Could there be two new names on the West Ham United team sheet when Graham Potter reveals his starting XI for Saturday’s Premier League derby against bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur?
Well, it’s certainly a possibility. A selection headache of a more welcome variety.
While Graham Potter altered his tactics to great success last time out before the international break – Jarrod Bowen’s ‘world-class’ finish set them on their way to an eventual 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest – that long-awaited first victory of 2025/26 also owed much to a couple of new faces.
Mateus Fernandes was ‘exceptional’ on his Hammers debut, to quote former striker Carlton Cole. Callum Wilson converted his first West Ham United goal thanks to some magnificent work down the left from summer signing El Hadji Malick Diouf.
And, on what would prove to be a bitterly disappointing City Ground farewell, even Nuno Espirito Santo admitted that Nottingham Forest could not handle Crysencio Summerville as the returning winger made an electrifying impact off the bench.
Now that Summerville and Wilson have had another couple of weeks to build up their fitness, could both players make a first start of the campaign when Thomas Frank’s Tottenham come to town?
While Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann played down Niclas Fullkrug’s injury concerns, a calf issue picked up on international duty renders the big centre-forward touch-and-go for Saturday’s 5.30pm kick-off.
Bowen could take Fullkrug’s place up top, of course. But Potter may also have the option of introducing veteran poacher Wilson, while keeping the skipper in his most effective right-wing role.
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Though 33-year-old Wilson may still be carrying a bit of rust after an injury-hit final season at Newcastle and the lack of a pre-season, he certainly does not look like a centre-forward lacking sharpness if those early Hammers cameos are anything to go by.
“He’s been great, as we expected,” Potter says of Wilson. “A fantastic professional, a great person to have around the club and training ground.
“We are still building him up. He hasn’t had a pre-season but his impact against Forest was fantastic. We are delighted with Callum, where he is at but also where he’s been, and how we can carry on helping him to have his minutes, make his impact, and contribute to the team.
“[Whether he can start against Spurs] is something we have to take a decision on. He has not been with us that long. It’s always in the back of your mind, we have to do the right thing for him and the team.
“But he’s the type of professional where, whether he starts or finishes [a game], he can have a great impact with us.”
Graham Potter backs Crysencio Summerville to kick on after Nottingham Forest win
Clearly, he has not lost that knack of sticking away chances.
Fellow ex-England international Darren Bent believes Callum Wilson can score 15 Premier League goals this season if he avoids a return to the dreaded treatment table. A man who netted 47 in 71 starts as a Newcastle player certainly appears to bring the sort of wily, penalty-box movement often lacking from Fullkrug.
And while Bowen feels Summerville will be like ‘a new signing’ for the Hammers – he assisted the captain’s City Ground opener two minutes after entering the fray before winning the penalty converted by Lucas Paqueta – Potter is equally delighted to have the club’s number seven back and desperate to make up for lost time.
“It’s great to have him. [Summerville] gives us another dimension,” Potter adds. “It’s been a long road with setbacks, so credit to him. He’s shown that mental strength.
“Now, we just need to help him enjoy his football because, if we do that, he is a big help for us.”
Remarkably, given the contrasting dialogue surrounding both clubs’ start to the season, West Ham can draw level with Thomas Frank’s Spurs with a win this weekend.
Tottenham were outstanding in the 2-0 away win at Man City three weeks ago. But the 1-0 reverse at home to Bournemouth seven days later – a match in which the Cherries mustered 20 shots to their hosts’ five – was a brutal reminder of the progress still to be made.
“There is not a big sample size. It’s three Premier League games,” Potter points out when asked to comment on Frank’s start in North London. “With the greatest respect, I’ve been thinking a lot about our team and the challenges we have.
“Any Premier League game you play, its always a tough match. The level is getting higher and higher, that’s the reality.
“It’s an important game for us. We understand how much it means to our supporters, so we want to carry on the feeling of positivity we had against Forest, do our best and try and win.”