Hitzlsperger Celebrates After Scoring For Germany.

German international Thomas Hitzlsperger has completed his move from Italian side Lazio to struggling Premier League side West Ham.

Gone are the days, for Hitzlsperger, when he captained VfB Stuttgart and was being capped for the German national side. It was only a few years ago, Bundesliga fans will remember, that Hitzlsperger was bombing through the midfield for Stuttgart, scoring goals and making crunching tackles. He even went on to lift the Bundesliga title under manager Armin Veh.

When Markus Babbel took over, Hitzlsperger was deposed as captain, and was essentially forced out of the club, being replaced by the youthful Sami Khedira.

Hitzlsperger moved to Lazio in the winter transfer window of 2010, and made almost no impression. The German midfielder only made six league appearances, and bagged just a solitary goal in his time in Italy. Keen to move on, he has signed for the Hammers in hopes of rebooting his career.

Hitzlsperger, from 2001 to 2005, played for Aston Villa and speaks English fluently, and with his style of play should have no problems getting used to the English Premier League.