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Former Lazio and Inter Milan forward Mauro Zarate will return to the English Premier League next season after agreeing a three-year contract with West Ham United, the London club said on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old Argentine, who scored four goals in 14 matches on loan to Birmingham City in the Premier League in 2008, returns to England after a prolific season with Velez Sarsfield in which he scored 20 goals in all competitions.
"If you ask me what I can bring to the squad then I say I hope I will bring goals," Zarate told the club's website.
"I will also bring dribbling skills and other attacking qualities."
West Ham could certainly do with a bit more firepower up front after scoring just 40 goals in 38 Premier League matches last season as they finished 13th.
Zarate turned down a chance to play for his father's country, Chile, at the World Cup earlier this year and was also approached by Italy, his mother's country, in 2009.
Show all 10 1 /10The 10 best free agents on the market this summer The 10 best free agents on the market this summer Guillermo Ochoa The Mexican goalkeeper rose to fame thanks to his brilliant performance against Brazil in the World Cup. The 28-year-old, who left Ajaccio at the end of the season, has been linked with a move to the Premier League.
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The 10 best free agents on the market this summer Ashley Cole While John Terry has been given a contract extension by Chelsea, Ashley Cole has not yet and he looked like a man saying goodbye when he tearfully walked around Stamford Bridge after the last home game of the season against Norwich. Having ended his own international career after Roy Hodgson left him out of the World Cup squad, Cole’s career is at a crossroads. Jose Mourinho has said that he hopes Cole stays but the club might not see it that way – he is no longer a first choice – so his eight-year stay might be over, with big offers likely from England and abroad.
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The 10 best free agents on the market this summer Rio Ferdinand Both halves of Manchester United’s famous central defence for the past eight years are leaving this summer. Nemanja Vidic is off to Italy to play for Internazionale while Rio Ferdinand was told at the weekend that United would not be renewing his contract. Ferdinand said last week that if United did not offer him a new deal that he would be “open to offers” but joked that he “would not go below the Conference”. That is unlikely to be an issue as there should be no shortage of clubs looking for a defender of his experience. Queen’s Park Rangers, should they come up, are managed by Ferdinand’s old mentor Harry Redknapp, while even bigger teams like Arsenal could be tempted.
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The 10 best free agents on the market this summer Diego Lugano The Uruguay captain hit the headlines in Brazil for the wrong reasons as his complete denial that team-mate Luis Suarez bit Giorgio Chiellini when everyone else could see it. His contract with West Brom is up for renewal, but the 33-year-old is unlikely to remain in the Premier League.
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The 10 best free agents on the market this summer Gareth Barry The midfielder’s move to Everton last summer was on loan and only now, at the end of his excellent season at Goodison Park, he is a free agent. Roberto Martinez, of course, would love to retain the veteran who impressed with his reading and managing of the game, but they are not certain to be able to do that. Barry was paid close to £100,000 per week last season and Everton’s budget is not huge, while there is likely to be interest in Barry from Major League Soccer, as well as from some of the Premier League’s biggest sides.
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The 10 best free agents on the market this summer Nicolas Anelka Sacked by West Brom last season for his controversial 'Quenelle' gesture, Anelka has not yet confirmed whether he will sign for a new club - should anyone want him - or announce his retirement.
The 10 best free agents on the market this summer Frank Lampard As with Terry and Cole, Lampard’s Chelsea deal expires at the end of the season and he is likely to follow Terry in signing a new deal at Stamford Bridge. Lampard is not the dynamic presence in midfield that he once was, and he started only 20 Premier League games this season. But as his inclusion in Roy Hodgson’s World Cup squad demonstrated, his experience and presence are invaluable and he is more than worth having around. That said, if he does not renew at Chelsea, there would surely be offers from abroad, not least from long-time suitors LA Galaxy.
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The 10 best free agents on the market this summer Marouane Chamakh The Moroccan striker has completed a one-year deal at Crystal Palace that could barely have gone much better. Since he was entrusted with a role as a withdrawn striker by Tony Pulis in December, he has been excellent, scoring five goals and helping to drag Palace out of the relegation zone and into safety. Chamakh will be discussing his future with the club soon but he said last week that agreeing a new deal at Palace was his “priority”, after building an excellent rapport with the fans and playing his best football since his arrival in England from France in 2010. If not, he would like to stay in the Premier League.
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The 10 best free agents on the market this summer Samuel Eto'o The striker did not cover himself in glory at the 2014 World Cup, as Cameroon's campaign was blighted by a money row over bonuses and poor performances in Brazil that saw them eliminated at the group stages. However, the Champions League winner will still have a number of clubs interested in his services, with Arsenal being linked in recent weeks.
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The 10 best free agents on the market this summer Nicklas Bendtner Despite a fairly successful season by his standards, Nicklas Bendtner is on his way out of Arsenal. The Dane has scored twice this year, in wins over Hull and Cardiff, but he fell behind Yaya Sanogo in the pecking order while not always conducting himself immaculately off the pitch. He turned down moves away from Arsenal last summer that would have meant pay cuts but this summer he must be hopeful of maximising his value as a free agent.
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A former under-20 international, his chances of making the Argentine squad for the World Cup were always slim with Sergio Aguero, Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Rodrigo Palacio all ahead of him in the pecking order.
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