Alvaro Arbeloa joined West Ham after Real Madrid stars Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic sung the praises of their compatriot and former national team boss Slaven Bilic.
The Spaniard moved to the London Stadium on deadline day and signed a one-year contract with the Hammers.
The 33-year-old was a free agent after leaving Real Madrid this summer, but he has revealed that his former team-mates Modric and Kovacic helped him secure his next move.
The pair played under Hammers boss Bilic during his time in charge of Croatia and Arbeloa admits they urged him to link up with the Croatian manager at West Ham.
“Slaven wants to see me training as soon as possible,” Arbeloa told West Ham TV.
“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.
“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.”