Alan Pardew has come out and openly praised the efforts of midfielder Yossi Benayoun even likening him to mega star Zinedine Zidane.
The £2.5million signing from Racing Santander had a terrific debut against Blackburn in the Premiership opener and has gone from strength to strength, and already it is clear he will be pivotal in West Ham's case for Premiership achievement.
His spectacular first goal for the Hammers netting fourth in the 89 minute of the Villa game proves he can not only create goals but finish them off too. An incredible triple turn around the Villa defender set himself free to strike low into the net and he took the goal with class.
But he has also shown himself to get in hard tackles and win challenges. Countless examples against Aston Villa of the slight man tracking back and stealing the ball from a Villa surge will only further popularise him with the West Ham fans.
"He showed a real work ethic against Villa and I think he surprised a few people. He won three headers against a 6ft 1in full-back.
"I had a feeling he would like this division," said Pardew, "He got better every year in Spain and when you look at his pedigree, you have to say he is a thoroughbred horse and hopefully he will get better at West Ham."