West Ham United boss Nuno Espirito Santo did not need reminding, ahead of Saturday’s trip to Premier League challengers Arsenal, about Mikel Arteta’s formidable set-piece record.
While the Hammers have conceded the most goals from dead-ball situations in the top-flight this season – Nuno saw an unmarked Michael Keane put Everton ahead last time out – this weekend’s opponents have scored the most with seven.
Add in last season’s tally, and Arsenal have netted a remarkable 22 goals from corners or free-kicks since the start of 2024/25.
The good news is that, as daunting as that Emirates trip is bound to be, Nuno Espirito Santo feels progress is being made already as he looks to solve West Ham United’s ‘big problem’.
The potential absence of Gabriel Magalhaes, scorer of last week’s stoppage time winner at Newcastle, would undoubtedly make the task facing Max Kilman, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Alphonse Areola a lot easier.
Speaking at his Friday press conference, Arteta refused to confirm whether Gabriel would be passed fit to play, though he indicates that concerns over the knock he picked up in midweek have been overblown.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta gives Gabriel Magalhaes update ahead of West Ham United clash
Brazil international Gabriel was forced off in the Champions League victory over Olympiakos.
“We will have to wait and see until after training,” Arteta said when asked to provide an update on a centre-back who is now just two short of 20 Premier League goals. “We’ve done almost nothing today. So, [we have to] see how everybody is.
“But we weren’t too concerned about him [after Olympiakos].
“[Scoring goals from set-pieces] is a fundamental part of a central defender, dominating both boxes. And he does that probably like nobody else. That is the joy of having him in the team.”
That West Ham clash will come a little early for Piero Hincapie, however. The £45 million signing from Bayer Leverkusen will have to wait another few weeks to make only his second appearance in an Arsenal shirt.
The Gunners will be without Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, too. Neither player has featured yet this term, and Arteta admits that they will still need more time to get up to speed.
“[Hincapie] will be available after the international break. We have been trying to [move] everything as fast as possible but this game has come too fast.
“[Havertz and Jesus] are still out.”
Interestingly, West Ham were linked with a shock Gabriel Jesus swoop back in September. The former Manchester City forward may be on the lookout for a January loan deal once he returns from the treatment room, with his hopes of featuring alongside Gabriel in Brazil’s 2026 World Cup squad hanging by a thread.
Nuno hails Max Kilman and confirms Aaron Wan-Bisska and Jean-Clair Todibo could return
Meanwhile, Nuno has credited former Wolves stalwart Max Kilman with helping the Hammers fix their very well-publicised Achilles heel on the training pitch.
Right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka also produced arguably his finest appearance in the 1-0 away win at Arsenal in the spring. Nuno confirms that Wan-Bissaka could return after an illness which has kept him out since that 5-1 drubbing by Chelsea in August, with Jean-Clair Todibo also in contention.
“[Defending dead balls] is a big problem that we have to solve,” Nuno admits. “We’ve been working. I think we improved in the last game, [although there is] still a problem with the second phase. [Sorting out set-pieces is] something we are really concerned with. We have to solve it.
“Nowadays, set-pieces have a huge impact on the game. We have to become more aggressive because we have good leaders, good headers. Defending, we have to address it.
“I think [Kilman] is an important member of the squad. He can help in terms of relationship with the squad and how we approach things, our work-ethic in the training sessions, how we face the competition, how serious we are.
“Todibo trained. Last week, he didn’t train in all the sessions. Now, he’s involved. We will see. The same [for Wan-Bissaka], the same. Thank God, this week has been good. They are recovering.”
