Nuno Espirito Santo’s team selection has come under plenty of scrutiny during his first five matches since replacing Graham Potter at Premier League outfit West Ham United.
The fans felt Nuno had ‘lost the plot’ when he chose Tomas Soucek and Andy Irving ahead of Freddie Potts and Soungoutou Magassa during that barrel-scraping, rock-bottom-hitting 2-0 home defeat by Brentford.
Four days later, as West Ham United lost again, this time at Leeds, Tony Cottee could barely believe his eyes as Nuno Espirito Santo started Callum Wilson and Mateus Fernandes on the bench, alongside the aforementioned Potts and Fernandes.
One decision even Nuno’s biggest critics would probably have to agree on, though, is his continued inclusion of Alphonse Areola over Mads Hermansen between the sticks.
Nuno insists that Hermansen will get his chance again in a West Ham shirt. But, after conceding 11 games in his first four matches following that £18 million move from Leicester City, the recently-appointed Portuguese clearly felt that predecessor Graham Potter had made the right call when he removed Hermansen from the firing line.
Speaking of Potter, in a funny twist of fate, the man now charged with keeping Sweden’s 2026 World Cup dream alive now finds himself sharing a dressing room with one of the goalkeepers West Ham considered but eventually overlooked in favour of Hermansen last summer.
Fabrizio Romano reported that West Ham ‘considered’ Stoke City’s Viktor Johansson, five days before his fellow Scandinavian completed that move from the East Midlands to East London.
Three months later, Potter has now confirmed that it will be Johansson who starts in goal for his Sweden side when his reign begins away to Switzerland on November 15th.
Graham Potter shows faith in former West Ham United target Viktor Johansson
There are a number of factors linking Championship high-flyers Stoke with West Ham United.
Long-serving left-back Aaron Cresswell is enjoying a late-career resurgence in the Potteries. Former Hammers kid Sorba Thomas has been a revelation as the creative force powering Mark Robins’ promotion charge.
Divin Mubama scored a first-career hat-trick in Stoke colours, meanwhile, during their 5-1 thrashing of Bristol City over the weekend.
Underpinning it all, though, is arguably the best and most influential shot-stopper outside of the Premier League.
Viktor Johansson has been ‘stunning’ for Stoke once again in the early months of 2025/26.
Potter and West Ham pushed for Mads Hermansen instead – with the guidance of his ex-Brondby coach Casper Ankergren – and now Johansson has the perfect chance to show his new Sweden boss first-hand that he bet the farm on the wrong horse.
Who knows what would have happened had West Ham signed a different goalkeeper in August? Hermansen’s failings alone were not the reason for Potter’s eventual sacking, but they certainly didn’t make his life any easier.
“It’s my decision,” Potter told Fotbollskanalen during a press conference on Wednesday, confirming that Johansson will be his number one glovesman in the Sweden dugout.
“I’ve chosen Viktor (Johansson), Kristoffer [Nordfeldt of AIK], Jacob [Widell Zetterstrom of Derby County], and Noel [Tornqvist of Mjallby].
“No door is closed, but it was my decision. [My first-choice] will be Viktor.”
Nuno Espirito Santo hopes Rui Barbosa helps Mads Hermansen
Areola, who was excellent in that Newcastle victory, will surely start again when Burnley make the trip to the London Stadium for Saturday’s 3pm kick-off.
Nuno believes Mads Hermansen will benefit, though, from the arrival of a trusty right-hand man at Rush Green. Rui Barbosa has worked with Nuno at Rio Ave, Porto, Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham, helping hone the talents of Matz Sels, Rui Patricio and Jose Sa along the way.
Barbosa has been hired as West Ham’s First-Team Goalkeeping Coach. A role previously occupied by the aforementioned Ankergren.
“I think Rui can help us,” Nuno said last week. “He has a lot of experience. He has been working with me for many, many years, and he’s always been able to improve goalies.”
“I expect [Barbosa to have an] effect on Alphonse, on Mads, on Lukasz [Fabianski], on the young lad Finlay [Herrick]. I think it is going to be important for us.”
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