Ex West Ham defender Razvan Rat has moved on quickly after leaving the Hammers last month and has signed for Spanish side Rayo Vallecano.

The Romania captain made 20 appearances for the East London side after signing on a free transfer from Shakhtar Donestk over the summer but with an automatic one-year appearance-based extension to the full back's contract set to be triggered, the Irons and Rat mutually agreed to terminate his deal. 

La Liga outfit Rayo Vallecano have today announced the signing of the 32 year old and tweeted: "Razvan Rat has officially become a new player of @RVMOficial until the end of the season."

Rat will join up with his new teammates immediately and will likely be thrust straight into first team action, with Vallecano lying second from bottom of La Liga, four points adrift of safety and needing all the help they can get. 

By Alex Shilling, News Editor

West Ham defender Razvan Rat is set to miss Saturday's Premier League clash at home to Chelsea after suffering a hamstring injury playing for Romania. 

The 31 year old limped out of his country's World Cup play-off second leg against Greece on Tuesday night after pulling his hamstring and could be out for an extended period of time. Rat will almost certainly miss the London derby this weekend and will have further assessment on his injury in the coming days. 

Hammers boss Sam Allardyce said: "Razvan Rat is a difficult situation where he came off with a hamstring injury after 25 minutes [during the Greece match]. We're short in the defensive area and Razvan is a difficult one at the moment."

The East London side are stretched thin defensively, with centre half Winston Reid sidelined until the New Year with an ankle injury, fellow defenders James Collins and Joey O'Brien both carrying knocks and left back George McCartney only just having returned to match fitness. 

Allardyce said that he was 'hopeful' that both Collins and O'Brien would be contention for Saturday but could not confirm anything. 

By Alex Shilling, News Editor