As Sunderland prepare for the new season where they will compete in the Championship, they have made another addition to their squad with the signing of Aji Alese from West Ham. 

The 21-year-old has signed for the Black Cats on a three year deal with the club having the option for a further year so the youngster will be keen to prove himself and kick on at the Stadium of Light.

The defender failed to make a Premier League appearance for the Hammers but has played in the League Cup and Europa League so he has some experience under his belt making the move.

Nevertheless, Alese has been thrown in at the deep end. He's been living in a hotel and has already featured for his new side which hasn't been as easy adjustment as he admitted to the Sunderland Echo: "It's been a crazy four or five days and I've just been stuck in a hotel and literally trained twice and featured in two games.

"It's hard moving away from there [London] and living in a hotel but it's the choice I made and I need to suck it up and get on with it."

Despite the adjustment being a bit of a tricky one, the 21-year-old felt the move to Sunderland was an opportunity he couldn't turn down as he said: "I felt like I was at the point where I had to challenge myself with first team football and I didn't feel like maybe that was going to arrive at West Ham.

"When this opportunity arose I said I have to grab it with both hands.

"It was all done very quick and I think that's what Sunderland wanted to do, they wanted to keep it under wraps and get it done as quick as possible.

"When the contract was made I knew that I wanted to come here."

The Verdict: 

This is a good signing for Sunderland and at such a young age, the player still has plenty of time to develop his game further making him a really exciting addition for Alex Neil's side.

You can understand the pressure upon the youngster's shoulders making a move like this at his age especially so far from where he has been his whole life.

However, as he said himself, this is a signing that makes complete sense for both parties. Alese didn't seem likely to get the chance he wanted at West Ham and his willingness to move for game time shows how he wants to succeed.

Therefore, if he applies the same attitude during his time at the Stadium of Light there's no reason why he can't be successful.