Alan Curbishley signed Luis Boa Morte to ensure he was not short of left-sided options.
Alan Curbishley admits he signed Luis Boa Morte to ensure he was not short of left-sided options.
Boa Morte completed a transfer to West Ham United from Fulham on Friday and becomes Curbishley's first signing as manager.
He will add experience to the club's fight for Premiership survival and will also increase competition for places on the left wing.
With Matthew Etherington having missed the New Year's Day drubbing at Reading, having been substituted at home to Manchester City, Curbishley felt it was a position which needed addressing.
"We had Matt Etherington missing for the last two games and I was struggling to fill that space," Curbishley told Sky Sports News.
"People playing there were not quite comfortable. Yossi (Benayoun) and (Paul) Konchesky weren't quite comfortable.
"Luis can play in various positions on the left and right, down the middle, but what happens if we lose Matt again?
"We needed to do that for the squad."
Boa Morte is not expected to be Curbishley's last signing of the transfer window, although he refused to confirm any prospective targets.
He added: "I have been desperately trying to bring in players since the window opened.
"It's a waste of time mentioning names. Everyone has been linked with everybody, and we are lucky to do something like that with Luis."
