West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic faced the media ahead of the Hammers' first Premier League home game of the season against Leicester City this Saturday.



The boss was quizzed on a wide range of subjects, from Diafra Sakho, Joey Barton, Morgan Amalfitano to the Foxes, Claudio Ranieri and even Kasabian. Read what he had to say here...



Good morning Slaven, will you continue to play Diafra Sakho, what conversations have you had with him?



SB: “He is training, we don’t feel it at the training ground. He’s been here every day, he played well against Arsenal. He looks happy, he’s not worried and he’s available. For all those reasons I’m happy. You have to talk to Diafra for all other aspects of the situation."



Are you happy to clarify the situation with Morgan Amalfitano?



SB: “I said when I came in to the players that we need to pull together, work hard, fight for each other. It’s my job to keep the squad together, and keep together as a unit in the best possible way. If I, along with my staff, feel like someone is detracting from that atmosphere then we have to react. It was nowhere near what was in the papers, there was no brawling, it was a conversation between the two of us and I had to do it. He is not part of the first team anymore.”



What exactly happened with Joey Baron, why isn’t he a West Ham player?



SB: “We were thinking about Joey, I like him as a player. We had some talks and ideas about him but we decided in the end not to do it. It wasn’t the best timing. Joey is a great player and a good lad.”



Did it have anything to do with the fans’ reaction?



SB: “No, it’s the manager’s decision and if I wanted to sign someone, I would have done it.”



Are you any closer to signing any new players, can you say anything on Rob Green or Javier Hernandez?



SB: “There’s not a lot to say unfortunately, I can only repeat what I said a few days ago. We are trying to sign one or two players, not five. It is hard, it’s not easy, it can be frustrating when you see other club’s that have absolutely no limit whatsoever budget wise, even they are struggling, especially to find strikers.



"But we are confident we will get one, and even if we don’t we have a good team. Of course we will have to be lucky with injuries, that’s normal.”



First home game of the season in the Premier League, is that a special moment for you?



SB: “Yes, it is a bit special. It’s the first home game against Leicester who had a great first game last week. They got three points, they played very well. They are on fire, I watched that game twice, they were quick and aggressive, at set-pieces, everything.



"So they are confident, but also we are confident after a good result last week. We are playing at home, we know it will be hard, because every Premier League team is hard. But we will try to win again, of course.”



Their new manager, Claudio Ranieri is known as ‘the tinkerman’, you can never predict his side, does that make it more difficult for you?



SB: “No, he’s a great manager, with a lot of experience and success. That isn’t going to change the way they are playing. They can change 10%, he can change the formations, he can tell them to wait a little bit or press us even higher than they did against Sunderland. But he cannot change the DNA of the players; he cannot change their qualities or weakness, no matter how much he tinks.”



You said Leicester had a good game last weekend, what are you expecting from them this Saturday?



SB: “They are on fire, they scored four goals, they just continue to play the way they finished the end of last season. They are very good at pressing, they react well when they win the ball. They have a good delivery from both sides and look dangerous from set pieces. You don’t have to be sloppy for them to punish you, but if you are then you have absolutely no chance against them. We have to be prepared and stop them.”



There’s been a lot of talk about Reece Oxford this week; do you anticipate him becoming a regular in the side?



SB: “It’s early days, he played against Arsenal, he’s only sixteen, no matter how mature he is. I don’t know whether he’ll be a regular but he is a first team squad player, he will have ups and downs and we will protect him like any other player, we have to be more aware with him.”



Claudio Ranieri said he used Kasabian to help motivate the players against Sunderland, how do you inspire your team?



SB: “It’s a good choice, I don’t mind that. He brought a lot of energy to the team last week, if that’s to do with Kasabian then I will leave the training pitch, go to a music shop and buy all their CDs. I leave it to the players to decide what they listen to.”



Any other injury or team news ahead of Saturday?



SB: “No, Pedro Obiang is back with his injury. There is nothing new from the Arsenal game. Joey O'Brien, who is still injured, will start to train with the team after the Leicester game. Andy Carroll is longer of course, but he is also injury free now. He’s only not fit because of the long break, but he will join us very soon. Of course, Valencia you know the situation with him, he all hope he will be back with us as soon as possible.”





