West Ham United co-owner David Sullivan has lauded the club's capture of Sampdoria midfielder Pedro Obiang

Talking to the Hammers’ club website, Sullivan revealed his admiration for the 23-year-old midfielder who signed from Sampdoria yesterday.

He said: “[Obiang] is a top player. He is an athlete and played every game for Sampdoria last season. He is a box-to-box player who can operate in a number of positions.

“He has played for Spain’s Under-21 side and you don’t play for them unless you are a good player.”

Slaven Bilic was announced as new West Ham manager earlier this week and Sullivan thinks the new boss’ first signing was a real coup.

“He is a fantastic footballer and will keep possession of the ball and tackle,” he continued. “He has got many qualities that will be admired by the West Ham supporters.

“We hope that if we can improve him a little bit we could have a real superstar.”

Obiang was captured for a fee thought to be around £4.4 million.