Things are starting to look a little more positive for West Ham United at the moment.
Granted, they lost their last game and currently sit in the Premier League relegation zone, but the performances under Nuno Espírito Santo have been far better.
Moreover, the club would not have fought back so valiantly for a point against Everton under Graham Potter.
However, there is still plenty the manager needs to do, such as phasing out an international ace in the same way he did James Ward-Prowse.
Why Ward-Prowse's West Ham career is over
It might seem a little over the top to say that a player’s time is up at a club when there are two years left to run on his contract.
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However, the unfortunate reality for Ward-Prowse is that, if he wants to play regular football at any point over the next two seasons, he needs to leave West Ham, as it’s clear he won’t be doing that under Nuno.
After all, the Portuguese coach’s first action after taking the job was to leave him out of the squad entirely for the game against Everton and then do the same again for last weekend’s game against Arsenal.
It might sound harsh, and maybe it is a little, but it’s also not much of a surprise, as after joining Nottingham Forest on loan at the start of last season, the manager did the same to him there, so much so that his loan was cut short.
It’s hard to blame the manager too much, either, as while he’s a talented player with an impressive CV, the former Southampton captain has been well below par for the Hammers.
Minutes
90′
Goals
0
Assists
0
Touches
61
Accurate Passes
41/48 (85%)
Crosses (Accurate)
5 (1)
Shots on Target
0
Ground Duels (Won)
6 (1)
Aerial Duels (Won)
3 (0)
Lost Possession
14
Fouls
3
Dribbled Past
2
For example, in Potter’s final game, against Crystal Palace, he somehow managed to lose the ball 14 times, lost eight of nine duels, misplaced four of five crosses and committed three fouls.
At the end of the day, it would be best for all parties if Ward-Prowse left the club in January, which could be said about another West Ham star who has been a big disappointment since joining the club.
The West Ham star who should be on borrowed time
While you could make the case for other West Ham players, such as Konstantinos Mavropanos, receiving the Ward-Prowse treatment, the international in question is Niclas Füllkrug.
There was quite a bit of hope when the German joined the club last summer, as he was coming off a season in which he scored 15 goals and provided ten assists in 43 appearances for Borussia Dortmund.
Moreover, he had just played in the Euros for Germany, so while nobody expected Erling Haaland numbers, they did expect a reliable if unspectacular striker.
Unfortunately, the Hammers got the latter without the former, and as things stand today, it’s hard to see where his next goal comes from.
For example, in 27 games for the East Londoners, totalling 1262 minutes, the 32-year-old has scored just three goals and provided two assists, which comes out to a goal involvement every 5.4 games, or every 252.4 minutes.
Appearances
20
7
Minutes
877′
385′
Goals
3
0
Assists
2
0
Goal Involvements per Match
0.25
0.00
Minutes per Goal Involvement
175.4′
N/A
Worse still, all five of his goal involvements for the club came last season, with him drawing a blank in all eight appearances this season.
With numbers like this, and performances like the one he put in against Everton, in which he lost the ball nine times, lost 50% of his ground duels and ten of his 14 aerial duels, it’s easy to understand why Gabby Agbonlahor said he’s “not a good enough player” to represent the Irons.
Therefore, Nuno should take him out of the team entirely now and either play the slightly less poor Callum Wilson, or be bold and go with Callum Marshall or Josh Landers.
Ultimately, Füllkrug clearly isn’t good enough to play in the Premier League, so he should be sold as soon as possible during the winter window.