Konstantinos Mavropanos hurt his knee in the final seconds of the 3-2 defeat to Southampton, as West Ham chased an equaliser. A scan is under way, and the early word from club insider ExWHUEmployee is that he will be out for weeks unless there is a miracle. It is described as a significant knee injury, but not one that should keep him out for six to nine months. He has five Championship goals this season, a remarkable return for a centre-back, and he has been one of West Ham’s main threats at set pieces. The timing is bad. Nuno Espírito Santo’s side is in a promotion race and has just lost, so the next few fixtures matter more than most.
The most logical choice to replace him in the starting eleven is Airidas Golambeckis. The 18-year-old impressed earlier this season and looked comfortable beside Max Kilman, and that partnership seemed to work. He also played in the league fixture against Watford and may get another chance.
The case for him is that he already fits. He knows the system, he has played with Kilman, and he doesn’t ask Nuno to rebuild the back line. The case against him is the stakes. A Championship promotion push is not an easy place to give a teenager a regular run, and he is the only specialist centre-back left in the squad, which leaves no cover if he struggles or gets hurt.
Nuno may decide the games are too important for a young player and lean on experience. The two names are Joel Veltman and Morato, who could slide inside from full-back. Veltman missed the Southampton game with a minor injury and is expected back for the West Brom trip. Morato moving across from left-back is the obvious solution.
That solves one problem and opens another. Moving either full-back inside means Ollie Scarles or Kyle Walker-Peters must play more, and they are not exactly in form so far this season. Nuno would be swapping a weakness at centre-back for one on the flank.
THE OUTCASTS
This is the choice that would say the most about Nuno. Edson Álvarez and Soungoutou Magassa have both been out of favor, and both have played centre-back before at previous clubs.
If Nuno is willing to let them out of the doghouse, they could add a safety net to a position that suddenly looks thin. Neither has to be the answer. At the least, one of them on the bench would give him an experienced fallback if Golambeckis has a bad day or someone else gets hurt. For a manager who has been reluctant to change course, using them would also mean admitting that his options have run out.
The calendar helps a little. The two-week domestic break may give Mavropanos extra recovery time, and he could be back for the Preston game on November 21. That is best-case until the scan results are confirmed. West Ham travel to West Brom next, a direct promotion rival, so the first replacement will be tested straight away.
Golambeckis alongside Kilman will most likely get the first look, with Veltman or Morato ready if it goes wrong, and Álvarez or Magassa on the bench as cover. What decides it is how much risk Nuno wants to take with games this big.
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