West Ham’s owners have now explained the thinking behind the rather random signing of unknown winger Keiber Lamadrid after comments from Nuno Espirito Santo.
- Hammers News exclusive
The move for West Ham to sign Venezuelan winger Keiber Lamadrid has come completely out of the blue this week.
In a quick turnaround, the Irons announced the signing on Thursday.
Fans have long wanted the Hammers to identify top talent before they make a name for themselves elsewhere, much like Brighton are famed for doing.
West Ham supporters called for the club to rebuild around young, hungry stars for several years.
West Ham owners explain ‘lottery ticket’ Lamadrid signing
But the conflicted approach to recruitment from agent-led deals to those identified by heads of recruitment, technical directors, owners and managers in the last three years has resulted in Nuno Espirito Santo inheriting a completely unbalanced West Ham squad.
Nuno has been consistently talking about the need to “rebalance” the Hammers’ squad in the January transfer window.
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The pressure is on to do just that given the Irons are staring relegation in the face.
West Ham spent £47m in the first 48 hours of the January window officially opening.
But it has been three weeks between the arrivals of striker duo Taty Castellanos and Pablo and the club’s third addition, Lamadrid.
There has been some confusion over the signing, which has been confirmed ahead of the crucial game against Sunderland.
Not least because it is yet another attacker when most feel the Hammers are crying out for a new centre-back and a central midfield playmaker with Lucas Paqueta set to leave.
Also because Lamadrid is a complete unknown and the first player to go straight from Venezuelan football to the Premier League.
Hammers board on random Lamadrid deal after Nuno comments
The left-sided star can play in a variety of positions and looks ridiculously skilful with a keen eye for goal too.
The 22-year-old was recently called up by his national team and has been coming of age this season, scoring and assisting on a regular basis.
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However, the deal – on an initial loan with an option to buy from Deportivo La Guaira – has still raised eyebrows, even those of Nuno Espirito Santo.
Lamadrid was recommended to West Ham by “trusted” South American agents and Nuno has made it clear he is not one of his picks.
Now West Ham’s owners have explained the thinking behind the ‘lottery ticket’ Lamadrid signing after comments from the manager.
Speaking ahead of the game against Sunderland, Nuno said Lamadrid was a club signing and player for the future while pointing out he needs people for the here and now.
Nuno also said the club knows the players he wants to come in and be ready to help the team stay in the Premier League from the get go.
West Ham have added to the confusion around the thinking behind the Lamadrid deal after it was confirmed he won’t be ready to play for some time given he is in the middle of a pre-season.
West Ham: ‘Lamadrid a low-risk, high-reward lottery ticket’
But now the Hammers board have put the move into context for fans and Nuno.
The rationale sheds light on a longer-term strategy that may not be immediately obvious amid the obvious urgency of the current campaign.
Speaking to Hammers News about the signing of Lamadrid, the top spokesman for West Ham’s owners revealed they see the move as the definition of a no-brainer.
“Yes it is a low-risk, potentially high-reward lottery ticket signing,” the top spokesman for West Ham’s board exclusively told Hammers News.
“It is tiny wages and a tiny loan fee, with an extremely cheap option to buy for just £1m.”
It is difficult to argue with that logic, even if Lamadrid doesn’t feature much initially.
And it sounds as though West Ham could keep Lamadrid even if they are relegated to the Championship should he impress.
But the ideal scenario would be that he acts as something of a wild card to help the Hammers to safety this season.
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