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Amalfitano commits to West Ham for two more years

Morgan Amalfitano has become the latest West Ham player to sign a new contract with the club -- penning a fresh two-year deal.

The 29-year-old has been a first-team regular at Upton Park since joining the Hammers from Marseille on transfer deadline day.

Amalfitano, who spent the 2013/14 season on loan at West Brom from Marseille, initially signed a one-year deal but his form has seen him rewarded with a further two years, following in the footsteps of Mark Noble, James Tomkins and Winston Reid in extending his stay at the club.

"I am pleased. It's the culmination of a good year," he told West Ham TV.

"We're always trying to do our best and so I'm very pleased to have signed for two more years. I think I've impressed the management, I know that I can always do better and I hope to do so. I'll give it my all as I have done in the first eight months."

Amalfitano has scored three goals in 22 appearances, including strikes in the wins over Liverpool and Manchester City earlier in the season.

The single-capped France international was sent off in the Hammers' 4-0 FA Cup fifth-round defeat at West Brom and has sat out the last three games -- but returns to Sam Allardyce's squad ahead of Saturday's London derby against Arsenal as West Ham look to improve on a recent run of form which has seen them win just one of their last 11 Premier League fixtures.

"It's been a little while that I couldn't play and it's been a little bit frustrating," added Amalfitano.

"So it's a pleasure to get back out on the pitch and play games. I've trained as hard as I possibly could in these past few weeks and now I'm ready for Saturday.

"We need to get back to winning games and it's down to us to rally ourselves to win the next games and hopefully that will start against a great team in Arsenal on Saturday."

Amalfitano's return will be a timely boost for Allardyce, who is without the injured Reid, Tomkins, Carlton Cole and Andy Carroll for the short trip to the Emirates Stadium, whilst Enner Valencia is doubtful and Carl Jenkinson is ineligible to face his parent club.