Soungoutou Magassa is only six months into his West Ham United career yet, with Napoli, Fiorentina and now Galatasaray linked, speculation over the Frenchman’s future is already eating up plenty of column inches.
Napoli’s midfield injury crisis reportedly put Magassa in sight back in December.
And as the Serie A speculation ramps up – Fiorentina were mentioned a few days ago and both Milan and Juventus have been linked as well – the same can be said of those rumblings surrounding Turkish champions Galatasaray.
The jury is OUT on Sountougou Magassa! What have you made of him so far?
What does he need to improve to nail down a starting spot?
Aspor this week claimed that Galatasaray vice-president Abdullah Kavukcu had flown into England for talks with West Ham United.
Now, according to club insider Sean Whetstone, Soungoutou Magassa is likely to remain a Hammer beyond the Monday deadline. Hammers News have also been told that West Ham will not sell any players against their will.
Yet, as Magassa struggles for game time under Nuno Espirito Santo, this feels like a good time to reflect and evaluate the midfielder’s first few months on English soil.
West Ham United fans want Soungoutou Magassa to stay at the London Stadium
We at Hammers News asked you to give us your view on the Magassa situation in light of a reported approach from Galatasaray this week.
Heading into Saturday evening’s London derby at Chelsea, it appears that the £14 million signing from Monaco is Nuno’s fourth-choice central midfielder right now.
Mateus Fernandes is emerging as the star man of West Ham, while Tomas Soucek has ousted Freddie Potts from the XI recently.
Magassa, as a result, is yet to start a Premier League match since he was hauled off at half time during the 3-0 collapse at Wolves at the beginning of January. He did not cover himself in glory at times against QPR in the FA Cup, either, even if the France Under-21 international did assist Crysencio Summerville’s opener in that third-round clash.
The view from the terraces, though, is that patience is indeed a virtue.
- Sign up for free here to give your view!
“Magassa is a great prospect,” one Hammers News reader writes on our official Facebook page. “Give him some game time and watch him take off.”
“Magassa stays!,” another says. “In a settled side that’s not desperate for points, he will flourish. This season has been a mess but we are improving.”
“Wouldn’t sell [Magassa] right now. Squad depth [is needed] to avoid relegation.”
“Magassa can play centre-back or midfield. Why would we sell?”
Magassa required as Guido Rodriguez and James Ward-Prowse leave
Magassa impressed in the backline at Monaco on a few occasions. Considering that the former Nottingham Forest target appears to have struggled with the pace of the Premier League at times – especially when mobile attackers are drifting into the pockets between him and the defence – playing Magassa deeper could perhaps ease any concerns about his mobility at present.
Scarles over Diouf? Traore on the bench? 🤔
How would YOU feel if Nuno picks this XI at Stamford Bridge?
And, lest we forget, it is only a month ago that Magassa produced a buccaneering performance at Old Trafford; capping a superb, all-action display with the equaliser away to Manchester United.
After West Ham allowed Guido Rodriguez to join Valencia and after Scott Parker lured James Ward-Prowse to Burnley, letting another midfielder go would be an odd decision without an imminent replacement lined up.
“How about keeping good players, not selling? [Lucas] Paqueta and Rodriguez won’t be missed but, unless we can sell [Max] Kilman for a tenner, we want no more sales!” another fan argues.
“Not for sale. Magassa is still very young with big potential.:
“He has huge potential. Cannot be sold this window. We are limited with midfielders. It would be crazy to sell him.”
“Love him. He intercepts and tackles really well. Needs careful selection to bring him on. Selling would be a huge mistake.”
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
