West Ham United are looking to continue their momentum as they host Brentford on Monday night in the FA Cup. The Hammers beat Fulham 1-0 on Wednesday night to close the gap to safety and bring them level with Nottingham Forest in 17th.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s team have had a strong turnaround since the beginning of 2026, with the Iron’s new recruits being a big part of that. Axel Disasi, who joined on-loan from Chelsea, has played every game since joining the club, and has been a hit with his teammates. El Hadji Malick Diouf has joined in on the praise for his fellow defender when talking to the club’s official website:
“The guy is not a small player!” Diouf smiled. “He played for Chelsea, so he knows the league. It was crazy he stayed for such a long time and he didn’t play, but when he came here, he showed that he’s a machine!
“I’m really happy for him. He’s a good defender and I think he helped us a lot.”
West Ham’s defensive unit
It’s not just Disasi who has been key in turning the ship that is West Ham around. The big key to the Hammers turn in form has been the defence. Paco Jemez reunited with Nuno in late January and has overseen four clean sheets, arguably making Konstantinos Mavropanos and Jean-Clair Todibo find their best form at the club.
Diouf has not understated the impact of Jemez, stating he has helped the group get better:
“It’s because the work here, the work we do at training with the gaffer and Paco,” he explained. “They are doing a really good job because, especially Paco, he’s helped us a lot as defenders.
“So, we are doing well at training and it’s then that on the pitch, we have to show it, stay together, play as a team. It’s what we build and right now, I think we are really compact.
“We are now not a simple team, but a family and we are playing together.”
Momentum matters
With West Ham beating Fulham on Wednesday, the team are in a really good position to push on in their survival fight. This week, the Hammers face Brentford in the FA Cup, knowing full well a defeat could throw off their momentum as they return to Premier League action next weekend.
“I think now we are happy, but we have to keep going because the job is not done,” he confirmed. “We know what we have to do, so we stay focused and try to make the same performance against Manchester City.
“West Ham don’t deserve this place. I was talking to one of my friends and I told him we have a really good squad, really good players, so the situation, I don’t understand.
“But I know every moment we can change it and now we start to change. I know, I know the team, I know the players and we have a really good squad, so I think we can change it and I know we are going to do the job. It’s our goal.”
