Carlton Cole, the former West Ham United striker, understandably walked into the talkSPORT studios feeling much more ‘upbeat’ on the back of that Lucas Paqueta-inspired 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest.
What a difference one game can make.
The atmosphere in Rush Green would have been about as carefree as a funeral in thunderstorm weather had the Hammers gone into the international break on the back of four straight defeats.
Instead, as Jarrod Bowen’s ‘world-class’ strike opened the floodgates, as Lucas Paqueta committed his future to West Ham United with that celebration, and as a handful of summer signings really started to make their mark, Graham Potter almost appeared to burst out of his casket like the Undertaker himself.
While former England international Darren Bent believes Callum Wilson can score 15 goals for the Hammers this season, provided he stays fit of course, Cole was just happy to see his fellow striker get off the mark and silence the doubters.
Cole would presumably have relished the sort of delivery Malick Diouf demonstrated when assisting Wilson’s stoppage-time clincher at the City Ground. As for Mateus Fernandes, that £40 million investment will look like money very well spent if this is a sign of things to come.
Carlton Cole labels Mateus Fernandes an ‘exceptional’ signing for West Ham United
Graham Potter predicted that Mateus Fernandes would bring a ‘different dimension’ to West Ham’s midfield when completing his move from Southampton a week-and-a-half ago.
Cole, funnily enough, uses almost the exact same expression. For a side crying out for some much-needed intensity in and out of possession, Fernandes’ physical and technical capabilities feel like an immediate game-changer.
“I’m more upbeat this week!” a relieved Cole smiles, speaking to talkSPORT. “I was in bits [after the 5-1 defeat by Chelsea nine days earlier].
“I went into the training ground that week and I saw how deflated it was. But when I was talking to some of the players, they were up for it. [Niclas] Fullkrug. Paqueta. Bowen just had the [England] call-up as well, so he was ready to go and show everyone why he got the call-up.
“Then, you’ve got some of the boys coming into the team. Callum Wilson… I thought Fernandes was brilliant. Fernandes was exceptional. He changed the dynamic of our midfield.
“His closing down was really good, his getting back was really good, and he played well alongside [James] Ward-Prowse.”
West Ham icon Tony Cottee summed up that Ward-Prowse problem after watching he and Guido Rodriguez chase Sunderland shadows at the Stadium of Light. A Hammers midfield ‘with no pace or athleticism’.
Fernandes, and presumably fellow new recruit Soungoutou Magassa, bring athleticism in abundance. Thus, helping to offset the sluggishness of Ward-Prowse, Rodriguez or Tomas Soucek.
“If you’re going to have Ward-Prowse, with his quality, you need someone who can run about more than he can. He can find passes, keep it ticking…” Cole adds before turning his attention to supersub Crysencio Summerville.
“I thought the subs were brilliant. Summerville changed the shape of the game, and then obviously Callum Wilson came on and showed everyone he’s still got it.”
Even Nuno Espirito Santo, in what would prove to be his final match in charge, admitted that Nottingham Forest could not cope with Summerville’s pace and directness off the bench.
Even Nuno Espirito Santo, in what would prove to be his final match in charge, admitted that Nottingham Forest couldn’t cope with Summerville’s pace or directness off the bench
Cole, who scored 55 league goals in claret and blue between 2006 and 2015, is also delighted to see Lucas Paqueta put a summer of speculation behind him, let alone that gruelling two-year spot-fixing charge.
“Lucas stayed and he’s a grafter, you know. He doesn’t hide, it just [sometimes] doesn’t come off for him,” Cole explains. “Even in that Chelsea game, he scored a worldie and then he gave the ball away for [the opposition] to equalise.
“It happens. Some players could shy away from that but he stands up and says, ‘Nah, I am going to show West Ham that I love you’.
“The fans stood by him throughout all of last season, with what he was going through. This time, it was his turn to pay us a little bit back and show us some character. He led by example.”
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