Time surely ticking down on one Hammer’s London Stadium future. The writing on the wall comes in many forms, in the merciless world of Premier League football. Sometimes it hits like a career ending injury, such as Dean Ashton suffered when on England duty.
Sometimes it is less obvious but clear nonethelesss. When Vlad Coufal didn’t get called on to the pitch as at the replacement right back, but was usurped by Konstantinos Mavropanos used as an emergency right back by Lopetegui, Coufal must have realised that his time as a first-team player was almost up.
Now it is a case of ‘the biter-bit’ with Mavropanos himself sitting out games on the substitutes bench, usurped in the starting line up by a 35 year-old veteran Aaron Cresswell who’s making a comeback as one of Graham Potter’s three chosen centre backs, chosen ahead of Mavropanos in a clear statement of trust for ‘Cressie’.
Ever since Mavropanos’ red card against Crystal Palace and his one game suspension, he’s been relegated to small substitute appearances. But the errors keep coming: Only last week against Arsenal he gave away an 87th minute free kick for his trademark ‘nibble’ at an opponent in the penalty box ‘D’ which could, and probably should, have had disastrous consequences for West Ham. On that afternoon, however, the Hammers’ luck was in and Arsenal couldn’t score that day.
But Mavropanos’ inability to make the starting line up now must show him that his time at London Stadium is coming to an end as Potter raises the bar. It doesn’t excuse the clearly audible booing from a small section of juveniles last night – (please, don’t boo your own players – ever – they’re trying their best and all you do is disrespect the shirt).
Mavropanos – surely career ending at West Ham this summer
Talk of West Ham moving for bottom club Southampton’s Taylor Harwood-Bellis in the summer window is a further signpost of the direction of travel and it would not be at all surprising to see Mavropanos leave London Stadium as part of the rebuild this Summer.
Remember too that Nayef Aguerd is still expected back from a season-long loan: Whilst the Moroccan, to0, suffers from lapses of concentration he’d surely be in the side ahead of Mavropanos.
