West Ham signing Nayef Aguerd says he enjoys plenty of links with his new club.

After making the transfer to east London, the defender will now link up once again with long-time friend Pablo Fornals, whom he first encountered in a chance meeting whilst the Hammers' No8 was plying his trade in La Liga.

“I went to Málaga – he [Pablo] used to play there," Aguerd recalled, speaking to West Ham TV. “I went in for a test.

“I was in Morocco so I went in only for tests, so I knew him from there in Malaga. We stayed in contact, and now he's a good friend.

“When we started to talk about the interest from West Ham, I sent Pablo a message wanting to know about how the Club is, what the teammates are like… He had some influence and was able to answer some questions for me!

“I also spoke to [Wolverhampton Wanderers defender] Roman Saïss, the captain of our Morocco national team, a lot about coming here and playing in the Premier League.

“When I told him about West Ham's interest, and asked him about the league, he told me: 'You need to sign there. You will love the country, you will love London, and the football is the best in the world'. I also spoke to [fellow Morocco internationals] Imran Louza and Adam Masina at Watford."