It would be something of an understatement to say that Nuno Espírito Santo has a monster job on his hands at West Ham United.
The East Londoners are currently sat in the relegation zone, and while they did fight back for a point away to Everton, they then lost 2-0 away at Arsenal.
Moreover, German international Niclas Füllkrug is now injured, and while he hasn’t been great for the club, it’s one less option for the manager.
Fortunately, there are some potential solutions to his absence in the squad, such as starting a promising talent in a new position.
How Fullkrug compares to recent West Ham flops
Despite going away for international duty, Füllkrug was promptly sent back to West Ham before Germany’s first game after it was discovered that he had torn his thigh while training with the Hammers.
While it’s clear that the 32-year-old is going to be out for some time, it’s less clear just how much time, with Nuno telling reporters on Friday that the club “are waiting for the results” of a scan to determine how severe the problem is.
Now, losing players to injury is always a problem, and having fewer options is only going to make life more difficult for the former Nottingham Forest boss.
However, it’s also true that the German international has been a massive disappointment since moving to the London Stadium.
For example, in 27 appearances for the Claret and Blue, totalling 1262 minutes, he has scored just three goals and provided two assists, which is an average of a goal involvement every 5.4 games, or every 252.4 minutes.
Appearances
27
27
69
Minutes
1262′
1342′
2072′
Goals
3
8
5
Assists
2
0
5
Goal Involvements per Match
0.18
0.29
0.14
Minutes per Goal Involvements
252.4′
167.75′
207.2′
For comparison’s sake, Gianluca Scamacca, who many would consider to have been a poor signing, left the London Stadium with a tally of eight goals in 27 appearances, totalling 1342 minutes, which is a goal involvement every 3.37 games, or every 167.75 minutes.
Even Danny Ings, who was a flop, produced ten goal involvements in 69 appearances, totalling 2072 minutes.
While this resulted in a worse average of a goal involvement every 6.9 games, it led to a better average of 207.20 minutes per goal involvement.
In short, while losing the option of Füllkrug isn’t ideal, Nuno should be able to replace his output by playing someone else up top, someone who hasn’t played there for the club before.
The West Ham gem who could replace Füllkrug
There are a few potential solutions to Füllkrug’s injury, from starting Callum Wilson up top to moving Jarrod Bowen in from the wing.
Chalkboard
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However, the former has been no more impressive than the German, and moving the latter out of his favoured position seems counterintuitive.
Instead, Nuno could be bold and hand Luis Guilherme a rare start, and his first chance to play up top for the side. =
Now, it is true that the young Brazilian is primarily a winger, but as respected analyst Ben Mattinson points out, he is a “complete” and “electric” attacker and, before moving to West Ham, did play as a second striker on occasion for Palmeiras.
Moreover, while the youngster certainly doesn’t shoot enough, when he did take a shot during his time in Brazil, it was one “of a high calibre.”
Furthermore, one of Füllkrug’s biggest drawbacks is that he offers little to no mobility in attack, and if he’s not able to bring the ball down and allow the winger to run past him, he’s more of a hindrance than help in attacking situations.
That shouldn’t be the case with the Aracaju-born gem leading the line, as while he isn’t as physical, he’s fast, agile and could be a nightmare for opposition defenders to keep track of.
For example, Mattinson has described him as a player who “thrives on transitions” and can “can turn past players with ease” thanks to his “elite ball manipulation.”
Ultimately, it would be a gamble, but with few other standout options, starting Guilherme in the nine might be one worth taking for Nuno and West Ham.