The new West Ham era is already starting to take shape.
With the appointment of manager Slaven Bilic and his new backroom line-up, there is a lot of good feeling around the club.
The positive environment is enhanced by the fact the inherited squad is not in desperate need of an overhaul. Now the dust from the Sam Allardyce reign is beginning to settle, it is almost unanimously agreed the club is in a stronger position than it was when the former manager took over.
Despite unrest around style of play and certain signings, the team is established back in the top flight, with a strong mix of youth and experience throughout all positions.
This then affords Bilic the luxury of bringing in star names, rather than practical solutions.
The first of that new brand of player is Dimitri Payet.
Much has been made about his attributes, and the stats seem to imply West Ham really do have a World Class game changer in their midst, for maybe the first time since Carlos Tevez.
Indeed, Bilic set out his signing schedule early on, and earmarked an attacking player as one of his key areas to improve the squad.
There’s no doubt Payet ticks all the right boxes, but with the associated price tag comes a heightened level of expectation.
Management, along with fans, will believe Payet has to deliver from day one. Failure to do so could prompt an unfortunate backlash, and cause him to misfire.
But a player of his proven calibre should expect that sort of pressure when joining a new club as the big name summer signing.
What should be reassuring however is the team will unlikely be reliant of Payet starring immediately.
Fans may expect a lot, but with established players such as Stewart Downing and Enner Valencia waiting in the wings as support, failure to meet the expectations should not result in a greater failure.
Were there that reliance, the start of the season could be perilous. But the benefit of being in a more stable position than four years ago means everyone should enjoy the new signing, without being dependant on him for success.
He should be given time to fully assimilate into the already settled team, and ensure he can deliver on what is clearly exceptional promise.
