Nuno Espirito Santo will take charge of West Ham United for the first time during Monday’s trip to Everton, with their Premier League ever-present James Ward-Prowse sensationally left out.
The writing appeared to be on the wall for the £30 million England international when he was suddenly reunited, following Nuno Espirito Santo’s appointment on Saturday, with a coach who terminated his loan spell at Nottingham Forest midway through last season.
And, while immediately displaying the kind of ruthlessness often missing from predecessor Graham Potter, Nuno dropped James Ward-Prowse ahead of that trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Not just from his West Ham United XI, but from the matchday squad.
Speaking of that XI, in Ward-Prowse’s place comes Soungoutou Magassa. The £14 million addition from Monaco makes his first Premier League start alongside Mateus Fernandes.
That is one of only two changes Nuno makes from the defeat at Crystal Palace which proved to be the end for Potter.
Nuno Espirito Santo makes two changes for West Ham United’s Everton trip
Potter dropped Mads Hermansen for Alphonse Areola in his final match in charge. Nuno, in his first, opts to start the experienced Frenchman again over the younger Dane.
He keeps the same back four, while Niclas Fullkrug comes in up top to replace Callum Wilson. The West Ham fans will be delighted to see Freddie Potts back on the bench again, meanwhile, alongside fellow youngster Callum Marshall.
As for Everton, West Ham rejected both Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall before they joined The Toffees from Manchester City and Chelsea respectively. Nuno will hope that is a decision which does not come back to haunt his new employers more so than it already has.
In one of David Moyes’ big selection dilemmas, he picks Beto over £27 million summer signing Thierno Barry up top once again.
Nuno has already spelt out his aims after replacing Graham Potter
Speaking to the club’s official website, just two days before picking his team for the first time, Nuno emphasised the importance of togetherness and team spirit.
“First of all, what is important is that now we know each other; Mainly us, the squad, the players. This is what is more important now. We are here working. We started [on Saturday] realising that this is a big, big club, Nuno said.
“There are expectations. But before all the expectations, all the achievements that we desire, that we want to do, we must create a platform of knowledge, of coming closer to the fans, the team and the fans. And from there we can start building
“I’m trying to, as soon as possible, know all the players. I think I know them better than they know me, because it’s like that. We are coaches and we try to take all the info that we can about the players. Many of them, we faced each other before and now it’s preparing for the game, a tough game against Everton.
“Day by day, and you’ll listen to me many times speaking about this but it’s what I believe, it’s day by day, each day has to be the best one of us.”
Hammers News have been told that head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay, a long-time ally of Graham Potter’s, is also set to make way. Nuno and agent Jorge Mendes will have a big say on the transfer front, too, when the window opens in January.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
