PLAYER PROFILE

John Paintsil

Position: Defence

Height: 5'10

Weight: 12st 8lbs

Date of Birth: 1981-06-15 Kumasi, Ghana

John Paintsil

In August 2006 West Ham United boss Alan Pardew strengtened his squad by signing the Ghana international John Paintsil from Israeli side Hapoel Tel-Aviv in a deal that could eventually rise to £1million.

The 25-year-old defender, who had been on trial with the Hammers recently, has agreed a four-year contract with last term's FA Cup finalists.

The defender started his career in his homeland with Berekum Arsenal FC before moving to Liberty Professionals.

He then signed for Polish side Widzew Lodz, before joining Israeli club Maccabi Tel-Aviv in 2002. Two years later he moved to Hapoel Tel-Aviv.

He made his name at the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship, when Ghana reached the final only to lose out to hosts Argentina.

A call-up to the senior national team soon followed and he was part of the squads for the African Cup of Nations in 2002 and 2006.

He played in all four his country's World Cup games in Germany, but struggled to make it into the West Ham team on a regular basis. His future with the club is unclear...