Why Nuno Espirito Santo's Airidas Golambeckis gamble is working in West Ham vs Watford

Airidas Golambeckis has enjoyed a memorable first 45 minutes of his West Ham United league debut.

Having joined West Ham at the age of eight, Golambeckis has been waiting a long time for this Saturday afternoon.

The 18-year-old centre-back was handed his full competitive Hammers debut in the 4-1 Carabao Cup win over Southampton.

He played the full 90 minutes at St Mary's, in an assured performance that suggested the Irons have got a major talent on his hands.

Off the back of that, Nuno Espirito Santo has axed Konstantinos Mavropanos from the team that played Charlton, and brought the Lithuanian in against Watford.

And as the teams head for the Vicarage Road changing rooms at half-time, the teenager is rewarding his manager for the faith shown in him.

How good has Airidas Golambeckis been in first 45 minutes in Watford vs West Ham?

Keeping Golambeckis in the starting XI wasn't something that Nuno was forced to do on Saturday.

Indeed, he's got Ezra Mayers and Kaelan Casey on the bench against the Hornets too.

However, it's his number 58 that he's sided with at Vicarage Road, and won't be regretting that decision so far.

As per FotMob, Golambeckis has completed all 36 of his 37 pass attempts successfully and has been accurate with his lone long ball attempt.

He's also committed zero fouls, made two recoveries, one block, two clearances and has taken a total of 42 touches in the opening 45 minutes.

The youngster is putting on a classy ball-playing performance at the back so far, and doesn't look out of place in this team nor at this level one bit.

So, what is Golambeckis' contract status at West Ham, and is it something that needs addressing?

Why West Ham won't be sweating on Golambeckis' future

Even more so now that they're not a Premier League club anymore, West Ham may find it tougher to keep hold of their bright young talents.

Given Golambeckis is still only 18, should he continue to carve out a significant first-team role this season, he will only draw further transfer attention.

Thankfully though, West Ham chiefs made a shred contract call in November last year on their highly-rated defender.

Golambeckis penned a new long-term contract at the London Stadium, keeping him around until the summer of 2029.

So, if any club does come in with interest in the near future, West Ham are in a very strong position to resist it, or at least demand a premium fee.