West Ham United legend Tony Cottee has welcomed new signing Roger Johnson.

Johnson went down two divisions with Wolves and also suffered top-flight relegation with Birmingham.

But despite seeing his arrival as a bad omen, Cottee, 48, is hopeful the centre-back arrives at Upton Park with a point to prove.

"Roger has experience of battling against relegation is another way to look at it," Cottee said.

"I always felt there was a good player in there. He's maybe lost his way a bit, but that happens when you get relegated and you're in a team that is losing games.

"He's English and Sam likes British players. Hopefully Sam will put his arm around him and tell him how great he is and he'll perform as he potentially can. It's a good chance for Roger to prove himself."