Report: This is where West Ham will play first three fixtures of 2017/18 PL campaign
By Danny Wright
West Ham will play their first three matches of the 2017/18 Premier League campaign away from the London Stadium, according to a report.
The Sun claims that the former Olympic Stadium will play host to the World Athletics Championships this summer and will not be transformed back into a suitable football arena until two weeks after it ends.
The track and field championship will run until August 13, but it will take a lengthy period of time to make the London Stadium back into a Premier League football ground as is unlikely to host a game there until September 2 at the earliest.
It is understood that West Ham will have to bring the retractable seating back into the ground and also remove the running track, which will play host to the final race of Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt’s career.
The Sun also reports that all of the Hammers’ sponsorship branding will be removed for the event and will have to be put back up in time to host matches.
The fixture list for the upcoming Premier League campaign will be officially announced on Wednesday morning, with it being expected that the Irons will face their first three fixtures on the road.
It may not be such quite bad news for West Ham, who have struggled to adapt to life in their new stadium following a move out of Upton Park.
Slaven Bilic’s side failed to finish in the top half of the league table last season and only won seven of their 19 home games at the London Stadium.
In other West Ham news, the Irons are favourites to sign this striker from one of their London rivals.
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