West Ham hires Husillos as director of football

London - West Ham appointed Mario Husillos their director of football on Wednesday as the Argentine reunites with Manuel Pellegrini.

Husillos worked with new Hammers boss Pellegrini in a similar role at Spanish side Malaga and the Premier League club hope the pair can thrive together again.

The 59-year-old signed a three-year contract with West Ham, who hired former Manchester City manager Pellegrini to replace David Moyes last month.

Husillos is looking forward to resuming his relationship with Pellegrini in east London.

"I am very excited. West Ham United is a club with huge ambition. The challenge to help deliver that ambition is what really attracted me to the role," he said.

"I know the manager well and know he wants to deliver an exciting brand of attacking football. It will be my job to supply him with the tools to do just that.

"I am very much looking forward to working with Manuel Pellegrini again. We had great success together at Malaga, reaching the Champions League, and he is someone that I have huge respect for."

West Ham are looking to build a management structure that can help them avoid the problems which led to a fight against Premier League relegation for much of last season.

It has been unclear in recent seasons who has been responsible for recruiting new players, with co-owner David Sullivan often reported to be driving the signings.

But Sullivan is pleased to have someone with the experience of Husillos on board.

"He has worked in six or seven different countries and it's that global experience we hope will serve us well as we scout the world to bring West Ham United some exciting new talent," he said.