Nuno Espírito Santo has always been described as stubborn by many players and former colleagues, and his continued reluctance to trust either Soungoutou Magassa or Edson Álvarez was becoming increasingly difficult to understand, particularly as West Ham continued to concede soft goals and struggle to protect their back four.
It is a decision, among others, that ultimately contributed to him losing his job.
The issue is not necessarily that West Ham lack talented midfielders. The problem is balance. Too often, the midfield has looked easy to play through, leaving the defence exposed to direct attacks and transition situations. When opposition teams bypass the first line of pressure, the centre-backs are frequently left defending large spaces with insufficient protection in front of them.
That is where Magassa could be invaluable. A converted central defender, the Frenchman is naturally suited to operating as a holding midfielder. His game is built around positioning, breaking up attacks and providing physical presence rather than driving forward or creating chances.
Álvarez offers a slightly different solution. Throughout his career, he has excelled as a midfield shield, winning duels, intercepting passes and protecting defenders. He has also played at centre-back for club and country, underlining his defensive instincts and tactical discipline. While he may lack the mobility to play in a highly expansive system, his ability to sit deep and screen danger is exactly the kind of profile West Ham have often appeared to be missing.
What made Nuno’s stance particularly puzzling is that both players offer something the current squad lacks: specialist defensive security. When a team is leaking goals, managers often look to simplify things, becoming harder to break down before worrying about attacking fluency. Selecting either Magassa or Álvarez in front of the defence could provide that extra layer of protection, reducing the burden on the centre-backs and limiting the number of dangerous situations they face.
Soungoutou Magassa was reinstated to the West Ham squad.
Could West Ham’s New Management Turn To Magassa And Álvarez?
Of course, Nuno saw these players every day in training and may have valid reasons for excluding them. There have been questions over attitude, tactical suitability or future plans, which may all play a part. However, from the outside looking in, West Ham’s defensive record makes it increasingly difficult to justify leaving two natural defensive midfielders on the sidelines while persisting with approaches that continue to leave the back line vulnerable.
Equally, both players are sitting on the wage bill and not playing. In itself, that’s hard to make sense of.
At some point, results have to outweigh previous decisions. If West Ham are serious about tightening up defensively, Magassa and Álvarez look like obvious solutions hiding in plain sight. The question now is whether the interim management will see it?