"I am absolutely delighted, very excited about the season ahead and the challenge for myself," says Neil after putting pen to paper this afternoon in a move which sees him guaranteed a full season at Upton Park.
"One of the main attractions was to play with Jermain because he is obviously a quality player; playing alongside him will hopefully help me learn a bit and we can help each other out scoring the goals for West Ham this season.
"He is obviously a similar age to me and that could be helpful for us both.
"I have played with Liverpool a few times and have got a bit of Premiership experience that way but dropping down a division like West Ham have done, the Premiership experience the players have is certainly going to help us mount a realistic challenge.
"You only have to look at Jermain's record of scoring goals; he has done that no matter what division he has played in whether with Bournemouth on loan or in the Premiership.
"Hopefully we can complement each other and chip in with the goals. It doesn't matter who gets them but we might have a little competition between us!
"I am surprised West Ham went down and at the start of last season no one would have said West Ham would even have been in the bottom six or seven, really.
"It was obviously a bad season but when I saw them beat Manchester City towards the end of last season you wouldn't have said they were in a relegation battle - they looked well organised and played good football.
"Perhaps relegation can prove to be a blessing in disguise, though, and we will get promotion and come back and have a good season in the Premiership.
"There is a lot of quality still at the club and people are forgetting that; players like Michael Carrick, Steve Lomas, and Don Hutchison are still around.
"Glenn Roeder told my dad that Jermain will be there and David Connolly is a good striker as well."
Neil was sent off in a friendly against Galatasaray last week but a suspension as a result is unlikely to be forthcoming.
"It was a bit of a debatable red card but a silly tackle. I had a half decent pre-season, though not as many games as I would have liked.
"I got two goals against Aberdeen in the week and I think it was being told before the game that the move would be on that gave me the confidence."
Neil will hook up with his new team-mates on Friday, and look to find suitable accomodation in the area as soon as possible.
Sunderland were amongst his suitors and he adds: "A lot of clubs came in for me but it was not such a tough decision. West Ham may be a long way away but they have a lot to offer - and I hope I have a lot to offer them," he says.
"I'm looking forward to training with the lads and then playing at Preston - what time is kick-off?"
Meanwhile, Glenn Roeder admits to disappointment at seeing Joe Cole leave the club, and adds: "In an ideal world we would have kept him but he made it clear that he didn't want to sign a new contract. We didn't want a situation like at Leeds where you hold on and end up selling a player for next to nothing in January.
"We had to face reality but now the ball is in my court; I determine who goes and who stays - and I want Jermain Defoe to stay.
"I will do everything I possibly can to keep him, though I can understand the attraction of Manchester United. They are a huge club who get mobbed wherever they go in the world.
"There has been no contact between the clubs. It's all been speculation, although I wouldn't be surprised if the speculation is true.
"As it stands, I would resist the sort of figures bandied around and say 'no'.
"They say it's worth £30million to go back to the Premiership, and if a bid comes in there's two figures to look at.
"He won't lose value this time next year and I think he will be a better player so it is worth a gamble to see he stays here.
"Don't forget, Peter Beardsley and Chris Waddle both spent time outside the top flight and it didn't do them any harm; far from ruining their game it improved them.
"A year in the first division alongside Neil Mellor and David Connolly will make him better.
"I told Jermain how much I want to keep him and how important he is to the team.
"He listened and said he didn't have any questions, so if I believe, like I do, that he will be a key player to get us back in the Premiership it would not make sense to sell him, would it?
"I hope someone makes him see sense, or even better he sees sense himself. By the end of the campaign he will be an even better player - because he's going to play every week, that goes without saying."