West Ham fans have always loved a goalscoring maverick but now they have a goalscoring Mavropanos – and he’s putting 20 top Premier League stars to shame.
The redemption arc Konstantinos Mavropanos is currently on at West Ham would be barely believable just a few months ago.
When Tim Steidten was sacked as Hammers technical director last January, Mavropanos was one of the many signings he made that were deemed flops and stains on his reputation.
There is no hiding that Mavropanos has been a figure of frustration at West Ham since Steidten brought him over from Stuttgart in a £17.5m deal.
West Ham hero Mavropanos has more goals than £1bn worth of Premier League stars
An infuriating tendency to make costly errors had seen Mavropanos in and out of the team since he arrived.
It had also seen him marked out by fans as a liability and one of the first names on a long list of players they felt needed to be sold as soon as possible.
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But the towering Greek has always had the necessary attributes to be a top Premier League defender and Hammers cult hero – and now he is making good on that promise.
A new West Ham cult hero has been born in Mavropanos after his latest 10/10 display – which included not one, but two goals in the vital 4-0 victory over Wolves.
There has been a huge improvement in the defensive side of his game under Nuno Espirito Santo and – by the Greek’s own admission – Paco Jemez.
He has recently added crucial goals too, securing a point for the Hammers against Man City and now notching a brace, including the all-important opening goal, against Wolves.
If Mavropanos’ imperious form helps keep West Ham in the top flight then the word ‘legend’ may start to be uttered in his direction like it was for Carlos Tevez when he helped pull off the club’s last great escape.
Whether he is taking an Erling Haaland volley full in the face from point-blank range or scissoring a volley into the net to put more points on the board for the Irons, Mavropanos is doing it all right now.
Mavropanos puts Kudus, Isak and co to shame with West Ham
And the West Ham hero is also putting 20 top Premier League stars to shame by outscoring them.
Mavropanos’ double against Wolves made it three Premier League goals for the season so far.
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The Hammers will be desperate for the defender’s purple patch to continue for the final six games of the run-in.
But the wider context to what Mavropanos is doing at the moment really is quite staggering.
West Ham’s man of the moment has now scored more Premier League goals than the following Prem stars.
Many of them are regarded as world class attackers and one of them is none other than Mohammed Kudus, who left the Hammers for Spurs amid much controversy last summer.
Konstantinos Mavropanos has now scored more Premier League goals this season than:
- Liverpool’s £125m striker Alexander Isak
- Man United attacker Amad
- Man City playmaker Bernardo Silva
- Chelsea’s much-hyped Brazilian wonderkid Estevao
- Everton’s £100m on loan playmaker Jack Grealish
- Man City and England centre-back Marc Guehi
- Tottenham’s £54.5m Mohammed Kudus
- Arsenal’s £50m England winger Noni Madueke
- Chelsea’s free-kick taking captain Reece James
- Brighton’s rapid winger Yankuba Minteh
- Chelsea’s £40m winger Alejandro Garnacho
- Man United’s self-proclaimed ‘world class in both boxes’ centre-back Harry Maguire
- Man City’s fleet-footed winger Jeremy Doku
- Arsenal captain and playmaker Martin Odegaard
- Man City’s £70m forward Omar Marmoush
- Tottenham and France striker Randal Kolo Muani
- Man City midfielder Rodri
- Arsenal centre-back William Saliba
- Spurs’ £50m playmaker Xavi Simons
- Newcastle striker Yoane Wissa
Even West Ham boss Nuno has been surprised by Mavropanos’ goalscoring exploits.
Asked if he ever saw this run coming after the win over Wolves, Nuno said: “Nobody knew.
“We are delighted. I hope it continues.”
If it does then West Ham will likely be playing Premier League football again next season and Mavropanos will truly have come full circle.
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