Slaven Bilic: West Ham are in “good form”

West Ham play Hull City at home on Saturday, in what is a crucial game for the club.

Ahead of the game, the Hammer’s manager – Slaven Bilic – shared his thoughts with the media at their home ground, the London Stadium.

“The game will be brilliant, of course,” Bilic told us. “We spoke about this couple of games, 3 or 4 games in this busy period when we played against Spurs, Man United, Arsenal and Liverpool. We said we had to go through an extremely difficult schedule because after that, it is still Premier League but you know what I mean.

“That period came and we started with three points and we have a really good chance tomorrow. And we are at home. But the team are playing really good football and I like the way we play. They are in good form, especially defensively.

“They create and score goals, especially against Palace. So we have a good chance.”

Bilic also went on to discuss the team’s new home in Stratford, London.

“It is a great stadium,” he spoke. “You can feel the crowd, feel 60,000 people. It is different to Upton Park but as we said at the beginning, there are ups and downs.

“We lost a couple of games and it was stupid. Then we beat Chelsea and Sunderland and it’s the best ever stadium! It is a new stadium and like everything new, you have to have some good memories and to have memories you need time. The stadium is unbelievable.”

Today it was also announced that the young Reece Oxford had signed a four-year deal with the Hammers after the likes of Manchester United lost out getting their hands on the 18-year-old defender.

“(Reece Oxford) It is great news for us. For me, is was a win-win situation. It is really great to sign one of the best talents, for him to stay with us for the long term. It is a great thing for him also.

“We have to manage him properly and for him to fulfil his potential that is enormous. The board and the whole club, especially Terry Westley, who was his quote and mentor, said this because the board have done a great job in keeping him.

“On one hand, because those offers and interest from the other clubs were not just rumours in the papers, they were real. We are delighted of course that he is staying with us.”

Yet, was Oxford tempted to move elsewhere?

“Probably,” Bilic answered. “Who wouldn’t be tempted when you are so young and you are basically ‘bombed’ with offers? Everyone is tempted of course, but he has done the right thing.

“He can be great, he has everything in him It is time to step up and prove himself and also for us to manage him. He is still very young and he is still growing. He has to look after his body because after his last game he got a few injuries, was out for 5-6 weeks but he is coming back next week from his ankle injury.

“He has to stay away from the injuries. Because he is growing, he doesn’t have the bones that are formed, he is not an adult. He has got everything – composure, skill steel in himself and technique. He has got great physical attributes and all that. On paper, he is a real talent.”

Rumours are also escalating that Dimitri Payet will transfer to Manchester United, and will be swapped for Anthony Martial.

“It’s a very interesting story for the papers but I can’t see any truth in that. Regarding Payet, not regarding Martial. He is a good player of course, a great player but I don’t see that happening.”

ENDS.