West Ham fans won’t believe what their former defender Nayef Aguerd did last night — and it proves three things.
You would be hard pressed to find a single West Ham fan who was in the least bit bothered about the departure of Nayef Aguerd.
The Moroccan was shipped out on loan to Real Sociedad last season after being part of West Ham’s worst ever Premier League defence which conceded 74 goals under David Moyes.
If you are conceding that many goals playing in a Moyes team, then it raises big question marks about your ability, character and attitude as a top level defender.
And there were certainly question marks alright over those things when it came to Aguerd.
Hammers were happy to see the back of Aguerd
Especially when he was pushing for a move midway through that season and cried off sick from some important matches only to rock up at the African Nations to play for his national team.
Aguerd did well at Sociedad overall but even they didn’t want to spend the money to sign him permanently.
Back at West Ham, Graham Potter spent all pre-season making him one of his starters despite the 29-year-old making it clear to the club he wanted to leave West Ham and England.
The entire extended summer transfer window passed with a host of clubs linked but none putting up the cash to do a deal.
Then Marseille put around £19m on the table and the Hammers could not say ‘yes’ fast enough.
Despite the glaringly obvious need for a top new centre-back, West Ham could only sign Brighton misfit Igor Julio on a straight loan as Aguerd’s replacement.
And despite the utter shambles unfolding at West Ham this season, particularly at the back, Igor has not played a single minute so far.
West Ham fans were not sad to see Aguerd leave.
Despite two bites at the cherry, he failed to adjust to the pace and physicality of English football after arriving in a vastly inflated £30m deal from Rennes. His signing was yet another example of West Ham’s dismally poor recruitment over the last few years.
He suffered a serious injury in his first game – a pre-season clash at Rangers – and it set the tone for a pretty torrid Hammers career which will be remembered more for his whiny, weak, error-prone displays than anything else.
West Ham fans won’t believe what Aguerd did last night
While he did play his part in West Ham’s Europa Conference League triumph, Aguerd burned any remaining bridges with the club’s fans by refusing to play for the club at Forest as he pushed to leave for Marseille.
Many felt it was no coincidence that the Hammers kept their first clean sheet of the season without him in a superb 3-0 win.
But things have reverted to type for the club since with defeats to Spurs and Palace making it five losses from six games this season.
Aguerd’s farewell to West Ham was as half-hearted as some of his performances as he raved about joining Marseille and the ‘best fans and atmosphere in France’.
Now West Ham fans won’t believe what Aguerd did last night and it proves three things.
Roberto De Zerbi says he signed Aguerd because he is ‘strong, understands things quickly and brings enthusiasm’.
West Ham fans will be wondering if he is talking about the same player.
But eyebrows will be raised by his start at L’OM.
Aguerd scored on his debut in a 4-0 win over Lorient.
And he followed that up overnight with a second goal in as many games against Ligue 1 and European Champions PSG.
Aguerd’s rebirth proves three things
Aguerd showed the kind of bravery rarely, if ever, seen in east London as he risked a punch in the face from the PSG ‘keeper while tussling with a defender to head home what turned out to be the winner after five minutes.
It was Marseille’s first win over their rivals in Le Classique at the Velodrome for an astonishing 14 years.
Not only did it make it two goals in two games for Aguerd but two clean sheets and two wins as well.
It has some asking whether West Ham made the right decision letting Aguerd go.
Others will wonder whether the Hammers are becoming the new Man United, where players flourish the moment they step away.
But it proves three things.
Firstly that, while PSG are clearly a top quality side, Aguerd emerging as one of Marseille’s best players after just two games proves Ligue 1 is vastly inferior to the Premier League.
Secondly, that Aguerd’s heart really was not in it at West Ham. Watching him play for Marseille, his entire demeanour is different. He is putting in more effort and is more eager to please at his new club whereas he looked completely disinterested at the London Stadium.
Thirdly, that West Ham is clearly an environment players are flourishing away from right now given how negative and messy things are becoming.
All eyes will be on whether Aguerd can continue this kind of form.
If he does then questions will start to be asked as to why he wasn’t retained and Max Kilman sold instead.
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