La Liga outfit Real Betis were not the only club who tried and failed to sign Guido Rodriguez from West Ham United during the summer transfer window.
Funnily enough, it’s not particularly easy getting rid of unwanted players when you’ve got them tied down to eye-watering contracts.
West Ham allowed Emerson to join Nayef Aguerd at Marseille on transfer deadline day while selling the popular left-back for an initial fee of less than £1 million. And, after struggling to find a permanent buyer, Edson Alvarez completed a loan move to Fenerbahce with an option-to-buy clause, rather than an obligation, in his contract.
As for Guido Rodriguez, Real Betis turned to ex-Man United midfielder Sofyan Amrabat after being priced out of a deal for a World Cup winner who played the best football of his career in Andalusia between 2020 and 2024.
La Liga rivals Espanyol, according to their sporting director Fran Garagaza, ran into similar problems when trying to negotiate a deal for a man who reportedly earns £75,000-a-week at West Ham United, per Capology.
Fran Garagaza explains why Espanyol did not sign Guido Rodriguez from West Ham United
It was reported by Catalan publication 3Cat in the final days of the window that Espanyol had ‘cooled’ their interest in Guido Rodriguez.
Barcelona’s city rivals then brought in Charles Pickel, another deep-lying defensive midfielder, for a fraction of the £6.5 million fee West Ham were allegedly holding out for.
Now, speaking via El 1900, Garagaza admits that he sensibly decided against investing such a substantial portion of Espanyol’s rather limited budget on a 31-year-old whose wages would dwarf most outside of the traditional La Liga giants.
“There was a suggestion that Guido was on the market,” Garagaza begins. “But [he was] not a priority.
“We checked, but the financial cost if he had left [West Ham] would have jeopardised the next few years. We couldn’t afford it.”
Real Betis also decided against Rodriguez with La Liga return off the cards
Garagaza’s comments come after Manu Fajardo, his opposite number at Real Betis, also pinned the blame on financial concerns.
“We had information [about] a player who, for various reasons, has not fully adapted to the Premier League,” Fajardo said, despite the fact former Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini seemed open to Guido Rodriguez’s return to the green and white stripes.
“In England, if there’s one thing clubs have in abundance, it’s money. They invest and invest every summer. [Signing Guido] was a possibility that existed and was considered.
“But due to the financial cost, we couldn’t afford to take that step forward. And since we had alternatives of equal or higher standards, we opted for Amrabat.”
After struggling badly in the 3-0 opening day defeat by Sunderland, Guido Rodriguez gifted Wolves a ‘lazy penalty’ during the Carabao Cup reverse at Molineux.
Now, with Mateus Fernandes and Soungoutou Magassa giving Graham Potter some much-needed and potentially season-saving midfield reinforcements, it remains to be seen when or even if Rodriguez will be given the chance to make amends.
It should be said that clubs in Saudi Arabia and Turkey can still sign players for the time being.
The Saudi Pro League transfer window closes on September 23rd, while Turkish clubs can complete new arrivals until next Friday.
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