Soungoutou Magassa: West Ham’s £17m signing looks worse by the day, Mohamadou Kante did more vs Leeds in 15 minutes

Soungoutou Magassa was hooked at half-time as West Ham United were knocked out of the FA Cup by Leeds United on Sunday.

The Hammers had been two goals behind going into stoppage time, but stunningly drew level when Mateus Fernandes and Axel Disasi scored.

Penalties would deny them a place in the semi-final, however, with Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri proving to be the hero.

Magassa arrived at the London Stadium from Monaco last summer, signing in a deal reportedly worth around £17.3million.

West Ham transfer chiefs may be regretting that decision already, with 22-year-old enduring a difficult first season in England.

Mohamadou Kante impresses from bench vs Leeds

Football Insider exclusively revealed in November that multiple clubs wanted Kante in the January transfer window, but the midfielder ultimately stayed put.

The 20-year-old, who joined the Hammers from Paris FC in 2024, had made eight Premier League appearances from the bench this season.

He came on for the second half of extra time, and in just 15 minutes, managed to look far more active than Magassa had in his 45 minutes on the pitch.

The youngster took more shots, took more touches in the box, completed more successful dribbles and won more duels.

Magassa has been a regular in the Premier League since he arrived, but on the basis of Sunday’s game, Nuno Espirito Santo may be taking a closer look at the pair’s roles.

Kante signed a new contract with West Ham in October, extending his deal at the club until the summer of 2031.

There is plenty of excitement surrounding the 20-year-old, and on the basis of what he did against Leeds, it is easy to see why.

West Ham will not rush into transfer decision

West Ham’s transfer chiefs will be heading into the summer with two plans – one for the Premier League and one for the Championship.

Until it is clear under what financial parameters the Hammers will be playing under, it is hard to predict what decisions will be made.

Certainly, action may have to be taken in midfield. Magassa, Kante, Freddie Potts, Fernandes and Tomas Soucek are all set to be vying for positions in the middle next season, and one may have to make way.

A hasty decision on Magassa will not be rushed into, however, with it being easy to forget that the Frenchman is just 22.

But should an appropriate offer arrive in the summer, it would not be a surprise to see West Ham cash in.

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