At West Ham United, selection headaches have often been settled by which of two under-performing Hammers has proven himself to be slightly less of a liability than the other.
See, for instance, when Graham Potter felt he had no choice but to recall Alphonse Areola following Mads Hermansen’s disastrous start. A goalkeeper West Ham United hoped to replace to the tune of £18 million only a few weeks previously catapulted back into the starting XI because his rival was playing so badly.
Nuno Espirito Santo, though, suddenly has the luxury of being able to pick between in-form players and African champions, not to mention an influx of exciting new signings.
A selection headache operating almost like an ice-cream headache. Painful, yes, but a sweet treat nonetheless.
Fernandes over Palmer? Taty over Delap? Some big calls from our readers!
Have your choices been justified?
Nuno indicated that Adama Traore is ‘an option’ to make his West Ham United debut at Stamford Bridge.
The head coach can also play Pablo Felipe in Lucas Paqueta’s old number ten spot if he opts against changing a winning formula. Or, if he wants to beef up the midfield a bit against Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, he could push Mateus Fernandes further forward while re-introducing Freddie Potts or Soungoutou Magassa.
Callum Wilson is now set to stay at West Ham, meanwhile. Taty Castellanos brings a maverick sense of chaos, but Wilson remains Nuno’s most reliable finisher. Options at last, then, for a coach just 90 minutes away from becoming the first since David Moyes in 2023 to win four successive matches in charge of the London Stadium side.
But it is the left-back spot which arguably throws up the most difficult dilemma; Ollie Scarles or El Hadji Malick Diouf?
West Ham United fans vote in favour of El Hadji Malick Diouf at Chelsea
Diouf is still revelling in Africa Cup of Nations glory, having conquered the continent with Senegal a fortnight ago. He was back on the pitch against Sunderland, though, making his return as a late substitute.
Diouf’s rival left-back, though, has been largely excellent in his absence. Ollie Scarles ‘delighted’ Nuno when bouncing back from that horror moment against Fulham two days after Christmas. To think, there were doubts about his future only a month ago.
Now, West Ham seem to have dropped their Souffian El Karouani pursuit; Utrecht’s set-piece specialist going by the wayside as their reigning Young Player of the Year picks the perfect moment to remind the club what he can bring to the table.
At the time of writing, however, 60 per cent of our Hammers News readers selected Diouf to re-claim his spot on the left-hand side. If Nuno agrees, Scarles’ run of starts will come to an end. Although, had we run this poll at the beginning of December, it is difficult to imagine the then-seldom-seen youngster getting anywhere near 40 per cent of the vote.
Nuno has quite the DILEMMA on his hands… 🤔
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Nuno Espirito Santo given advice for Stamford Bridge trip
“Why not [start] Diouf?” one Hammers News reader wrote on our official Facebook page. “He has just won a medal at AFCON, proving that he is a very capable player, and he will be buzzing from that still. No disrespect to Scarles though, who has been playing really well over his last few games.”
“Scarles has done well,” another writes. “But Diouf is far better.”
As one fan points out, Scarles didn’t cover himself in glory for Sunderland’s consolation strike at the London Stadium last weekend. A rash diving challenge left him out of position and set the Black Cats away down the flank before Brian Brobbey converted.
“Missed tackles [against Sunderland], including just throwing a leg out for their goal. [Scarles still] needs pace and more experience.”
Nuno delighted with his full-back options as AFCON winner Diouf returns
Kyle Walker-Peters also stepped up to the plate during Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s own AFCON commitments with DR Congo. Teenager Ezra Mayers caught the eye during a couple of early first-team outings himself, bringing composure and a natural left-footedness to the backline.
Even if another full-back does not arrive before Monday’s deadline – Inter Milan look likely to sign Genoa’s Brooke Norton-Cuffy after West Ham allegedly set scouts to watch the ex-Arsenal starlet – Nuno now has five he can rely on.
“[Diouf] is now in the history books of football,” Nuno said after his Senegalese set-piece specialist helped his nation win AFCON for only the second time. “It’s good to have him back, he gives us more options, gives us more energy.
“We asked a lot of Kyle and Ollie.
“Ollie is doing well and Ezra also stepped in some games and is another option. After [his late mistake in that 1-0 defeat by] Fulham, Ollie’s response was amazing. It’s been good to see, especially with the reception that he had from our fans.
“It helped a lot and has given him belief.”
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