Not every footballer can make an impression as immediate as Mateus Fernandes following his late-August transfer from Southampton to West Ham United.
His flying start was, in truth, more the exception than the usual rule.
Former Hammers striker Carlton Cole was blown away watching Fernandes put in an ‘exceptional’ performance on his debut back in late-August. The standout operator during that 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest, funnily enough.
Soungoutou Magassa actually joined West Ham United only a few hours after Fernandes put pen to paper. The £14 million acquisition from Monaco has been eased in with the armbands on, rather than chucked in at the deep end.
And after a sluggish start – unflattering comparisons with one Carlos Sanchez were doing the rounds during the first-half – Magassa grew into things at Everton. So much so that, when he was replaced by Freddie Potts on the hour mark, he had recorded the second-highest number of tackles of any Hammers player while completing 87 per cent of his passes.
Another Ligue 1 rising star who caught the eye of West Ham during the summer transfer window – Rennes’ Djaoui Cisse – has had a somewhat difficult start of his own this season. But, as head coach Habib Beye explains, this is a question with a pretty simple answer.
Rennes boss Habib Beye defends Djaoui Cisse after West Ham United bid
According to French publication Le10 Sport,, West Ham made a bid for Djaoui Cisse before securing the services of both Fernandes and Magassa towards the end of the window.
While Magassa played his part as France reached the semi-finals of the Under-21 European Championships, Cisse was Les Bleus’ breakout star.
Three goals, three stunning goals at that, saw his price-tag rocket beyond the £23 million mark West Ham were willing to hit. Now, following the close of the summer window and having been eased in gently after a delayed pre-season, Beye is confident that the Rennes fans will start to see the best of Cisse again.
“For me, he’s not upside down,” the former Newcastle, Aston Villa and Senegal right-back argued before Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Lens. “He’s a player who resumed his preparations late, who had a Euros that took a lot of energy from him.
“[Those performances for France’s U21s gave Cisse] a different status, different expectations, different pressure on him. And he needs to be given time.
“But I have every confidence in Djaoui because he’s a fantastic player. He showed it for us and he will continue to show it. He had a difficult, complicated start, like others. But he came back to training this week with a lot of determination and a smile.
“I [will try to] relieve him of all pressure.”
Cisse stays in France while Soungoutou Magassa makes full Premier League debut
The new contract Cisse signed last week – extending his deal until the summer of 2030 – should provide the clarity he needs to get back on track.
As for his compatriot, while Monaco supporters have taken aim at Magassa’s sale, particularly after the 4-1 Champions League drubbing by Club Brugge, the 21-year-old will be given the benefit of the doubt by a fanbase glad to see an ageing midfield given a shot of adrenaline at last.
“It’s the first game. It’s now it’s up to us to analyse and see how the game [went]. But, first impressions, I think the team competed well,” Nuno told Beanyman Sports during his post-match press conference.
“[Everton] was tough place to come. A tough, tough place to come. A very good team. But overall, I think was a good game, intense, both teams had chances. And the message for us is how we can compete now, the basics of a football match; Defend properly and attack, try to take advantage of the imbalance.
“We are always positive, believing that our chance is going to come.
“[In Bowen], we have players that can produce these moments. It’s all about how we do things together. It’s not about individuals, it’s about how can we do things together.”
