Now we have a crisis. West Ham United are not doomed, but a little over two months into the season, there’s a real sense of foreboding as the relegation-threatened Hammers struggle to climb out of the drop zone.
Leeds United were well worth their win as they saw off Nuno Espirito Santo’s side on Friday evening at Elland Road, with shaky West Ham lacking any of the principled, well-drilled defensive solidness that Nuno sides come to be defined by.
Early days yet, but it’s concerning that the Portuguese tactician has failed to structure his squad effectively across his opening Premier League matches at the London Stadium, drawing at Everton on his debut but since losing three on the bounce.
Journalist Jacob Steinberg commented on the issues, criticising the manager for fielding “inexplicable line-ups” and even saying he has “botched both games this week”, having slumped to a home defeat against Brentford on Monday.
But, equally, the players needed to step up against the newly-promoted Whites, and that they did not do.
West Ham's biggest villains at Leeds
West Ham didn’t turn up. Though Mateus Fernandes claimed his first goal for the club when heading Jarrod Bowen’s whipped cross into the net late on, it wasn’t enough and the Londoners retreated with none of the spoils, and the knowledge that they have just four points from nine fixtures thus far.
Bowen was as lively as ever, nearly sealing a show-stopping moment when his bicycle kick was saved in the first half, the Hammers 1-0 down.
But this was about the extent of the positives. Tomas Soucek was particularly poor. An industrious player and one of the finest stalwarts from the illustrious David Moyes era, the 30-year-old’s lumbering limitations were exposed, and aside from that chance which went begging, he was too high too often, leaving Andy Irving exposed.
Crysencio Summerville also flattered to deceive against his former side, but in fairness, he was a victim of tactical confusion, starting on the right and then moving to the left following Ollie Scarles’ first-half injury. There was a lot of huff and puff without any end product.
The 23-year-old has looked bright this term after an injury-hit 2024/25 campaign, but he remains inconsistent and needs to be more outgoing in front of goal.
Electric and inventive, he adds something different, and though the Netherlands-born talent shouldn’t be dropped, there’s little question that he needs to offer more.
However, there’s another member of the starting line-up who has proved he’s not cut out for the task at hand, and Nuno must surely think about dropping him soon.
The West Ham star who must be axed
After the full-time whistle screeched in Leeds, it was made known that West Ham have suffered their worst start to a top-flight campaign in 52 years. Nuno has yet to win a game since replacing Graham Potter.
What, then, needs to be done? Well, for one thing, United’s messy defending needs sorting out – and quickly. And to achieve this, it might be worth pulling Jean-Clair Todibo from the starting line-up, with the Frenchman putting in another poor performance on Friday.
Todibo, 25, spent last season on loan in east London before completing a permanent £35m transfer earlier in 2025. He had been coveted by Juventus and was regarded in France as one of the most athletic and exciting ball-playing defenders in the business.
But the Premier League is a different beast, and after lacking clarity and conviction in his performances last year, Todibo has now fallen by the wayside, with West Ham Fav TV contributor Nick Marsh saying after the match that he and Max Kilman are “comfortably the two worst centre-backs in this league.”
One website even saw it fit to brand Todibo with a lowly 3/10 match rating, and this was echoed across social media, with supporters fed up with the limp and unconvincing defensive displays.
Todibo’s quality in the air must be questioned, and he leaves so much to be desired when dealing with whipped deliveries. Herein lies the crux of West Ham’s issues, and Todibo is very much a part of the problem.
Looking at it across the span of the season, he doesn’t win enough duels – albeit proving strong in the few ground battles he has won – while failing to muster the creativity and initiative on the ball that drew such acclaim while with OGC Nice in France.
Matches (starts)
4 (4)
Touches*
60.0
Clean sheets
0
Accurate passes*
43.8 (88%)
Key passes*
0.0
Recoveries*
3.0
Tackles*
2.0
Interceptions*
0.8
Clearances*
3.5
Ground duels won*
2.8 (73%)
Aerial duels won*
1.5 (38%)
Standing at 6 foot 3, to be averaging success in just 38% of his aerial duels is inexcusable. Todibo must be dropped. But who comes in?
Former Brighton & Hove Albion defender Igor Julio continues to languish on the sidelines, though there are suggestions that the 27-year-old has impressed in training and could be in line for a debut soon, having only made one substitute appearance so far this term.
Meanwhile, Soungoutou Magassa has played in central defence before and has already been shown some trust by Nuno, starting twice in the Premier League this year.
In any case, changes are needed in east London. West Ham boast plenty of quality in their squad and cannot allow themselves to tumble from the first tier. If dropping Todibo is a means toward this goal, then so be it.
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