McCarthy completes West Ham move
LONDON - South Africa striker Benni McCarthy joined West Ham United from Premier League rivals Blackburn Rovers on Monday, five years after a planned move to the London club fell through.
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gyjAVqFwxnecHAojLpUuiR.jpg)
McCarthy was set to join West Ham from Porto in 2005 but the deal fell through and a year later he joined Blackburn.
This season he has struggled to make the starting line-up, scoring four goals in 16 appearances, many of them off the bench.
After signing a two-and-a-half-year deal, the 32-year-old said he had been impressed by the ambition of West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola.
"He has been great and has put my mind at ease on the kind of football the team will play and what I can expect at the club," McCarthy told Sky Sports News.
South Africa's all-time leading scorer with 32 goals in 77 games, McCarthy told the club's website: "I am looking forward to making up for lost time and I can't wait to make my debut.
"Although I could have gone to other clubs, this was the only one I wanted."
Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce called McCarthy selfish and unprofessional after he failed to show up for training while transfer negotiations were being held but the player said he had "no complaints" about the Lancashire club.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
"They did not play the kind of football that I wanted to play and so I couldn't play there," he said.
"I never had a disagreement with the manager. I have always been respectful and he has always been up front with me."
![Ruben Amorim has plenty of transfer decisions to make this summer](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/r6KdxiYocfLrDK8ti5nD9E-840-80.jpg)
Manchester United report: Antony's future has already been decided after new comments from CEO
![Arne Slot head coach of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester City FC at Anfield on December 01, 2024 in Liverpool, England.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3xTbkGtr7hRGpxxB4hofcg-840-80.jpg)
‘Slot hasn’t come in and changed everything, making it all about himself – it’s been about the players he’s inherited, getting the best out of a system he likes’: Liverpool manager impressing former players with personality and tactical approach