New West Ham United signing Fabian Balbuena is drawing inspiration from former Irons star Carlos Tevez.

The Paraguay international has joined West Ham from Corinthians, just as Tevez did 12 years ago.

“The South Americans that played here have always left a good impression, like both Tevez and [Javier] Mascherano," said the 26-year-old centre-half, “so this means West Ham is known in South America.

“So, when South Americans come here and play well they leave an impression, and I hope I can do the same."

Balbuena also told whufc.com: “I'm going to work hard to be up to the demands of the league, do my job well and pay back the faith shown in me.

“We all know that the Premier League is the best league in the world and all players want to play here, so because of this I'm really motivated.

“Obviously to be at West Ham is an extra motivation, and I want to do my best to help the team. I know the Club's history; that it was a London team with a lot of tradition. This was one of the reasons why I came here, because of the Club's history within England."