Now, it’s fair to say West Ham United vs Brentford is not the first fixture which comes to mind when the words ‘London derby’ appear in conversation.
But, although a clash between the Hammers and a Bees outfit based some 27 miles to the South West may lack the spark of a battle with Chelsea, Tottenham or even Arsenal, Monday’s late kick-off still brings with it plenty of potential talking points.
Sam Allardyce believes that Nuno Espirito Santo must get off to a flying start on home soil if he is to really ingrain himself with the West Ham United supporters. A first home win, on his London Stadium bow, would see Nuno move to within one of Graham Potter’s tally already.
After the West Ham boss explained his decision to start Alphonse Areola over Mads Hermansen, meanwhile, the prospect of a Coaimhin Kelleher masterclass on Monday night would only add to the frustration surrounding the Hammers’ goalkeeping department.
West Ham were linked heavily with Kelleher before signing the struggling Hermansen in an £18 million deal.
Mikkel Damsgaard was reportedly a Hammers target himself, back in his formative Serie A days with Sampdoria. Now, with Damsgaard wearing Brentford colours and Lucas Paqueta in claret and blue, this could be a derby decided by the individual brilliance of West Ham’s chief playmaker and the Danish dynamo they might have signed instead.
Lucas Paqueta v Mikkel Damsgaard as West Ham United host Brentford
The Athletic reported that Damsgaard caught West Ham’s eye at Euro 2020. How could he not?
Not only did the then-20-year-old midfielder become his nation’s youngest-ever goalscorer with a stunning strike against Russia, he then threatened to ruin Gareth Southgate’s title pursuit with a glorious free-kick in a dramatic semi-final at Wembley.
A la Federico Chiesa post-2021, injuries seemed destined to derail Damsgaard’s progress on the back of that breakout tournament. But, now fitter, stronger and more consistent than ever at the age of 25, Brentford’s £17 million livewire has arguably moved ahead of Paqueta in the pantheon of current Premier League playmakers.
Only Anthony Elanga, Jacob Murphy and Mo Salah provided more than his 10 assists in 2024/25. Paqueta, remarkably, did not provide a single one for the Hammers.
According to statistics provided by Data MB, Damsgaard also outperformed Paqueta when it came to key passes, progressive passes, and even duels won. A constant threat to opposition backlines with his delicious set-piece delivery and line-breaking through-balls, but a key part of Thomas Frank’s pressing game too.
“Very, very pleased. Very happy. It’s been a tough few years [for Damsgaard],” the now-Tottenham boss said last term. “This year, he’s definitely taken steps in the right direction.
“He’s growing every game, every week, and he’s a different player. He’s giving something to the team that none of the other players [have]. Getting us out of tricky situations, playing the ball forward, turning forward, very creative…
“Now, he’s added assists and goals, so very happy with that.”
Paqueta is back with a bang for Nuno Espirito Santo’s West Ham
Ahead of Monday night in East London, though, Lucas Paqueta is issuing a response.
Newcastle captain and Brazil teammate Bruno Guimaraes explains Paqueta’s recent resurgence by highlighting the toll a two-year spot-fixing charge took on his close friend. Now that Paqueta has put that off-field drama behind him, the former Lyon and AC Milan ace is making up for lost time.
Suddenly, Paqueta is now leading Damsgaard pretty comfortably in a number of areas. Including the two areas in which the Brentford ace excelled in 2024/25; key passes and progressive passes.
“Paqueta, he’s the one,” former England striker Darren Bent said after West Ham’s Samba star inspired that Nottingham Forest triumph at the end of August. “What has been going on for the last 18 months, I fully understand why his performances might have been [not the best].
“Now he’s cleared, his performances this season… Lucas Paqueta, he’s got his mojo back.”
Suddenly, as West Ham look to cancel out the three-point gap between themselves and Brentford on either side of the Premier League’s relegation zone, the gulf in performances between Lucas Paqueta and Mikkel Damsgaard should make for a very interesting, and evenly-matched, East London evening.
