Robert Snodgrass has no mixed emotions as the Hammers face up to a clash with former club, newly promoted Norwich City at the London Stadium this afternoon.
Snoddy had a couple of years at Carrow Road between 2014-16 and has been watching how the Canaries have progressed.
“I’m delighted for them,” Snodgrass confirmed, in a revealing interview with the Official Programme for Saturday’s fixture between the two at London Stadium.
“It’s a club that’s had a few ups and downs in the last six or seven years and they’ve had a process where they changed the sporting director, bringing in Stuart Webber, who had followed the German process in what he did in his previous role as director of football at Huddersfield, and it’s paid off.
“They’ve got two full-backs who like to get forward [in Max Aarons and Jamal Lewis]. They’ve got the little boy [Emi] Buendía, who likes to play through balls, playing off [striker Teemu] Pukki. They’ve got Todd Cantwell, who likes to get forward and cause problems as well.
“I’ve watched them and they’ve done brilliantly in the Championship but this is the Premier League, this is the elite level. If they do it in the Premier League, that’s when their name will really get out there. What you’ve done in the Championship’s really forgotten about when you come in at the elite level, in the big league.
“ I wish them all the best – but when we come up against them, we’ll want to beat them, which is all part and parcel of football. It’s a terrific club and I’m glad they’ve come in here with the mindset to have a go.”