Soungoutou Magassa arrives in a people carrier outside Rush Green. He sits down in his chair, takes a deep breath, filling his lungs with air and puffing his chest out, and smiles as he prepares for his first interview as a West Ham United player.
This is a big moment for the Stains-born defensive midfielder. For the first time in his successful professional career so far, Magassa has a new home.
Having been on the books at French Ligue 1 club AS Monaco since 2018, he has just completed a transfer to east London and fulfilled his lifelong dream of reaching the Premier League.
It is the latest step in a promising career to date for Magassa, having played 57 times for boyhood side AS Monaco, whom he helped finish third in Ligue 1 last campaign.
Having turned out locally for Sucy FC, RC Joinville, US Lusitanos Saint-Maur and FC Gobelins as a child, he was swiftly snapped up by Monaco’s famed La Diagonale academy, where he had the likes of Thierry Henry and Kylian Mbappé to look up to.
The midfielder, who is also comfortable at centre-back and is known for his strength, versatility, ability to break up play and progressive passing, featured regularly in Monaco’s B team in the Championnat National 2 (French fourth tier) in 2021/22 and made his debut with the first-team in January 2022 during the Coupe de France match against US Quevilly-Rouen Métropole, then his Ligue 1 debut against Stade Rennais in August of the same year.
What appeared to be natural was the incredible gift our new player displayed so soon in his career, and it was clear that French football, and specifically Monaco, had unleashed the next star off their conveyor belt of talent.
Since then, Magassa has been a near ever-present in defence and midfield for Adi Hütter’s side and contributed to Les Rouge et Blanc’s second-place finish in Ligue 1 in 2023/24, earning them qualification for the UEFA Champions League, while he also earned a nomination for the Pépite du Mois award in November 2023, which honours the best Ligue 1 player born after 1 January, 2003.
After being part of Henry’s France squad that won a Silver Medal at the Paris Olympic Games in the summer of 2024, Magassa made 31 appearances in all competitions last season, including seven in the Champions League and the Trophée des Champions tie with Paris Saint-Germain, then featured four times as France reached the semi-finals of the UEFA European U21 Championship finals in Slovakia.
It has been a well-documented, busy last few days for Soungoutou, and after finalising the formalities of his switch on Friday, the 21-year-old sat down for his first interview with West Ham TV and detailed why he sees London Stadium as the perfect destination for the next chapter in his career…
Soungoutsou, welcome to West Ham United! How does it feel to be a Hammer?
“I'm very happy to be here. It's a very big Club. I hope to do great things for this Club.”
Why West Ham?
“Because it's a very big Club in the Premier League. It's a Club that makes you dream. I want to do great things for this Club, and it was an opportunity I couldn’t say no to.”
What has the Head Coach, Graham Potter, said to you about the Club and how he sees you fitting into the environment here?
"He told me that it's a very big Club, it has a very long history in England with a passionate fanbase and a big stadium. It convinced me. I talked to him, and I got very close to him. I hope to do great things, as I said.”
Can you tell us about your qualities as a player and as a person?
“As a player, I think I am quite a complete player who likes to make a big effort to fight for my teammates, the fans and the Club. I don't try and cut corners.
“As a person, I am quite calm, I like to laugh and be around people, and I don’t take life too seriously.”
Please tell us about your career. You grew up in Paris and played your first football there?
“I grew up in Seine-Saint-Denis, and then I played for several clubs in the Paris region. I was able to join AS Monaco when I was 14 and was there for seven years, from the La Diagonale training centre to the starting line-up.
“It went very well. I started as a professional three years ago, and I played 57 matches. I have a very good training programme. They (AS Monaco) taught me a lot of things, and now I'm very proud to have joined this Club.”
You joined AS Monaco at the age of 14, so how did that come about?
“It's a very big French Club, which has developed a lot of great players. I always dreamed of being able to join AS Monaco, and I'm here thank to AS Monaco as well. It wasn't difficult to convince me to go to AS Monaco. It made me dream, and I'm proud to have played there.”
It’s a big move to leave Paris and move hundreds of miles away at a young age?
“Yes, it's a big move. I've never changed my environment apart from AS Monaco. It's going to be a big discovery. London is a very beautiful city with a lot of great people, and I think it's going to go well.”
Monaco has an incredible history of developing young players. Kylian Mbappé, Thierry Henry, Lilian Thuram, Emmanuel Petit and David Trezeguet are among them. What is so special about the club and its academy?
“I think they have very good educators. We are very well surrounded in our training. We go to school, we are accompanied on a daily basis, and I think that's why they develop a lot of great players.”
You’ve played alongside some top players - Paul Pogba and Denis Zakaria among them - so what have you learnt from them?
“I've played alongside a lot of international players, and I've learnt that you have to be patient, you have to work hard, and you have to be disciplined. Success comes with hard work.”
You also played alongside Thilo Kehrer. What has he told you about West Ham?
“I asked him what he thought about West Ham. He told me it was a very good Club, a very big stadium, very good fans and a very beautiful city. He only told me positive things about the Club. It helped me to come here.”
How much are you looking forward to meeting your new team-mates, and what do you like to bring to the dressing room environment?
“I'm looking forward to meeting my new teammates. I hope it's going to be a good season, and I hope to bring freshness and youth. I'm really motivated to come and help my team-mates.”
Are you looking forward to the challenge of playing in the English Premier League?
“Yes, of course. It's a dream. It's a very big league. It's the best league in the world. I'm going to do everything I can to show that I'm up to the task. I'm very excited to discover this league.”
Are you looking forward to living in London?
“Yes, it's a great city. I'm looking forward to discovering very good things. I'm really looking forward to it. It makes you want to have a good time.”
What do you know about West Ham United and the identity and history of the Club?
“Yes, I found out a lot about it. It's a very, very big Club in London. It has a very good stadium. I'm looking forward to meeting the very good supporters. Playing in a full stadium is a dream.”
What is the most important thing to you when it comes to representing West Ham United and wearing the Claret and Blue shirt?
“It's a great pride to play for this Club. I'm going to do everything I can to make everyone happy. I'm going to give my all on the pitch.”
