West Ham United co-chairman David Gold has declared that the club's impending move to the Olympic Stadium will given them the platform to challenge London's leading sides.
The Hammers agreed a 99-year lease to take up residency at the stadium earlier this year, with the club targeting a move in time for the 2016-17 season opener.
Gold believes that West Ham have the chance to build momentum and halt Arsenal and Chelsea's domination in the capital, insisting that the Hammers are a club on the rise.
He told Sky Sports News: "I hope the fans are as excited as me. It gives us a an opportunity to take our football club kicking and screaming into a new era. A new era and into a stadium that will be fit for purpose.
"It's an opportunity. It's an opportunity that comes once in a lifetime. "We have always been in the shadow of Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. There's no denying it, they have always been bigger clubs, they have had bigger stadiums and that's been the key.
"Our stadium all the way through the generations has never matched those three clubs. Therein lies the difficulty because we are probably not that far behind in terms of fan bases. You could argue Arsenal have reached their potential with their new stadium and everything. You could argue that with Chelsea with the huge money created by their owner. With West Ham we are now on our move, our surge."
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce guided his side to 10th place in the Premier League last season in their first campaign back in the top flight.
Liam Power
