Lionel Scaloni says he has settled in well to life in London after completing his move from Deportivo La Coruna at the end of the January transfer window.
The on-loan right-back made a solid start to his Premiership
career in last week's 2-0 victory over Sunderland, and has
already established himself as a popular figure down at the
Chadwell Heath training ground - always smiling and happy to talk
to whufc.com despite lacking a command of the English language.
After Spanish-speaking Yossi Benayoun acted as an interpreter last
week, this time it was Club Doctor Ges Steinbergs - fluent in
Italian - who stepped in to help with the translation. The
Argentinian international, whose family originate from Italy, spoke
about his introduction to the English game and revealed how
impressed he was by the vocal support of the Boleyn Ground
faithful.
"I enjoyed my debut against Sunderland very much, especially
because we won the game," said Lionel. "I found the first
half quite tough, and the speed of the ball surprised me, but I
felt happier in the second half and began to settle into the match.
"I was very impressed with the atmosphere and feeling in the
stadium - it was incredible. I especially liked to hear the
supporters singing their song, some people at the Club have already
told me about the 'Bubbles', and they were singing
throughout the match - in Spain the singing only starts when a team
is winning!"
Having enjoyed a perfect beginning on the field in England, Lionel
is also quickly adjusting to life away from football in his new
country, and reveals that the presence of several fellow countrymen
in the capital has helped him to settle, while his new team-mates
have also done their bit to make him feel at home.
"I've settled in really well," he said.
"Obviously it has been difficult to communicate with my
colleagues because I don't speak very good English, but they
have all helped to make me feel welcome and tried their best to
converse with me.
"On Wednesday, the chef cooked a paella for my benefit and
wrote a message welcoming me to West Ham, which was a very nice
gesture and one that made me feel very happy.
"My family came over to watch the match against Sunderland,
but they have returned to Spain now and so I am living here on my
own at the moment. However, I have some friends over here, such as
Crespo at Chelsea and Naybet at Tottenham.
"I also have a few friends outside of football who have moved
to London and work here, so I am not lonely! Now I want to keep
working on my English lessons, and hopefully enjoy another victory
on the pitch against Birmingham City."