West Ham hero sold for less than £1m was new club’s ‘best’ player vs Real Madrid

West Ham hero sold for less than £1m was new club’s ‘best’ player vs Real Madrid

West Ham’s Woes Deepen as Pressure Mounts on Graham Potter

West Ham’s season has gotten off to a disastrous start, and the pressure continues to mount on manager Graham Potter.

With just one win from their first four Premier League matches and a worrying 11 goals conceded, questions are being raised about Potter’s future at the London Stadium.

Heavy defeats to Chelsea and Sunderland set alarm bells ringing before a 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest offered a brief respite.

However, according to TBR Football, Potter was given a two-game ultimatum to turn things around, and despite the win at the City Ground, his job remains under intense scrutiny.

Adding to Potter’s troubles is the standout performance of a former West Ham player now excelling in Europe. Emerson Palmieri, sold in the summer for under £1 million, impressed on the biggest stage: the Champions League.

Emerson Shines in Champions League Clash Against Real Madrid

Emerson, who made 31 Premier League appearances for West Ham last season and was a key part of the side that won the 2023 Europa Conference League under David Moyes, moved to French side Marseille over the summer.

Despite missing pre-season, the 30-year-old was handed his debut away to Real Madrid — a daunting task made tougher by facing world-class attackers like Rodrygo and Kylian Mbappe.

Yet Emerson delivered a superb performance, winning all eight of his ground duels while holding his own at left-back.

Marseille manager Roberto De Zerbi had initially brought the Italian international in as a backup, but Emerson’s commanding display at the Bernabeu may have changed that perception.

Praise From the French Media

The French press were quick to applaud Emerson’s contribution. Made in Marseillais awarded him a solid 7/10 rating after Marseille narrowly lost 2-1 to two Mbappe penalties.

Coeur Marsaillais echoed the score and noted: “After a difficult start to the match, Emerson showed that he can do great things.”

However, the highest praise came from Le Quotidien du Sport, which wrote: “Emerson Palmieri [was] perhaps the best Marseille player on the pitch. On his first start, he lost almost no duels.”

Regret at the London Stadium

For West Ham, Emerson’s European success is a bitter pill to swallow. Not only did the club part with an experienced player for a minimal fee, but they’re now seeing him thrive on the continental stage — something their struggling squad could desperately use right now.

As pressure continues to grow, Potter finds himself under fire both for his team’s poor start and for decisions that may now be coming back to haunt him.