Konstantinos Mavropanos was never given a true opportunity at Arsenal to establish himself in the Premier League, with West Ham now giving him that chance and he repaid their faith with a clean sheet and a goal against the Gunners in his first game against them.
The Greek defender was part of a dogged Hammers defence that fought hard to defeat Arsenal 0-2 at their home ground in their final match of 2023.
The game held even more personal significance for Mavropanos as he returned to play his old team for the first time since joining West Ham.
The centre back spent the majority of his four-year stint with Arsenal either out of the team or on loan, never truly breaking through into the starting eleven.
In total, he only played eight times for the North London club and so this match would have stood out to him as an opportunity to showcase his abilities.
Not only did Mavropanos help achieve his main target of keeping a clean sheet, despite Arsenal dominating play with 74 per cent possession and 30 shots (eight of which were on target), he also managed to score a goal of his own.
The Greek centre half rose in the air during a corner in the 55th and guided the ball in with his head off the underside of the crossbar and into the top right corner back of the net, his first for West Ham and in the Premier League overall.
While he respectfully chose not to celebrate the goal, there is no doubt that the moment (and game overall) gave him great satisfaction as he continues to prove he does belong in the Premier League.
Mavropanos reflected on the game afterwards, telling Amazon Prime:
“I think (it was) the best moment to score my first goal for West Ham and in the Premier League. We work a lot on the set-pieces, so it was great. It is an important win for everyone and for our boss. We are really happy.”
The Greek defender also helped his side keep another clean sheet in their subsequent match on Wednesday morning (AEDT) against Brighton, this time finishing 0-0 as each side was forced to split the points in their debut game of the year.
The clash marked Mavropanos’ seventh with West Ham in the Premier League, matching the amount of league matches he played with Arsenal during his spell with them, a fact that is again emblematic of the faith his current club have shown him.
The centre half will continue to push his case as a guaranteed starter for the currently sixth-placed outfit as he looks to improve his own game even further.
