talkSPORT exclusive: West Ham legend Alvin Martin says he would prefer to play for Manuel Pellegrini than Jose Mourinho
Martin was speaking about West Ham's prospects for next season on World Cup Weekend Sports Breakfast
Alvin Martin has heaped huge praise on new West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini, saying he would be better to play for than Jose Mourinho.
Former Manchester City boss Pellegrini was appointed by the Hammers in May following the departure of David Moyes.
And Martin, who made over 450 appearances for the club between the years 1976-96 is encouraged by the Chilean's appointment going into the 2018/19 season.
Martin told Georgie Bingham on The Weekend World Cup Sports Breakfast: "He’s [Pellegrini] a very understated personality. I could see myself playing for someone like that.
"Would I rather play for someone like that instead of a Mourinho? Yeah, you would."
The 2017/18 campaign was a very turbulent one for the Hammers who narrowly avoided relegation from the Premier League.
Relations between supporters and the hierarchy of the club are very strained which spilled over during one game against Burnley in March.
However, this summer has seen the club make six signings including with Lazio forward Felipe Anderson for a club-record fee this weekend.
And Martin admitted things are "looking good" for the club but did not want to get too excited as these new signings have not played together yet.
Martin added: "You look at West Ham’s signings and there are just attacking players. From that point of view it’s looking very good for us. I’m always careful not to get too over-excited though.
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"West Ham fans want to see an improvement in the way we approach games, the way we attack games."