It must have seemed that West Ham struck gold when they were given the keys to the Olympic Stadium. Arsene Wenger compared it to “winning the lottery.” The Arsenal manager may review that statement when he visits the renamed London Stadium in December.

The financial benefits of moving from Upton Park made it a simple decision to leave. An initial payment of £15million and yearly rent of £2.5m for a 60,000-seater venue – plus other benefits – made relocation a no-brainer. Some things do not show up on the balance sheet, though.

Hammers fans have embraced their new home with gusto, trying to create a raucous background to the game. Against Bournemouth, in their first Premier League match in Stratford, they rose to the occasion.

But it will take a serious level of commitment to keep up the clamour. This is a building that seems to have been designed to drain atmosphere.

The hollering in the stands does not echo. It evaporates. Upton Park earned West Ham 10 points a season. The London Stadium may well cost them that number.

It is not designed for football. The £272m spent on making the conversion has not justified the price tag. Players and supporters feel like visitors from another sport.

It will make Slaven Bilic’s task harder. The dugouts are a penalty-area’s length away from the pitch. The West Ham manager needs a mobile phone to consult with his assistants as he prowls the line.

Yet it is not just logistics. Can the East End earthiness, the homeliness, the humour – and, even, the threat – be conjured up in this soulless place?

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Wenger may recognise something when he experiences the atmosphere first-hand. The Emirates has never recreated the maelstrom that Highbury generated.

One of the most successful periods in Arsenal history ended when the team switched homes. The Frenchman blames the mortgage repayments, but that was only part of the story. A sense of purpose left with the sense of place.

The move has made the Hammers wealthier, but some of the richness of the club’s culture has been lost.

Four years on from the London Games it is hard to believe this site will ever reach the heights of 2012. West Ham will have to work hard to ensure they were not given fool’s gold when they were handed this stadium.