Nuno Espirito Santo needed only two days in the West Ham United hotseat to send out a message to his new charges at the Premier League strugglers.
James Ward-Prowse was dropped from the West Ham squad, not just the starting XI, as the post-Graham Potter era began with a 1-1 draw at Everton. Jean-Clair Todibo, the £36 million centre-half signed from Nice, was nowhere to be seen either.
Both players were also omitted when the Hammers lost 2-0 at Arsenal in their most recent league outing.
But at least Ward-Prowse and Todibo are still training with the rest of the West Ham United first-team. For all the suggestions of a proverbial ‘bomb squad’, Nuno Espirito Santo is keeping the door ajar for the two misfits to force their way back in.
Or, at least, that is what he is saying publicly, anyway.
The same luxury was certainly not afforded to Emerson Palmieri before he completed a cut-price move to French giants Marseille on deadline day, albeit a month before Nuno’s arrival.
Emerson Palmieri reflects on training alone at West Ham United before Marseille switch
After Graham Potter promoted Ollie Scarles to first-choice left-back in the second half of last season, Emerson trained apart from the West Ham squad throughout the summer. He was not even taken to the USA for that pre-season tour.
No wonder Emerson calls that Marseille switch a ‘no-brainer’. Rather that than risk spending months stuck on the sidelines.
Now, speaking to Calciomercato about the deal which saw him join former Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi at the Stade Velodrome, the Brazil-born Italy international reflects on a difficult summer, and explains why his eventual departure would only occur in the dying embers of the window.
“Two weeks [before I joined], I had already given De Zerbi the ‘OK’. The clubs needed to reach an agreement,” Emerson says. “I was a little nervous because I was afraid they wouldn’t reach an agreement.
“But the manager and [sporting director Medhi] Benatia wanted me so much that they waited until the very end. I had this fear, because I’m a man of my word, but it wasn’t just up to me.
“Before the transfer, I spent 50 days training alone. West Ham wouldn’t lower their demands, but I kept calm because I knew Marseille were there.
“My brother’s presence [helped]. He came from Brazil to London to be with me. And when Marseille came forward, he immediately advised me to accept because it would be a unique experience.”
Emerson and Nayef Aguerd have impressed for Roberto De Zerbi
Alongside Nayef Aguerd – West Ham accepted a £17.5 million offer from Marseille on September 1st for their Moroccan misfit – the former London Stadium duo have enjoyed a pretty impressive start to life at Marseille.
Emerson excelled against Real Madrid on his L’OM debut in the Champions League. Aguerd has made an ‘incredible’ beginning himself, even scoring the winner as Marseille ended their 14-year wait for a win against PSG.
“It’s true that I’ve been here for less than a month, but I’m very happy,” Emerson said recently. “I can only thank [Marseille] for the way they welcomed me, whether it was the players, the coach, or the fans. It really helped me a lot to get back on the pitch, play well, and help the team.”
“I have known the coach for a while now,” he added when discussing De Zerbi, whose Brighton team beat a West Ham side featuring Emerson 4-0 back in 2022. “We’ve already played against each other several times in the Premier League.
“When he called me, I was pleased. Being coached by De Zerbi, for us as players, when we know him, when we know how he wants to play. And with the way I like to play too, it was a no-brainer. I spoke with him several times, two, three times. From the start, I said yes, I want to come here.
“So we didn’t have to discuss much. I was already convinced. Now we’re working together and I’m very happy.”
Medhi Benatia explains how Aguerd deal happened
Like with Emerson, the deal which took Aguerd to Marseille owed much to the efforts of De Zerbi and director Benatia.
A former Morocco international, the latter even played alongside Aguerd earlier in his career.
“It’s not just thanks to me that [Aguerd] is here,” Benatia told Le10 Sport of another deal which dragged on into deadline day. “The truth is, it’s the coach who wanted him!
“In the United States, when [De Zerbi] saw him, he said; ‘We’re stopping everything. I want Nayef Aguerd!’
“There were negotiations [with West Ham]. That’s why we did it very late, even though we’d been after him for a long time. He gives us great security at the back, he’s international level, he speaks all languages.
“He gives us a lot of calm, especially with the ball. He’s fast, has a good reading of the game. We’re really strong with all the players we have at the back. That’s also what we were looking for during this transfer window.”
