Managing Director Paul Aldridge reveals: "I can confirm that, following the results of a medical, Les Ferdinand has signed for West Ham United until the end of the season.
"Les was always Glenn Roeder's first choice striker and we are delighted to welcome him to the club."
Glenn is delighted that the long-running saga is finally at an end and says: "We've had to show a lot of patience. We targeted Les quite a long time ago now, but we had to wait for the window to open, and then for Tottenham to give us permission to talk to him, which has enabled us to bring him to Upton Park at last.
"When I spoke to Les last night he was very enthusiastic about joining us and has got the belief, like the rest of the squad, that we will have climbed out the bottom three come the middle of May, and achieved our goal for this season."
A late night medical followed by a first training session with the Hammers on Tuesday morning saw a busy start to Les' Upton Park career, and Glenn adds: "He is looking forward to meeting the players. We only have a short time to integrate him into the team for Wednesday night's game at Charlton but we will get two sessions into him on Tuesday and Wednesday morning."
The 36-year-old striker was spoilt for choice in terms of options, and Glenn adds: "I think Les had a choice of four or five clubs but, like Lee Bowyer, he sees the pressurised situation that he is going to be in - and he fancies being with us for the fight over the next four months.
"Like Lee, I have never seen Les as a player who wants to be in the comfort zone."
Glenn already knows something of Les' character, and he explains: "I have worked with Les when Glenn Hoddle was the manager of England, and he was in most of the squads that he announced, so I got to know him then and worked with him on many occasions during those times.
"Like Lee, he is a real professional. He could have stayed at Tottenham and, if you want, have been fairly comfortable seeing out his contract there and picking up his money.
"But he wants to play a full part in helping us to achieve our target - and I am really delighted to have Les with us."
Glenn particularly wanted British talent, and adds: "I was looking for an experienced striker that has been there and done it, who knows what it is all about, and Les simply falls into that category.
"There were a lot of foreign players thrown at me but I didn't feel that was the right route to go down.
"I was looking for a player that knew about the situation we were in and was mentally tough, as Les is.
"He is very resilient as a person and he wanted to join the struggle - and we know it is going to be a hell of a fight.
"It is going to be a new challenge for him to come to us and, like the rest of the squad, he is ready to fight all the way."
Now Glenn is hoping that there are no further injuries up front, and adds: "It is nice to think that we will have Les, Fredi, Jermain and Paolo all fit for the rest of the season - that gives us some strength in depth in the front part of the team.
"We know how difficult it has been, for Paolo as well as Jermain, when Fredi is not fit with that physical presence he gives us.
"Les will also give that to us because he is physically a very strong player, he is technically very good, and he has had a good goal scoring record throughout his career.
"I am sure between now and the end of the season he will get some very important goals for us.
"I also took the view that with all the experience he has got, having played in major international championships such as the World Cup, it can only help a young player like Jermain Defoe."
Jermain is, according to England under-21 boss David Platt, still ahead of Wayne Rooney in the pecking order at that level, and Glenn believes the arrival of Les will help his development still further.
"I think Jermain will learn from him very quickly, he will watch him in training, the movement that he has got to lose defenders and the way he finishes," says Glenn.
"I feel Jermain has really come on a lot in the last four or five weeks and before that I would have liked to have rested him, but now he is doing so well and scoring goals he is saying to me 'I have got this shirt and I want to keep it'.
"Someone like Les can only help Jermain and his personality will be important in the dressing room; he is a very positive person and all those sorts of things will rub off him to other members of the squad.
"We all know his CV and where he has been - and he will command huge respect with the players.
"You want competition for places and strength in depth and to have Kanoute, Di Canio, Defoe and now Les Ferdinand for the rest of the season would be a massive boost for us and have a positive effect on results."
He has no fixed notion about what combination of forwards he will play if they do all remain fit, and adds: "I think all four could at any one time play together. There is a really good mix there and on paper it is a really good strike force - those four names will command a lot of respect."
Glenn also has an open mind about whether Les will stay beyond the summer, adding: "At this stage it is a short term contract until the end of the season but, depending on a lot of factors, who knows?
"Players now take care of themselves so well with the knowledge we have got on the sports science side of things, the diet, etc. and there is definitely a better way of living for the players now.
"They look after themselves in a lot better way, and what is to say we couldn't squeeze another year out of Les?
"But that is for the future and we are living very much in the present, very much short term, and very much focused on our goal to be achieved in our next four months.
"He is raring to go and looking forward to the game already - and as far as I'm concerned he will go straight into the team on Wednesday night.
"I think it says much about West Ham that players like Lee Bowyer and Les Ferdinand - who both could have joined clubs in a far better position than ourselves - decided to come and join us and want to try and make sure that we ensure our safety in the Premiership for next year.
"Hopefully our patience will pay off for a good return from Les' services."
Glenn still hopes to bring one more player in and adds: "We have very good strength in depth in the midfield with Lee Bowyer signing and Don Hutchison coming back to full fitness, and now, if at all possible, I would like to find a central defender of physical stature before the window closes.
"That would be brilliant if I could bring in just one more; maybe that will happen and I will do everything I can to ensure that he does, and then there would be strength in depth in all positions."