West Ham United’s squad already looks significantly different from the one Nuno Espírito Santo had available at Burnley, with £34million worth of new attacking and midfield options now available to change the way he manages games.
The Hammers surrendered a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 at Turf Moor on the opening weekend of the Championship season.
Nuno admitted afterwards that West Ham should have controlled the closing stages better, with Burnley eventually equalising deep into stoppage time.
Five days later, the head coach has substantially more choice.
West Ham have responded to Nuno’s squad concern
Arne Engels was unavailable at Burnley because his £22m move from Celtic was not registered in time for the Championship opener.
The Belgium international is now available against Charlton and gives West Ham a midfielder capable of helping the side retain possession when game states begin to change.
That could be particularly useful after what happened at Turf Moor.
West Ham led 2-0 after Manor Solomon scored in the 72nd minute, but increasingly retreated as Burnley applied pressure.
Nuno used only two substitutions before stoppage time, eventually replacing Solomon with defender Joël Veltman as West Ham attempted to protect the advantage.
West Ham have now responded.
Joël Piroe completed his move from Leeds United this week, initially on loan with an obligation to make the transfer permanent.
The total package could eventually reach around £12m, taking the combined value of the Engels and Piroe deals to approximately £34m.
Piroe and Engels give Nuno different solutions
The important change is not simply the number of players available.
It is what they allow Nuno to do.
Piroe has scored 73 Championship goals across spells with Swansea City and Leeds and finished as the division’s leading scorer with 19 when Leeds won promotion in 2024/25.
If West Ham lead against Charlton, Nuno now has the option of adding another proven goalscorer rather than simply trying to protect the scoreline.
Engels offers a different solution.
His ability to receive possession under pressure and progress the ball could help West Ham control periods of a game when the opposition begins to build momentum.
Both players are pushing to make their first West Ham appearances against Charlton.
That puts greater emphasis on Nuno’s decisions.
Burnley exposed a lack of depth, but it also raised questions about how West Ham managed a commanding position.
The squad excuse is already becoming weaker.
With Engels and Piroe now available, Saturday should provide an early indication of whether West Ham’s problem at Turf Moor was simply personnel or whether Nuno must also change how his side manages Championship matches.
