West Ham sign Dimitri Colau as out-of-window transfer agreement now announced
West Ham’s summer business is continuing despite the closing of the transfer window.
Transfer deadline day was a disappointing one, with West Ham signing Igor Julio as their only new recruit, joining Graham Potter’s side on loan.
The Hammers have also made use of free agents this summer, with Callum Wilson joining after his Newcastle departure, and could sign further players from this market after missing out on key targets.
Contract extensions and academy signings will be the main goals for the rest of the year, as the Hammers look to the future, with promising youngster Dimitri Colau now putting pen to paper.
Dimitri Colau joins West Ham’s U21 squad from Paris FC
West Ham signed Mateus Fernandes for £40million, and El Hadji Malick Diouf for £19m, in statement signings from Southampton and Slavia Prague, respectively.
Behind the scenes, the Hammers have also been working on investing for the future and paving the way for more sustainability.
Daniel Cummings was signed from Celtic in the summer, and could develop into a top first-team player in the coming seasons.
The Irons have also now added young French defender Colau to their ranks, who joins West Ham’s under-21 squad from Ligue 1 club Paris FC.
Colau captained Paris FC’s U19s and made a handful of first-team appearances during the 2023–24 Ligue 2 season, but his progress was disrupted by injury.
He becomes the second incoming from Paris FC in the last year, with 18-year-old midfielder Mohamadou Kante signing a five-year contract last summer.
West Ham youngsters will relieve PSR troubles
Nayef Aguerd’s £19.9million move to Marseille was used to balance the books at the Hammers, which frustrated forwards.
However, by investing in youth, West Ham can make sure that they don’t face similar situations in the future.
Some of West Ham’s best academy products:
- Bobby Moore – Played 647 games for West Ham and Captained England to their 1966 World Cup victory
- Frank Lampard – Made his debut in 1996, played for five years before moving to Chelsea, and became their all-time top scorer
- Declan Rice – Captained the side to Europa Conference League glory in 2023, and made more than 200 West Ham appearances
Maintaining a category one academy can help relieve the amount of revenue needed, and signings such as Colau will help keep that status.
On top of this, the teams that do the best in terms of Profit and Sustainability rules are often those who produce strong academy products and sell them on for big money.
Sign up for the West Ham Zone WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking West Ham United news sent straight to your phone.