Hammers snap up Nene

West Ham United are delighted to announce the signing of Brazilian forward Nene

West Ham United are delighted to announce the signing of Brazilian forward Nenê.

The South American, who can play out wide or down the middle and is a dead-ball specialist, joins the Hammers until the end of the season, subject to international clearance.

The former Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain player has enjoyed a goal-filled career, scoring well over 100 goals for clubs in Brazil, Spain and France, finishing as the top scorer in Ligue 1 in 2011/12.

Most recently, Nenê spent two seasons with Al-Gharafa Sports Club, scoring 21 goals in 44 appearances. Now, though, he is relishing his first crack at the English Barclays Premier League.

I like making assists - that is my real work, to make the final pass to put the striker in a good position to score the goals

He said: "I am very excited and happy to be here. I'm proud to come to a really big club like West Ham and I'm going to do my best to help the team. I've been thinking about coming back to Europe for a few months because here the football, the ambience, everything is better.

"It's a really good challenge for me, to come to a competition like the Premier League. It's the most competitive in the world so this is the motivation for me."

Nenê is also looking forward to showing West Ham fans his wide range of attacking skills.

"I like to get on the ball and show my technique," he revealed. "I like taking free-kicks, so practice to be good at that. I like making assists - that is my real work, to make the final pass to put the striker in a good position to score the goals."

Born in Jundiaí in the state of São Paulo, Nenê began his career by scoring 26 goals in just 32 league games for local club Paulista.

His form there saw him attract the attention of Brazil's biggest clubs, earning moves first to Palmeiras and then Pele's old side Santos.

At the age of 22, Nenê began a ten-year stay in Europe in 2003, when he joined Spanish outfit Mallorca for a season. That was followed by two years with Alaves, who he helped to win promotion to La Liga in 2005.

Nenê spent the 2006/07 season with Celta de Vigo, scoring eight times, including strikes against Real Madrid and Barcelona, leading to a move to French club Monaco. There, he won Player of the Year honours in 2008 before spending a season back in Spain on loan at Espanyol.

After scoring 14 goals for Monaco in 2009/10, Nenê moved to the French capital, where he excelled in the colours of PSG.

He netted another 14 times in 2010/11 before topping the French Ligue 1 scoring charts with 21 goals the following season, while also registering eleven assists with his outstanding delivery and set plays.

While Nenê's form in a PSG shirt saw him coveted by many of Europe's top clubs, he opted to try a new challenge in the Middle East by signing for Al-Gharafa in the Qatar Stars League in January 2013. There, he continued his prolific ways.

Nenê becomes just the second Brazilian to represent West Ham, with the other being Ilan, whose goals helped keep the Hammers in the Premier League in 2009/10.

Tweet us your welcome message to Nenê using the hashtag #WelcomeNene.