West Ham welcome former Hammer Gary O’Neils AFC Bournemouth side to the London Stadium on Monday night, with the fixture holding a place in West Ham United history
Not only was it the first Premier League game at the London Stadium back in August 2016, it was also West Ham’s first Premier League win at their new home.The Hammers came out on top that day, with Michail Antonio’s late header giving his side a 1-0 win.
Ahead of Monday night's game, we’re going to have a look at West Ham’s starting lineup that day against Bournemouth, and see where they are now.
Goalkeeper - Adrian
The Spaniard started this game for the Hammers, entering his 4th season at the club. He was a consistent performer for the club but was prone to making errors, which led to him losing his starting place later on in his West Ham career. In August 2019, he signed for newly crowned European champions and fellow Premier League side Liverpool, where he is currently in the last year of his contract. During his 3 years at Anfield, Adrian has made 14 Premier League appearances, and has won 5 trophies, including a Premier League title.
Right Back - Sam Byram
The 23 year old was making his first start for the season after coming off the bench against Chelsea the week before. Byram joined the club in January 2016 from Leeds for a fee of £4 million. The right back's time at the club was plagued by injuries, meaning that he only made 27 league appearances for the club before joining Norwich City in July 2019, where he's still playing despite the club's relegation to the Championship last season.
Centre Back - James Collins
A solid defender throughout his long West Ham career, which saw him become a fan favourite, earning the nickname ‘Ginger Pele’ from the fans. Spending 10 years at the club and making 188 league appearances over 2 spells, Collins left the club at the end of his contract in 2018. He signed for Ipswich in 2019 but only played in 6 games, and is now retired.
Centre Back - Winston Reid
Another West Ham fan favourite, Winston Reid not only wrote his name into West Ham history by playing in this game, but 3 months prior he scored the last ever goal at Upton Park to help West Ham beat Manchester United in the final game at the Hammers former home. Injuries meant that the New Zealand international hasn’t played often since leaving West Ham in 2021. He is currently a free agent at 34 years old.
Left Back - Arthur Masuaku
The Congolese left back made his first home Premier League appearance for West Ham after joining from Greek club Olympiacos that summer. Masuaku had been in and out of the Hammers starting lineups over his 6 years at the club, and is now on loan at Turkish side Besiktas for the 22/23 season.
Central Midfield - Cheikhou Kouyate
Joining from Anderlecht in 2014, Kouyate had been an ever-present in West Hams midfield since then. The Senegalese international could operate in a number of positions as well, featuring at right back and centre back during his time at West Ham. Ahead of the 18/19 season, Kouyate swapped East London for South London, as he joined Crystal Palace for around £10 million. He is now playing for newly promoted Nottingham Forest, having joined on a free transfer in the summer.
Central Midfield - Harvard Nordtveit
Nordtveit was another player making his home debut after joining the club that summer. The Norwegian arrived in East London on a free transfer from German side Borussia Monchengladbach, and had an uneventful time in Claret and Blue. Nordtveit made 16 league appearances before moving back to Germany at the end of the season. He is now without a club at the age of 32.
Central Midfield - Mark Noble
The last captain at Upton Park and the first captain at the London Stadium. ‘Mr West Ham’ made 550 first team appearances over almost 18 years. He was club captain of his boyhood club for 7 of those years. Noble retired at the end of last season, and is set to take up a sporting director role in January.
Right Midfield - Gokhan Tore
The Turkish winger joined on a season long loan for the 16/17 season from Besiktas. He assisted the only goal in the game against Bournemouth, but that would be the highlight of his loan spell, as would only play 8 games before a knee injury would rule him out for the rest of the season. He’s currently playing in the Turkish top division leaders Adana Demirspor, but is yet to make an appearance in the league.
Left Midfield - Michail Antonio
The only player who started in this game who is still at the club. He scored the only goal of this game, as he headed home Tore’s cross at the back post late on in the game. He has made 243 appearances for West Ham, and last season he overtook Paulo Di Canio as the Hammers all time Premier League top scorer.
Striker - Enner Valencia
Valencia was a player who could operate as a striker or as a winger, but never really found consistency in either position for West Ham. He recorded 10 goals and 7 assists over 68 games in his Hammers career which spanned over 3 years. He is currently playing for Turkish giants Fenerbahce, where he currently has 10 goals in 8 league matches this season.