Hammers hero happy Mario’s just a loan

Tony Cottee has backed Joao Mario to become a hit for the Hammers but believes it was a good move to sigh him on loan rather than make the deal  permanently.

The former Hammers striker reckons that had the club splashed out major money on the midfielder it would only have succeeded in increasing the pressure on him.

Cottee – talking on Sky Sports – said: “It’s a good signing for the club because it’s a loan signing.

“If they’d paid £26m I’d have said that was a lot of money for someone to go in during difficult circumstances because there’s a lot of injured players. There will be a lot of pressure on this lad.

“I’ve heard good reports about him. He’s a good footballer, which is what they need, but you never know how long these guys are going to take to settle.”