West Ham are a "stronger squad" having used the £105m received from Arsenal for England midfielder Declan Rice "very wisely", says former Premier League defender Steve Brown.

James Ward-Prowse has made an immediate impact with a goal and two assists in his two appearances since joining from Southampton, while Ghana international Mohammed Kudus became their latest new arrival when he joined from Ajax for at least £38m on Sunday.

The Hammers have taken seven points from their first three league matches.

"When Liverpool sold Philippe Coutinho and how they spent that money, we're seeing something similar here with West Ham," Brown told BBC Radio London's The Far Post podcast.

"You get the maximum you can for one single player. I think it was right that Rice moved on - he'd served his purpose, got himself into a position where he was worth that money and it was right that West Ham took it.

"The secondary to that is that you spend it wisely. I think Ward-Prowse is a brilliant signing. For set-pieces alone, he is a great signing, and he's a wonderful football player as well.

"They're using the money very wisely and they've become a stronger squad because of that. Everything's going so well for them at the moment."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds