West Ham new boys Pablo Zabaleta and Joe Hart say they cannot wait to pull on a Claret and Blue jersey at play in front of the crowd at the London Stadium.
The duo both joined the Hammers from Manchester City earlier this summer – Zabaleta on a free transfer and Hart on a season-long loan – and both have settled in nicely with their new team-mates during pre-season across Europe.
Both players are expected to be named in Slaven Bilic’s starting XI for Sunday’s opening Premier League fixture at Manchester United, and neither can contain their excitement.
“We know how important our home form will be this season if we are to achieve our targets, and we are all massively looking forward to our first Premier League game at London Stadium,” said Hart speaking whufc.com.
“I’m absolutely sure it will be a complete sell out and I’m told it will be completely full of Season Ticket Holders and Claret Members, which just shows how big our club is and the potential we have got.”
For Zabaleta, Sunday will not be his first appearance at the London Stadium having visited with his former club Manchester City, and the Argentine remembers his trip fondly.
“I visited London Stadium twice last season and I was impressed by the size of the ground and the fantastic noise created by the West Ham fans,” said the No5. “I am excited and looking forward to playing at London Stadium in our opening game, for sure. Pulling on the shirt and playing in front of nearly 60,000 fans is definitely one of the big reasons I signed for West Ham United.”
