The wide smile on Nikola Vlašić’s face said it all after the attacking midfielder scored his first West Ham United goal in Tuesday’s 4-1 Premier League win at Watford.
The Croatia international capped a good all-round performance at Vicarage Road by rolling home the outstanding Jarrod Bowen’s cut-back in added time, before celebrating with a ‘Crossed Hammers’ celebration with his teammates – including Lukasz Fabianski, who ran the length of the pitch to show his support for the No11 – and the jubilant Claret and Blue Army.
Tomas Soucek, Said Benrahma and Mark Noble were also on target as the Hammers came from a goal down to secure a winning end to 2021 – capped by a welcome goal for the jubilant Vlasic, who has worked hard for this moment following his late-summer move from Russian Premier League club CSKA Moscow.
Niksi, we're so happy for you. That was a great moment for you and a lovely way to finish the year for everyone!
“Yeah, it's lovely. I was waiting for this like for three months. It's hard when I came to a new club in a new place and a new environment and the first goal is the hardest. So, I think now it will be everything will be easier. I relieved pressure from myself so I'm very happy. And I think everybody in the team is happy for me.”
You came from the Russian Premier League to the English Premier League, which is arguably the most intense in the world, so it was always going to take some time to settle in?
“Yeah, you know, some stuff that happened during the summer – we had the European Championship and when I came back to my club [in Russia], I didn't do preseason, then I wanted to go, and then I didn't train. Then you come in the new club, you're without a preseason and stuff like that, and then you need to adapt to a better league with way faster football, but I knew everything would come into place and if I worked hard every day on the training ground, then it will pay off.”
Talk to us about the goal! Jared is in fantastic form and he made it nice and easy for you!
“Unbelievable. You know, even on the bench when I watching the game, I was commenting with players like ‘Jarrod! Man, he's a beast!’. So now he did it again. I was thinking maybe he'll shoot from this position but I was in the perfect position and he gave me my easy tap-in.”
The celebrations were so good, too, with every player rushing to be with you, which shows the special spirit at this Club?
“Yeah, you know, like, my friends and family asked me: ‘How is it, as you don't play too much, like before?’. And I said: ‘Listen, I really love it here’. Because I think if I'm in any other club, if I don't play, I would be unhappy but here I'm really happy, because I work hard. The team is very good at the moment, so it's hard to get into the team, but you need to wait your opportunity and stuff like this. I think I will only be better because of that and I will need to push myself to the limits and I will do it.”
And now we've got another game on Saturday at Crystal Palace, where you'll be looking to get another goal?
“Like I said, the first one the hardest and after, everything is easier so now I know I expect more for myself.”
Let's talk about the team. That’s the end of the year – we’ve collected 73 points in the Premier League and scored 73 goals this year, so that’s a top team?
“Yeah, a top team. When you look at the players we have in midfield and attack, they are scoring or assisting every game. It’s someone different you know, it's not always the same guy, so it’s five or six players scoring and assisting. I think we’ve got great players and a great team.”
And lastly a message for the fans as they were really happy for you!
“I will continue to work every day as hard as I can and I hope that we will have more and more moments like this and I will become a more important part of the team.”