West Ham take on London rivals Chelsea in the Premier League and one of their new players has just stoked the fire.
The rivalry between West Ham and Chelsea may not be as intense as it once was.
But make no mistake beyond Millwall and Spurs, there’s no love lost between the Hammers and the Blues on or off the pitch.
West Ham and Chelsea both have new managers who in the spotlight this season.
Julen Lopetegui must prove he can succeed where David Moyes failed – by combining style with substance at the London Stadium.
And former Hammers assistant coach Enzo Maresca must prove he can do something with Chelsea’s expensively assembled, bloated but extremely talented squad.
The two sides meet on Saturday lunchtime with Lopetegui desperate to give his West Ham tenure lift off.
West Ham have lost both Premier League home games so far to Aston Villa and Man City.
Chelsea have looked good going forward. So it’s no easy task for the Irons.
But after making nine signings and spending £155m, expectations are high in east London.
One player who looked set to be part of West Ham’s summer overhaul was central defender Tosin Adarabioyo.
The ex Fulham man was available on a free transfer in the summer.
He had been lined up for a summer move by West Ham technical director Tim Steidten since January.
Adarabioyo makes himself look silly ahead of Hammers clash
But Lopetegui pulled the plug on the move for Adarabioyo as he wanted Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo instead.
Chelsea came in and added Adarabioyo to their ranks.
Many questioned the player’s decision given the huge squad he was walking into.
Now the new Chelsea star has goaded West Ham on social media ahead of the game.
But he’s only made himself look silly.
Adarabioyo has posted a series of pictures of himself in Chelsea training ahead of the game at the London Stadium.
And he said: “Bubbles to burst,” alongside a bubbles emoji.
Adarabioyo needs to focus on getting in Chelsea’s squad first
This coming from a player who cannot even get in Chelsea’s matchday squad let alone the team.
It’s beyond embarrassing.
Perhaps Adarabioyo has sour grapes over Lopetegui calling off Steidten’s move for him in the summer.
Especially now he’s joined the ranks of Chelsea’s shadow squad.
Suffice to say the defender has been reminded of his current status in the replies to his post.
One fan pointed out Adarabioyo will probably be watching the game on TV.
If Lopetegui has any sense he will have this printed off and plastered on the West Ham dressing room wall on Saturday.
So Adarabioyo may have done the Spaniard’s team talk for him.
Or perhaps this is a confession from the London-born star that the bubble has burst on his career?
West Ham fans will be hoping their team comes out fired up and ready to ram the taunt back down Adarabioyo’s throat come Saturday afternoon.
Bubbles will be flying high and flowing if they do.
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