The current international break came at the worst time for West Ham United.
After weeks of poor performances, Nuno Espírito Santo had finally got a tune out of the East Londoners.
First, they blew away a talented Newcastle United side 3-1, and then a week later picked up another three points by beating Burnley 3-2.
These back-to-back Premier League wins have given the fanbase genuine reasons to be optimistic, as they were not lucky victories, but hard-fought and thoroughly deserved.
It finally feels like Nuno has his feet under the table at the London Stadium, and as a result, fears of a possible relegation are starting to dissipate.
However, the Premier League can be unforgiving, so West Ham must maintain their upward trajectory and the board need to back the manager in the winter window. If they do, this could be Nuno’s dream lineup at the end of January.
1
GK – Alphonse Areola
While it would have been a surprise at the start of the season, it should come as no surprise now that, keeping his place between the sticks is Alphonse Areola.
Unlike the Dane signed to replace him in the summer, the Frenchman has been pretty reliable since coming back into the team, and while he might not be the long-term answer, he’s more than good enough to spend another season in goal for the Hammers.
After all, he’s already made 108 appearances for the club, what’s another 27?
2
RB – Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Keeping his place at right-back, so long as he’s fit, is Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Now, Kyle Walker-Peters has done reasonably well since joining the club in the summer, but at his best, the former Manchester United ace is a more competent defender and has become more adept at getting forward over the last few years.
He was also the club’s Hammer of the Year just last season.
3
CB – Axel Disasi
Now, moving on to the first new face in the team, and before the pitchforks and torches come out, Axel Disasi, who has previously been touted for a £25m move to the London Stadium, could be an excellent signing for the Hammers.
Yes, he has failed to establish himself at Chelsea, but before that, he was one of Ligue 1’s best centre-backs and was even compared to Virgil van Dijk by respected talent scout Jacek Kulig.
Moreover, under a manager like Nuno, who doesn’t like to leave his defenders isolated, the Frenchman might be able to rediscover some of the form that first earned him his move to the Premier League.
4
CB – Charlie Cresswell
Alongside Disasi is the second signing: Charlie Cresswell.
He might not be a familiar name to English fans at the moment, but he certainly will be in a few years from now, as not only is he doing incredibly well for Toulouse in Ligue 1, but he was also a key part of the England u21 side that won the Euros this summer.
Described as a “proper leader at the back” by analyst Ben Mattinson, the former Leeds United gem has also been described as being a bit “like a Thiago Silva” by European football expert Andy Brassell, who highlighted the fact that he “got real smarts about him.”
Unsurprisingly, the 23-year-old is gaining plenty of attention at the moment, and while it won’t be easy to sign him, reports suggest the Hammers could get the job done for around £15m.
5
LB – El Hadji Malick Diouf
Back to a familiar face and keeping his place at left-back is, of course, El Hadji Malick Diouf.
The all-action full-back joined the Hammers from Slavia Prague in the summer, and while he can be a little frustrating defensively, he is unreal when it comes to the offensive side of the game.
For example, he has already racked up three assists in just 12 appearances, and really could have more if his teammates were able to finish better earlier in the campaign.
6
CM – Freddie Potts
Moving into the middle of the park and onto someone who has to now be one of the first names on the team sheet: Freddie Potts.
The academy graduate was finally handed his first competitive start for West Ham against Newcastle United, and to say he delivered would be a massive understatement.
He put in a man-of-the-match performance that saw him cover practically every blade of grass, snuff out Toon attacks and kickstart ones for his own side.
It was more of the same a week later against Burnley, and while it is still early on, it feels like the Hammers have themselves a future superstar in Potts.
7
CM – Mateus Fernandes
There are a few options Nuno could go with for the position alongside Potts, but based on the last two games, it really has to be Mateus Fernandes.The Portuguese midfielder had a bit of a slow start to life in East London following his £40m move from Southampton in the summer, but over the last few weeks, he has started showing the fans just what he can do.Capable of helping out with the defensive side of the game, but just as able to play defence-splitting”KDB-type passes,”in the words of Mattinson, the 21-year-old could be a real game-changer for the Hammers as the season goes on.
8
CAM – Lucas Paqueta
To nobody’s surprise, Lucas Paqueta keeps his place as the most advanced of the midfielders.
Despite talk around his future, the former Lyon ace has looked back to his best in recent games and scored his fourth goal of the campaign against Newcastle.
He might be frustrating at times, but West Ham are undeniably a weaker team without him in it.
9
RW – Jarrod Bowen
The sky is blue, the grass is green, and Jarrod Bowen starts for West Ham United.
The former Hull City star is the club’s talisman, the most beloved player to wear the shirt in a very long time, and, most importantly, a sensational goalscoring, game-changing winger.
Despite the team’s poor form last season, the Englishman was still able to rack up an incredible tally of 14 goals and ten assists in 36 appearances across all competitions, totalling 3148 minutes.
That came out to a brilliant average of a goal involvement every 1.5 games, or every 131.16 minutes.
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Bowen’s West Ham Record
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Appearances
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250
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Minutes
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19971′
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Goals
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77
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Assists
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53
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Goal Involvements per Match
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0.52
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Minutes per Goal Involvement
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153.62′
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All Stats via Transfermarkt
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So far this year, the 28-year-old has already scored three goals and provided two assists in just 12 games, and now that the team seem to have turned a corner, he’ll probably become even more productive.
10
ST – Lucas Stassin
The final signing in the team is Saint-Étienne’s Belgian goal machine, Lucas Stassin.
According to one report, the Hammers might be able to sign the 20-year-old for a fee of €30m, which is about £27m, and while that is a lot, it would almost certainly be worth it.
For example, despite being so young, he racked up an impressive tally of 14 goals and eight assists in just 34 appearances last year, and has already produced seven goal involvements in 13 games this year.
That sort of return would make him an instant upgrade on the still useful but injury-prone Callum Wilson and the ideal replacement for Niclas Füllkrug, who has made it clear he wants out in January.