With West Ham a goal down to Arsenal and Niclas Fullkrug forced off injured on the eve of the international break, Nuno Espirito Santo made a telling decision.
It was not the experienced Callum Wilson that the manager picked as Fullkrug’s replacement to lead the line; instead, he handed a Premier League debut to Callum Marshall.
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Everything you need to know about Callum Marshall
Callum Marshall’s defensive work rate is outstanding (Image credit: Getty Images)
After a disappointing half-season at West Brom where he hardly played, Marshall spent the year at Huddersfield Town last season.
He quickly endeared himself to Terriers fans even in what ended up being a hugely disappointing return to League One. As the local reporter for Huddersfield, I got to see Marshall up close and personal for each of his outings – and for a youngster playing regular football for the first time, there was an awful lot to like.
Callum Marshall is not the biggest player, but is willing to get physical to make up for it (Image credit: Getty Images)
But it was also common to see a blue and white shirt sprinting back to make a recovery tackle at right-back, only to realise it was Marshall and that he must have covered about 50 yards to get there.
Then-manager Michael Duff had the same view of that as we did as observers – something along the lines of ‘that’s great, Callum, but we need you up the other end’. There is absolutely no faulting the effort, though; any manager would relish the opportunity to coach that enthusiasm into more productive areas.
Marshall was brought in as a bit of a punt after Huddersfield’s efforts to sign Joe Taylor and Alfie May came up empty-handed (both players would eventually join in subsequent transfer windows), but ended up playing virtually every game he was fit and available for.
The first thing that catches the eye about Marshall is his absolutely phenomenal work rate – almost to a fault, in fact.
A 10th goal of the season for Callum Marshall 👊#htafc pic.twitter.com/T2jL4DAIMlMarch 16, 2025
Marshall’s willingness and ability to cover ground in search of the ball makes him a natural pressing machine.
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With his distinctive hunched-shouldered gait, the 20 year old is an absolute pest, and is undeterred by his slight frame putting him at a disadvantage against big burly centre-backs. It has the same effect as watching a wolf take down a cow…we imagine. (Some sources give Marshall’s height as 5’11”, but I can assure you that is absolute nonsense; he’s 5’7″).
(Image credit: Getty Images)
It’s a similar story with his finishing. A natural left-footer, Marshall is at his best when given the opportunity to race in behind and get one-on-one with the goalkeeper. His nine-goal return in the league was perfectly respectable, especially for a side that virtually gave up on scoring after Christmas.
When Marshall did err in front of goal, it was usual out of the same youthful over-enthusiasm that he shows off the ball. He could be just a little too rushed with a first-time strike when taking a touch to set himself up would have seen him score.
But his instincts for getting in the right positions were never in doubt, and learning not to snatch at chances should come with experience.
Marshall’s spell at Huddersfield ended with him being crowned the fan-voted Player of the Year – albeit he collected the award while serving a suspension for an ill-judged elbow on an opponent towards the end of the season in an over-exuberant effort to win a 50/50 ball.
Callum Marshall made his Premier League debut against Arsenal (Image credit: Getty Images)
Clearly, there are rough edges that need to be smoothed off, and his best years are still some way off: centre-forward play is increasingly an older man’s game these days.
But there’s also a huge amount of potential for Nuno to work with – and Marshall has exactly the right kind of humble, hard-working personality to accept that instruction.
Importantly, Marshall is the kind of player fans love to get behind – and god knows West Ham need a bit of that at the moment.
Hammers fans have seen far too many listless, uninspiring displays over the past year or more, but there not be another fanbase in the country that better appreciates a determined young academy product.
Wilson might be the safer bet, but Nuno needs to get the West Ham fans galvanised. Marshall could be just the man for the job.
