Joe Cole has tipped his old club West Ham to play Champions League football at the London Stadium in the future.
The Hammers have struggled to adapt to their new surroundings since making the move from Upton Park at the end of last season.
But Cole, who made 187 appearances over two spells with West Ham, scoring 18 goals, is convinced the switch to the former Olympic Stadium will eventually pay dividends.
« I think it is an amazing stadium and it looks immense, » he said. « I was getting an itch just looking out at the pitch and would love to have been out there playing.
« When you come to a new stadium you are going to have some little problems, but this is forward thinking by West Ham and is 100 per cent the right thing to do. With a few more good results I am sure it will begin to feel like home.
« It was amazing for me to play at Upton Park, and it was special in its own right. But time waits for no-one and West Ham have now got the capabilities to compete with the biggest teams in the world.
« It is exciting times for the club and West Ham can now compete with the top teams financially.
« You can see Champions League football being played at London Stadium. If you are honest, you probably couldn’t see that happening at Upton Park. «
