Arne Engels was one of Nuno Espirito Santo’s most wanted purchases at West Ham United this summer.

The Belgium international kicked off his 11th Championship game of the season against Southampton at the London Stadium.

The 23-year-old ace played the entire 90 minutes in the Hammers’ 3-2 setback but was unable to improve the outcome.

James Ward-Prowse, who was formally replaced by Engels at West Ham, got the final laugh on Nuno.

The Portuguese manager declined to grade the Englishman at the London Stadium, giving him only a few minutes.

However, the Irons suddenly appear to have a younger version of the 31-year-old in the former Celtic ace, which makes no sense.

Why Nuno Espirito Santo should dread after West Ham’s loss to Southampton
Nuno is expected to win the Championship, but losses to rivals like Southampton will make it harder.

The Hammers are third in the table, three points behind league leaders Middlesbrough.

In the last five Championship games, the Irons have lost five points.

Fans have been disappointed by Nuno’s team selection and in-game selections since his hiring last season.

The East London club’s team may be strong enough to earn automatic promotion, but the Portuguese boss is making things difficult.

Ward-Prowse and Engels played identical roles at nearly equal levels as the Saints prevailed in East London, raising the issue of why £22 million was spent for the ex-Celtic midfielder.

What does Arne Engels bring to the London Stadium?

There is certainly no X factor that Engels has contributed to West Ham since his signing.

Ward-Prowse was sold for roughly £1 million and is more than capable of accomplishing what Nuno has asked of the Belgian star, with set-piece deliveries being one of his primary responsibilities.

Engles and the veteran Englishman had identical passing accuracy throughout the game, 86% and 87%, respectively, and both made one important pass, according to Sofascore.

The Southampton midfielder travelled further than the Belgium international and reached a higher top speed.

Ward-Prowse had ten defensive contributions, whereas Engels made only two.

Nuno was clearly blinded by his apparent partiality for the Englishman and decided that investing a large number of money on someone with similar characteristics was the best option.

However, it is clear that the Irons have more important issues to address in their squad, and the Portuguese manager’s failure to move past whatever issue he had with Ward-Prowse should result in his dismissal.