West Ham announces partnership with Dutch club VVV-Venlo

West Ham has entered a partnership with VVV-Venlo that will allow the two clubs to exchange young players.

The Hammers had been looking across Europe for a club to help with the development of their academy players. Terry Westley, the head of player development, arrived at Venlo and found the Dutch outfit offered the best facilities and style of play.

“It's something we have looked at for 12 months. We have been to Slovakia, France and Holland," Westley told West Ham's official website. "We have met with different clubs and we chose Venlo in the end after doing our homework and looking at the environment and what the staff are like."

Westley's son, defender Sam Westley, was the first to join Venlo, which currently plays in the Dutch second division.

West Ham is not the first Premier League club to strike such a deal with a Dutch club. Chelsea and the Eredivisie's Vitesse, whose owners Alexander Chigirinsky and Roman Abramovich are good friends, have exchanged several players in recent years, including Nemanja Matic and Lucas Piazon.

The Dutch Football Federation launched an investigation into that particular agreement last year following allegations that Chelsea didn't want Vitesse to make the Champions League.