West Ham United sign Pierre Ekwah Elimby from Chelsea

West Ham have completed the signing of promising French midfielder Pierre Ekwah Elimby from Chelsea for an undisclosed fee.

Ekwah, 19, has signed on an initial three-year deal, with the option to extend for a further 12 months.

The defensive midfielder had spent two weeks on trail with the Hammers towards the end of last season, playing in the under-23s' final two Premier League 2 Division 1 matches.

The France Under-16 international had a spell at the Clairefontaine national academy before joining Chelsea in the summer of 2018.

"I am really looking forward to getting started here. It is a big thing," Ekwah said on West Ham's official website.

"The under-23s and first team work closely, and I think that young players here have got a good chance of breaking through as they have done in the past."

West Ham academy manager Ricky Martin added: "Pierre was identified by our recruitment department as a potential new addition for the U23s squad.

"We had an opportunity to assess him at the end of last season and, following that, we're really happy to offer Pierre a new opportunity at West Ham with this contract."