There has been a concerted push from West Ham fans to see more of Luis Guilherme but when his big chance came he flopped in the 2-2 draw at Bournemouth – and now we know why.
Much of the blame for West Ham’s current predicament has been laid at the door of former technical director Tim Steidten.
Many feel Steidten squandered much of the £155m he was given to spend in his only transfer window in full control of West Ham’s recruitment.
While spending £40m on Max Kilman looks seriously questionable, there is belief that Julen Lopetegui pushed hard for that deal.
Arguably Steidten’s most controversial signing was that of Brazilian teenager Luis Guilherme.
West Ham fans waiting for Guilherme to ignite
There was excitement and scepticism in equal measure when Steidten spent £20m to bring Guilherme to east London from Palmeiras 18 months ago.
The rationale behind the move was that Guilherme, a raw teenage talent who had only made 19 appearances in Brazilian football – mostly as a sub – would have a season to bed in before eventually succeeding Mohammed Kudus.
Kudus has gone but Guilherme is still struggling to get game time or convince, despite West Ham’s lack of quality in depth across attacking areas.
West Ham fans were impressed with some of the winger’s cameos last season.
Guilherme has also stood out in training under Nuno Espirito Santo, prompting Hammers supporters to call for him to get more chances.
So when Crysencio Summerville was a shock omission from the West Ham side to face Bournemouth, Guilherme got his big chance.
Nuno has gone on record to state all his players will get chances and must be ready to grasp the opportunity when the time comes.
Unfortunately, Guilherme showed why he has had so few appearances under three different managers as he put in an underwhelming performance.
Now Nuno has explained the real reason Guilherme flopped on his big West Ham chance.
Guilherme looked to be lacking power and strength as he struggled to compete physically at Bournemouth.
Guilherme also had a propensity to give the ball away cheaply which saw him hooked at half-time by Nuno.
To rub salt in the wound, full-back Kyle Walker-Peters replaced him and did a better job overall.
Guilherme was rated 3/10 for his poor and weak showing.
Clearly Guilherme is still very young and had he come through West Ham’s Academy, he would undoubtedly be shown more patience and support.
The fact West Ham spent over £20m on him brings pressure.
While he stated he still believes he can be a success, Steidten has admitted signing Guilherme may have been a mistake.
Nuno explains why Guilherme flopped on big West Ham chance
It was extremely disheartening for Hammers fans to see Guilherme flop so badly.
The club desperately needs some hope and more quality in attack.
With his pace, Guilherme could and should be a major asset to a Nuno counter-attacking team.
Thankfully, though, there may be an explanation for the Brazil Under 20 star’s disappointing display.
Because Nuno has revealed he injured himself in the game and played on in pain before being subbed off at half-time.
So Guilherme was not subbed off because Nuno felt he was having a shocker.
Twisted ankle to blame for Guilherme’s underwhelming showing
In fact Nuno felt West Ham lost something vital when he was forced to bring him off due to a twisted ankle which will now likely keep him out for a spell.
That is backed up by the fact West Ham threw away a 2-0 half-time lead after Guilherme – and Callum Wilson – were withdrawn.
“We looked at Callum and Luis (Guilherme) twisted his ankle,” Nuno has told The Athletic.
“We lost a little bit of speed on the left side (when Guilherme came off).”
Supporters remain divided on Guilherme.
Some feel Steidten has dropped a major clanger and West Ham should look to move Guilherme on in January.
Others want to see him given a proper chance to develop.
If a 19-year-old from the Academy had put in some of the cameos Guilherme did last season, he would be the talk of the Premier League, let alone West Ham fans.
The Guilherme deal – alongside the £27m signing of flop striker Niclas Fullkrug – was reportedly a big factor in David Sullivan ultimately deciding to sack Steidten.
While Guilherme failed to impress in his first start under Nuno, the injury explains a lot.
And he may still have another shot at saving his Hammers career.
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