Nuno Espirito Santo flung his arms in the air and scoured the field for answers when West Ham United let a two-goal lead slip against Bournemouth. No one was foolhardy enough to respond to the head coach but as the players straggled back to the centre circle some may have viewed him as the culprit for their capitulation.
There was curious bewilderment in the away enclosure when West Ham’s head coach substituted in-form Callum Wilson moments after the interval. The 33-year-old, who joined on an incentive-based one-year deal in August following the expiry of his contract at Newcastle United, scored twice and was on track to score his first Premier League hat-trick since November 2017 (for Bournemouth against Huddersfield Town).
The nine-time England international, who has scored three goals in his last two games, briefly shook his head in disappointment when he saw his number projected on the fourth official’s board in the 52nd minute.
He was replaced by midfielder Tomas Soucek, who played as a makeshift lone striker, but the change backfired and West Ham did not attempt a single shot after Wilson’s withdrawal. Their attacking threat weakened, they retreated further into their own half and they lacked a focal presence, all of which contributed to Bournemouth’s second-half revival — courtesy of goals from Marcus Tavernier and Enes Unal. The home side only registered four shots in the first half, but it was 21 in the second period.
“I think we took advantage in the first half of their mistakes with the way we achieved our goals with straight balls into the box,” said Nuno in his post-match press conference. “But in the second half, momentum changed and it was about Bournemouth. We were against the ropes. We were too low and I thought let’s have a setter (which is why I brought off Wilson).
“We looked at Callum and Luis (Guilherme) twisted his ankle. We lost a little bit of speed on the left side. I think we defended well against a tough team, but we should have done better with so many bodies inside our box. He (Wilson) can play a full match if we decide that’s the best plan of action. But it’s what you want him to do during the full match, and I’m going to be very honest, we have to manage the situation. We have games, Niclas (Fullkrug) is coming back and we are using Tomas as a striker. There are many things that we have to take into consideration.”
Wilson had shown how he differs from Fullkrug with his two well-taken goals. At the club’s training hub in Rush Green, the players have worked on delivering long balls to both strikers. It worked perfectly for Wilson’s first goal, with goalkeeper Alphonse Areola’s long ball evading defender Marcos Senesi.
Wilson celebrates scoring (Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Wilson, who made his first appearance at the Vitality Stadium since leaving the south-coast club to join Newcastle in September 2020, has scored four goals across 10 appearances this season, already surpassing Fullkrug’s total number of goals for West Ham (three in 28 appearances).
When the Germany international was introduced on Saturday, he did little to entice the club’s hierarchy to keep him beyond the January transfer window; with a poorly-hit backpass leaving Nuno so enraged that the 32-year-old might have had to walk back to London had it led to a late winner.
Overall, the match underlined Wilson’s strengths and importance and why it is imperative he reaches full fitness. He has not played 90 minutes in the league since February 2024 (against Nottingham Forest). The forward endured back and hamstring injuries last season at Newcastle, which limited him to 20 league appearances, 16 of which were from the bench, having played a secondary role to Alexander Isak.
Wilson featured sporadically under former head coach Graham Potter, who was sacked in September. In the six games Potter oversaw this season against Sunderland, Chelsea, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace, the marksman only played a combined total of 175 minutes. Having initially been an unused substitute in Nuno’s first three games against Everton, Arsenal and Brentford, Wilson has now been entrusted with leading the line since his belated first start under the Portuguese in the 2-1 loss to Leeds United.
West Ham’s all-time Premier League top goalscorer Michail Antonio left in June after his contract expired, which led to Wilson’s arrival. He received interest from Saudi Arabia in the summer, but wanted to remain in the top flight to try and join the Premier League 100-goal club; with the Englishman currently on 92 goals in the competition.
A dejected Nuno after the game (Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images)
“It’s a goal of mine (to reach 100 Premier League goals), but it’s about the process and getting there, such as days like today, helping the team get some goals away from home,” Wilson told West Ham’s official website after the game “It takes me to 92 goals. I’m fully aware of that, but on the other hand, it’s about an all-round performance as a striker. You don’t want to be judged just on goals. Of course, at the end of the day, people do judge you on that, but I need to do a job for the team first and foremost, and then the goals will come.”
Nuno will hope that remains the case for the upcoming home game against Liverpool. If Wilson scores and West Ham are winning, the head coach will now be acutely aware what the repercussions could be if he toys with the idea of another tactical rejig.