It proved to be another busy summer of transfer activity at West Ham United with 12 new signings arriving at the Boleyn Ground.
Most of the focus surrounded the capture of Dimitri Payet from Marseille and he has made an immediate impact in the East End with a superb start to his Hammers career.
But another major factor behind the Club's impressive start has been the arrival of Manuel Lanzini – even though he was not well known to the majority of supporters.
The Argentine forward arrived on a season-long loan from Al Jazira and was determined to make a big impact in the Premier League.
Nicknamed 'The Jewell', the 22-year-old was a big target for Slaven Bilic when he was manager of Besiktas last season, but the deal never materialised.
Lanzini earned rave reviews during his spell in the UAE and the Hammers manager was determined to bring him to the east London Club.
With the departures of Matt Jarvis and Kevin Nolan, Bilic showed his trust in the talented attacker as he handed him a shock first-team start against Liverpool at Anfield.
Lanzini wasted no time repaying him by opening the scoring after just three minutes and produced an impressive display as he helped his side come away with a memorable 3-0 victory.
Bilic had no doubts he had the quality to compete at the highest level and he has cemented his place in the first-team ever since and stole the show once again as he helped the Hammers continue their sensational away record with a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace last weekend.
Lanzini says he is relishing the chance to showcase his talents in the top flight and hopes to play a major role for the east London Club when they move into the new Stadium next summer.
Lanzini said: “I am playing football in one of the best leagues in the world and I am really enjoying it.
“Moving to the new Stadium is a big investment and change for the Club. The West Ham fans are fantastic and I hope to be part of this new change and to be on the pitch doing my job.
“Why can't we dream big? But I think we have to think about the present first of all and carry on the path that we have been taking.
“When the team is doing well success eventually follows and we want to achieve great things.”
Lanzini says the added attraction of living in London has been a major factor for him and has felt at home since the opening day as the likes of Enner Valencia, Mauro Zarate, Adrian and Pedro Obiang have all helped him settle in.
He added: “London is a beautiful city that I have always wanted to see and learn about. It has got so much history and there are some wonderful sights to see here.
“I am able to do what I love so when I get to walk around the City it is also fantastic.
“Settling in quickly has been very important for me and having so many players who I can speak the same language with has been a crucial factor.
“These players have been a key part for me settling in as well as the English players and everyone else in the group. I would like to thank them for helping me. I have been learning to speak English and hope to understand more soon.”
Lanzini has special praise for his manager and feels Bilic is getting the best out of him since his arrival back in July.
With the Hammers unbeaten in their last six Premier League games, Lanzini is now looking forward to testing himself against the Premier League champions on Saturday and hopes to continue their amazing run against the big guns this season and come away with another memorable victory.
“I have never had the chance to play against a team managed by Jose Mourinho but I am happy to be in the position to play in such a big game knowing exactly what it means to the Club.
“I know all the South American players at Chelsea by name and am very excited about facing them and playing in such a big game.
“I know it is very important for us as we look to maintain our high position in the table. If we carry on playing like we have been there is no reason why we cannot do that.
“Why cannot we beat Chelsea as well? We are always thinking big and aiming high here and that is the main priority.
“Slaven is a very good coach and is able to transmit his ideas to the players very easily. He sets the team up well for every match and as a group we always follow what he says.
“As you can see from the results that has been working very well and the rest of the coaching staff have had a very good effect on the team.”