Amid all the hand-wringing surrounding their goalkeeper options, their centre-halves and the heart of Graham Potter’s midfield, there are at least a few positions where West Ham United have their fair share of Premier League quality.
At left-back, Potter has fielded El Hadji Malick Diouf in every one of their five league matches so far. The £19 million summer signing from Slavia Prague has arguably been the club’s most consistent performer, too.
If Diouf is unavailable, for whatever reason, West Ham United could call upon the versatile Kyle Walker-Peters or reigning Young Hammer of the Year Ollie Scarles.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has performed well on a more unfamiliar flank in the past, too.
So, while Jarrod Bowen has the right-wing spot nailed down and while Lucas Paqueta, Mateus Fernandes and Tomas Soucek provide three very different options for the attacking midfield role, left-back is arguably the strongest area of the West Ham roster.
The decision to let Emerson Palmieri embark on a fresh start in France, with the giants of Marseille, is therefore one unlikely to be ret-conned later down the line as an error, regardless of the Brazil-born Italy international’s impressive start to life under Roberto de Zerbi.
Emerson Palmieri explains why he left West Ham United for Olympique Marseille
Emerson excelled against Real Madrid on his Marseille debut in last week’s Champions League opener.
If Kylian Mbappe’s late Santiago Bernebeu winner meant Emerson had little tangible to show for his efforts, he would get his reward a few days later.
On his first Ligue 1 start since a loan spell at Lyon, the 31-year-old helped keep Khvicha Kvaratskhelia quiet as Marseille ended Paris Saint-Germain’s 100 per cent start to the new campaign.
Now, speaking at a press conference for the first time as a L’OM player, Emerson credits his teammates, his coaching staff, and a typically rapid fanbase for helping him adapt to the temperature in this most bubbling of cauldrons.
“It’s true that I’ve been here for less than a month, but I’m very happy,” the former Chelsea and Roma left-back said on Thursday. “I can only thank [Marseille] for the way they welcomed me, whether it was the players, the coach, or the fans.
“It really helped me a lot to get back on the pitch, play well, and help the team.”
That Emerson has impressed despite his only starts since being phased out at West Ham coming against Real Madrid and PSG makes the speed of his adaptation even more impressive.
It was a ‘no-brainer’, meanwhile, to join the one-time European champions when a certain Roberto de Zerbi came calling.
“I have known the coach for a while now,” he says of De Zerbi, whose Brighton team smashed a West Ham side featuring Emerson 4-0 back in 2022. “We’ve already played against each other several times in the Premier League.
“When he called me, I was pleased. Being coached by De Zerbi, for us as players, when we know him, when we know how he wants to play. And with the way I like to play too, it was a no-brainer. I spoke with him several times, two, three times. From the start, I said yes, I want to come here.
“So we didn’t have to discuss much. I was already convinced. Now we’re working together and I’m very happy.”
Emerson hails Nayef Aguerd as former West Ham duo defeat PSG
Hammers News can confirm that Real Betis performed a U-turn on signing Emerson earlier in the window.
Now, while Marseille eventually spent £21 million on both Emerson and his former West Ham teammate Nayef Aguerd, the former made up only the tiniest fraction of that combined sum.
A minuscule up-front fee of just over £600,000 already has Emerson looking like one of the bargains of the summer in France.
Four days after the aforementioned Aguerd scored the winner against PSG with an early header, Emerson admitted that the presence of a familiar face in Marseille’s backline has proven an early advantage.
“For new players, it is really important to have teammates who welcome you in the best way, who help you, and the team really welcomed us in the best way,” adds a man who completed the UEFA triple-threat of the Champions League, the Europa League and the Conference League.
“That helps enormously to understand, from the first day, how the coach wants to play. How things work in the club and in the city.
“[Aguerd] is a really good player. It is true that we have shared a lot of experiences together. Talking about him is simple for me, he is a really strong player. He is demonstrating his qualities and I am sure he will do even better.”
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