from WHUFC.com
Alan Pardew insists that new signing Tyrone Mears has the character and ability to be an immediate hit in the right-back spot at Upton Park. The 23-year-old signed from Preston North End on Wednesday evening in a deal worth a potential £2million, and the Hammers boss admits he is looking forward to unleashing the ambitious defender on the Premiership at the start of the new campaign. "Tyrone is a player we have tracked for some time," says Pards, "and we believe that he is now ready to make the step up to Premiership football. "I like to think that we have a good record in bringing in players from the Championship - as the likes of Reo-Coker, Gabbidon, Harewood and Mullins have proved - and Tyrone can be just as successful as those guys. "The ball is in his court now, he has got to produce and I believe he will. I'm not looking for another right-back - Tyrone will get the chance to make the position his own, but he knows that he will face stiff competition from Jonathan Spector and Christian Dailly. "However, if his hunger, ambition and enthusiasm is an indication of how he will adapt to and cope with Premiership football, then we definitely have a big player on our hands. "We have inserted a clause in his deal that covers an international call-up with England, because that is the level of potential we believe he has. I am very excited about bringing Tyrone to the Club, and I am sure his quality and style of play will be a big hit with our supporters."
