Arbeloa’s West Ham move had Croatian seal of approval

West Ham arrival Alvaro Arbeloa admits he did his groundwork on Slaven Bilic by chatting up two of the Croatian’s compatriots – who had nothing but good things to say about his new boss.

Arbeloa returns to the Premier League after a seven-year absence, in which time he has picked up two Champions League winner’s medals with Real Madrid, and won the World Cup with Spain.

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His time at Madrid ended over the summer, but the 33-year-old did not decide on his next destination until transfer deadline day.

And it was only after talking to his former team-mates Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic, who both played under Bilic when he was manager of Croatia, that his mind was made up.

“Slaven wants to see me training as soon as possible,” said the former Liverpool full-back. “I was talking with Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic and they told me good things about the coach, so I want to work with him and hopefully I can learn a lot of things.

“I am really happy to be here in a great club in a great league. I’m really happy to be back in England and, for me, it’s a great chance and I’m looking forward to playing with this side.

“The stadium is amazing. It’s really nice and looks fantastic. Hopefully I’m going to see the stadium full with all our fans and I’m really happy to be here.

“For me, this is a great chance to be back in England and in the Premier League, which is a fantastic league and I want to put myself here again. This is a big club and a great club with fantastic players and a great coach.”