West Ham United’s frontline now has four new additions; Taty Castellanos, Pablo Felipe, Adama Traore and Keiber Lamadrid.
Whether these four new faces are enough to keep the proverbial wolf from the London Stadium door, well, we will have our answer in May.
For the time being, Nuno Espirito Santo can prepare for Saturday’s trip to arch rivals Chelsea with some exciting fresh ingredients at his disposal. Adama Traore joins from Fulham for just £2 million; adding speed and spice to a frontline previously low on zing.
Adama Traore thinks West Ham will STAY up 👀 How much more confident are you now that we’ve signed him?
Hit the comments on how you actually feel, I know he divides opinion 😂
West Ham United will hope that Keiber Lamadrid brings a dash of picante himself, arriving with a glowing reputation back home in Venezuela. According to his agent, the Hammers see Lamadrid as a ‘first-team’ acquisition. Not a reserve, as some have suggested.
Karim Assafo, who represents the 22-year-old former Deportivo la Guaira winger, has had dealings with the Londoners before, by the way.
Speaking on the Fernando Petrocelli y la Ruta Vinotinto YouTube channel, Assafo confirms that West Ham approached him previously to discuss another Venezuelan forward.
West Ham United deal for Ronaldo Chacon ‘didn’t happen’
Ronaldo Chacon, at the age of 27, currently plays for KF Drenica in Kosovo. Exactly when the Hammers expressed an interest, Assafo doesn’t say.
But given that this is his first foray outside of his South American homeland since a loan spell in Slovakia nearly a decade ago, it is fair to say Chacon has not hit the heights West Ham felt he was capable of reaching.
“I’ve made many contacts and trips over the last four years. I finally found the person who would listen and say, ‘Yes, the Venezuelan player has talent’,” says Assafo, delighted to see someone this side of the Atlantic take a punt on Lamadrid.
“There was actually a slight approach for Ronaldo Chacon with West Ham before, but it didn’t happen.”
A ‘second-striker’ or a number ten, Chacon has scored four times in 17 matches for Drenica. He has only once reached double figures, and that came all the way back in 2019.
Whether Keiber Lamadrid makes his mark on the European game like former West Brom, Newcastle and Everton striker Solomon Rondon, or whether he slips into relative obscurity a la Chacon, only time will tell.
Keiber Lamadrid should form part of Nuno Espirito Santo’s first-team at West Ham
What should Nuno do to end West Ham’s AWFUL record vs Chelsea? ⚒️ 🔵
Are there any changes you want to see?
Assafo explains that West Ham had marked Tuesday on the calendar as the day to introduce Lamadrid to his new teammates.
Lamadrid has left the Premier League outfit ‘pleasantly surprised’ with his levels of fitness, Deportivo la Guaira youth coordinator Alexis Jordan adds. The winger hasn’t played a competitive minute since November, and it was expected that it would take him a while to get up to speed.
Considering that he is only on loan until the summer – with an option-to-buy clause set around £1 million – time is very much of the essence.
“A week before the [from West Ham] formal offer, we were about to push for something else because Keiber needed to grow in a different league,” Assafo adds. “On the 14th, the club messaged me asking if Keiber would be interested.
“I played it cool for ten minutes, but of course, I called the owner of La Guaira immediately. Everything became a positive snowball of work.
“The Premier League has so many requirements. Often, deals fail because of regulations. We all raced – the club, the player, and my agency – to get it done.”
“I want to be clear; He is signed directly for the first team. It is a six-month loan. He is not here for the second-team,” the agent explains.
“Regarding the rumours about him playing for the U21 team, I don’t know who invented that. In the club, throughout the entire negotiation, they never mentioned that to me. He is here for the first team. Whether he plays or gets called up immediately is a different story.”
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