest level in England.”

From Stavanger to Stratford, Austbø arrives with a growing reputation and the sense that this move is designed as much for the future as for the present. West Ham, now outside the top flight and under pressure to respond, see him as part of a new attacking blueprint.

Nils Koppen, West Ham’s Director of Player Recruitment, underlined just how long the club have been circling.

“Edvin is a player we have tracked closely for some time and we are very happy to bring him to West Ham United.

“He has made very impressive progress and built strong experience in Norway, and there has been a lot of interest in him across Europe.

“We believe he has the right attributes, strengths and potential to be successful in English football. He is a quick, energetic and intelligent player, who will bring another positive option to our attacking profile.

“Edvin is highly motivated to take this next step in his career, and everyone here at the Club will do everything we can to help him to settle in as quickly as possible.”

West Ham want promotion. Austbø wants a stage. The next nine months will show whether No 35 can turn promise into Premier League reality.