Soungoutou Magassa offers Nuno midfield solution as impressive stats emerge from West Ham win vs Burton
Soungoutou Magassa sent positive signals to Nuno Espirito Santo with his performance in West Ham’s 1-0 win over Burton in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday.
While Crysencio Summerville scored the winner, Magassa was one of the squad players who stepped up at the Pirelli Stadium.
Nuno rotated his side quite a bit on Saturday, and although that nearly backfired, the Hammers had enough quality and determination to see off the League One outfit.
Magassa played all 120 minutes, and his impressive display, coupled with Freddie Potts’ red card, shows exactly why he can be trusted in the top flight.
Soungoutou Magassa proves his worth to West Ham
West Ham agreed a deal worth £17.3million to sign Magassa from Monaco in the summer, but he’s since had a mixed start to life at the London Stadium.
Although the 22-year-old Frenchman scored the equalising goal in the 1-1 draw with Man United on 4 December, he has only started nine matches in the top flight this season.
- Magassa has won 59.6 per cent of his ground duels in the league this season
- He’s also completed 57.1 per cent of his attempted dribbles
Potts’ sending off means he is suspended for West Ham’s next three games, which are against Bournemouth, Liverpool, and Fulham.
As a result, Magassa could replace him in the team and play alongside Mateus Fernandes and Tomas Soucek in midfield.
| Stat | Magassa |
| Appearances | 15 |
| Starts | 9 |
| Successful dribbles | 57.1% |
| Interceptions | 13 |
| Recoveries | 43 |
His versatility is a huge bonus, as the 20-year-old has operated as a centre-back and a central midfielder in the past.
While we haven’t seen that at West Ham yet, it’s definitely an option Nuno could use, given Magassa’s strength in the air.
The Sofascore graphic below shows that the Frenchman was specifically poor at winning duels, but he actually won 80 per cent of his aerial duels.
While his tackling must improve, the fact that he racked up 10 clearances and three interceptions against Burton shows that he is capable of holding down the midfield in the Premier League.
Magassa provides more aggression in West Ham’s midfield than Freddie Potts
Potts has been a brilliant addition to the team, but the Hammers sometimes lack energy in midfield.
He has only completed 25 per cent of his attempted dribbles and has been dispossessed five times in the Premier League this campaign.
At 188cm, Magassa would not only help West Ham from set-piece situations, but he would undoubtedly give them the drive they need to get up the pitch.
If Nuno does give him the chance to start in the Premier League, then he could displace Potts in the long term.
The next three weeks will be crucial to see how Nuno values Magassa, and his potential involvement will give fans a good indication as to how successful the signing has been.
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