West Ham midfielder James Ward-Prowse is excited about European football in east London this season.

The 28-year-old signed from Southampton after they were relegated from the Premier League last season.
West Ham signed the Englishman for a fee in the region of £30m.
The Irons is only Ward-Prowse’s second club having played the majority of his career under the Saints and he is eager to impress at his new home.
Speaking to the club’s Official Website, Ward-Prowse said: “ To leave Southampton to go on a new adventure with West Ham United, obviously there is a lot of emotion with that. 
“I’m full of a lot of excitement and positivity about what’s to come. 
“I’m normally the one who is welcoming the new additions to the squad so it’s strange for it to be the other way around. 
“I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Club, the people here and the players in the squad, and I’m sure this will be a place that I feel right at home at straight away.”
 
With a tally of 17, Ward-Prowse is just one free-kick goal away from equalling David Beckhams record. 
 
Beckhams’ 18 free-kick goals is the record amount scored in the Premier League 
The Manchester United legend is somebody our new signing is a massive fan of. 
 
“I’ve got that stat close to hand! It’s very close. He was the one I was trying to copy when I was playing football in the garden. I’m sure I’ve got plenty of kits with No7 on it somewhere.

“I’m not saying I’m going to play on the wing but hopefully I can emulate the David Beckham style that I wanted to have in my game as a kid.”

One big factor in Ward-Prowse’s transfer to the Hammers is the prospect of European football.

The set-peice specialist had a taste of European football at Southampton and is hungry for more.

“I’ve always wanted to test myself on those stages and it can be difficult when you’re sat at home watching those competitions, because you desperately want to be there. You’ve been there before, you’ve had a taste of it and it’s a fantastic experience.

“That success West Ham had last season was amazing and it would be great to do something similar. I watched the UEFA Europa Conference League final as a proud English fan and I was rooting for West Ham to win. It was so good.

“I loved playing in Europe. First of all, to get the chance to travel around Europe was fantastic. To take the club to different places and represent them was special, and as a player you want to make that step up and play in the biggest competitions.

“I get to do that again here at West Ham this season, which is a really exciting prospect, and I’m looking forward to getting that underway.”

Ward-Prowse could make his debut for the club this weekend against rivals Chelsea and is likely to heavily feature in our European campaign this year.

“From the outside looking in, this is a Club that has been on the rise for a number of years now and coming off the success in the UEFA Europa Conference League last year, you can feel there is a real momentum around this Club.

“It’s great to be a part of it and I can’t wait to play my role in the games to come.”

Written by Riley Finch