Nuno Espirito Santo does something Graham Potter should’ve done ahead of Everton vs West Ham
Graham Potter’s team selections at West Ham came under fire during his final few weeks in charge.
West Ham fans booed Potter’s substitutions in the 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace last weekend, with his decisions slowing the momentum that the Hammers had.
The 50-year-old seemed to become unpopular with fans and players, with Potter getting into a disagreement with Jean-Clair Todibo before his dismissal.
Throughout a summer of disruption and a poor start to the season, Potter was forced to make changes but continued to stick with James Ward-Prowse in midfield.
James Ward-Prowse doesn’t travel with West Ham squad
West Ham are set to face David Moyes’ Everton, with Nuno Espirito Santo thrown straight into the dugout for Monday evening’s game.
All eyes are on how the Portuguese manager will set up against the Toffees, with concerns surrounding the Hammers’ midfield.
Nuno has previously worked with Ward-Prowse when he spent the first half of last season on loan with Nottingham Forest.
However, the 30-year-old won’t be involved for West Ham against Everton, as reported by The Sun reporter Jack Rosser on X. The decision is said to not be injury-related.
- Graham Potter was booed for keeping Ward-Prowse on the pitch in the 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace
- The ex-Chelsea boss elected to hook Mateus Fernandes off instead
- Ward-Prowse has come under criticism for his lack of work rate at the start of the 2025/26 season
At Forest, the midfielder was handed limited minutes, which prompted the Hammers to recall him from his loan.
Things haven’t worked out for Ward-Prowse since, with supporters repeatedly questioning why Potter continued to play him.
West Ham have Soungoutou Magassa and Mateus Fernandes available, as well as youngsters such as Freddie Potts.
James Ward-Prowse could be sold in January
Ward-Prowse clearly isn’t in Nuno’s plans based on this call.
There had been rumours that the midfielder could have left in the summer, but Potter chose to keep him.
He appeared to become a favourite under the former Hammers boss, but that doesn’t seem to be the case with Nuno.
Should Potter have chosen to bench Ward-Prowse and instead let Magassa or one of the youngsters fight for their place, he could still be in the job.
For the Portuguese midfielder to leave Ward-Prowse out of the squad entirely, especially given their lack of depth in the middle of the park, is a huge statement of intent.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the 30-year-old leave the London Stadium in January after an awful time in East London since his £25million move from Southampton.
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