West Ham United are delighted to confirm that Norway international midfielder Havard Nordtveit will join the Club on a free transfer on 1 July.
The Borussia Moenchengladbach man will leave the German side upon the expiration of his contract, with the Hammers having beaten off competition from several top European outfits to land their man.
Nordtveit, 25, signs on a five-year deal and returns to London six years after leaving Arsenal to join Monchengladbach.
He told the Official Website: “It has always been a dream for me to play in the Premier League and now I have a big opportunity to do that for West Ham – I cannot wait to start!
“This team has something special, a spirit in the team that I can fit into. I will work hard and hopefully I can get some good moments at this Club.
“I’m a player who can play many roles on the pitch, but I’m from Norway so maybe a little bit more running, tackles and try to spread a few balls around me.
“I’m looking forward to showing what I can do, but hopefully I have something to help West Ham achieve even more.”
Born in the village of Vats in western Norway in June 1990, Nordtveit became the youngest player to represent Haugesund when he was named in the starting line-up in an August 2006 win over Sogndal two months past his 16th birthday.
He remained with Haugesund for a further year, before Arsenal took him to the Barclays Premier League for the first time.
A defensive midfielder who can also play at the back, Nordtveit made the substitutes’ bench at Emirates Stadium but could not force his way into the first team before moving on to Moenchengladbach in December 2010.
Before then, loan spells at Salamanca, Lillestrom and 1. FC Nuremburg gave him a flavour of first-team football, setting the Norwegian up for a successful spell in the Bundesliga.
He quickly became a regular for Die Fohlen and played 187 games for the German side in his five-and-a-half seasons there, scoring 12 goals.
This past season, Nordtveit showed his versatility by playing as a centre-half and central midfielder during Moenchengladbach’s impressive campaign, which saw them finish fourth in the Bundesliga, despite losing their opening five league matches!
Nordtveit has also featured prominently for his country, earning 28 caps and scoring two goals since making his debut for Norway in 2011.