Sunderland beat off competition to sign 21-year-old defender Ajibola Alese from West Ham United, Hammers boss David Moyes has revealed. Alese signed for the Championship club midway through June for an undisclosed fee and signed a three-year deal at the Stadium of Light, which includes an additional one-year option.
The defender is a product of the West Ham academy and was handed his debut by Moyes in 2020 but most of his senior experience has come while away from the club on loan at Accrington Stanley and Cambridge United.
He captained the Hammers’ U18s and U21s but was allowed to leave ahead of the new campaign as the east London club had already bolstered their options at centre-back.
Speaking to football.london, Moyes reflected on Alese’s departure and revealed that Sunderland beat off interest from multiple other clubs to win the race for his signature.