Switzerland Under-19 defender Fabio Daprela joined West Ham United from Grasshopper Club Zurich for an undisclosed fee on 31 July 2009. Daprela, a left-back, flew straight to London to complete his move to the Boleyn Ground from the UEFA European U19 Championship finals in Ukraine.

The club had to contend with interest from a host of top Italian sides for the youngster, who has signed a five-year deal after moving from the Zurich club. Born on 19 February 1991, he helped the Swiss to get to within five minutes of a place in the semi-finals in Ukraine. At club level, Daprela joined Grasshoppers in 2003, having started his career at youth club SC YF Juventus. He made eleven appearances for the club's first-team.

His first appearance on the bench for the senior side came as an unused substitute on Tuesday 25 August 2009 in the 3-1 defeat of Millwall in the Carling Cup second round.