Welsh captain Craig Bellamy has joined East London club West Ham United as they prepare for life after Tevez. With the Argentinean poised to move to the North-West Hammers manager Alan Curbishley is trying to build a squad that he hopes will not struggle as much to remain in the Premiership.

West Ham United are Craig Bellamy’s fifth club in three-years and he has signed a five year deal and he has pledged his long term future to the Irons.

Bellamy has cited his lack of opportunity at the club he supported as a boy as his reason for moving on to West Ham where he believes he can play every week. The arrival or Fernando Torres on Merseyside would have further restricted Bellamy’s opportunities at Anfield. However he needs to remember that West Ham are not short of a striking talent either. West Ham fans will breathe a sigh of relief now that they have landed a seasoned premiership player who is an international captain with Champions League experience for a fraction of the price that they were prepared to spend on a comparatively inexperienced Darren Bent.