West Ham United midfielder Soungoutou Magassa is a huge fan of one of Arsenal’s best players in recent history.
Magassa joined West Ham from Monaco in the summer of 2025, but he is taking his time adjusting to life in the Premier League.
The 22-year-old clearly has the attributes required to succeed in England’s top flight, but if he’s to do so quickly, he needs to improve upon his positioning and decision-making as a matter of urgency.
The jury is OUT on Sountougou Magassa! What have you made of him so far?
What does he need to improve to nail down a starting spot?
Soungoutou Magassa of West Ham United during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Fulham at London Stadium on December 27, 2025 in London, England.
Magassa was linked with a West Ham exit in January, but he remained at the London Stadium in the end.
The former Monaco man still has a lot to offer the Hammers.
His tenacious tackling and impressive athleticism has seen many West Ham fans warm to him already.
Taking his playing style into consideration, it’s perhaps a surprise to see him name an ex-Arsenal star who made a living in the final third as one of his footballing idols.
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Soungoutou Magassa names Arsenal legend as one of his idols
Magassa clearly has plenty of strings to his bow.
However, he does lack any kind of threat inside the final third, with just one goal and one assist to his name in 15 games for the Hammers thus far.
So you’d think his footballing idols would all be defensive midfielders. However, that’s not the case.
Soungoutou Magassa celebrates during Manchester United v West Ham United - Premier League
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Magassa was asked to name his footballing idols, when speaking to WHUFC.com.
He said: “There’s Mesut Ozil.
“There’s Youssouf Fofana, because of his story and his journey.
“And the third, I would say, is Toni Kroos, for his playing style. He’s a player who contributes a lot to the team, but who you don’t necessarily see. He’s got incredible range with his long passing. That’s why I like him.”
Ozil joined Arsenal on transfer deadline day in the summer of 2013 and he went on to rack up 44 goals and 77 assists in 254 games for the Gunners.
West Ham signed Magassa for £14.7m. He’s EASILY worth £50m today…🤑
What have YOU made of his impact this season?
Gary Neville Soungoutou Magassa
The 92-capped Germany international excelled when picking out key passes in the final third, with his exceptional vision helping establish him as one of the game’s best and most potent creators.
What Soungoutou Magassa can learn from Mesut Ozil
In his pomp, the former Arsenal and Real Madrid star was one of the best attacking players on the planet.
He was an absolute joy to watch when he was gliding around the pitch.
Arsenal FC v West Ham United - Premier League
Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
However, towards the end of his Arsenal career he became somewhat of a liability for them.
Mikel Arteta released Ozil in 2021 and he joined Fenerbahce, before moving to Basaksehir and then retiring in 2023.
If Magassa can add some of Ozil’s attacking attributes to his game, West Ham will have a serious player on their hands.
The former Arsenal star’s composure in possession is definitely something that Magassa could learn from, as well as his courage when attempting defence-splitting passes.
The young Frenchman may not be a similar profile to Ozil at all, but that’s not to say that he can’t evolve into a similar kind of player over the next few years.
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