Ahead of his anticipated switch to the Premier League and West Ham United, it’s fair to say this was not the sort of farewell John Victor was hoping for.
In what is likely to be his final appearance for Botafogo, the West Ham-bound goalkeeper made a mistake which cost his side dear during Sunday’s 2-0 home defeat by Cruzeiro.
If his poor throw out was bad enough – intercepted easily by the opposition – he also did not cover himself in glory as a cross fizzed past him. John Victor floundered – looking a whole lot smaller than his 6ft 5ins frame – as the ball was tapped in at the back post.
As South American expert Nathan Joyce explains, however, John Victor has been largely ‘phenomenal’ for Botafogo. There have been a few blunders along the way, of course, but there is a reason why the late-blooming 29-year-old caught the eye of Manchester United this summer as well as Graham Potter’s Hammers.
Hammers News can now confirm that West Ham United have made a new bid for a man who looks likely to arrive as competition for Alphonse Areola at the London Stadium. John Victor has a £10 million release clause in his Botafogo contract, while the Londoners are hoping that an offer of £9.5 million will be sufficient to convince Davide Ancelotti’s side to cash in.
Botafogo coach Davide Ancelotti breaks John Victor silence as West Ham United close in
Speaking of Ancelotti, son of new Brazil boss Carlo, the coach believes that John Victor will be happy enough to stick around should that West Ham move fail to materialise.
“I spoke to him and he wants to play for Botafogo,” says Ancelotti Jr, who worked alongside his legendary father as an assistant for both Everton and Real Madrid. “As long as he’s available, he’ll be a starter. For the next game too.
“He’s calm, he wants to play and he will play.”
It remains to be seen if John Victor is indeed in the starting XI again, however, when Botafogo face Red Bull Bragantino in the Copa do Brasil on Wednesday night.
“I’m hoping August will be over,” Ancelotti adds, understandably so. “I already thought adaptation was the most important thing for the coach, and even more so in this context.
“Brazil has very good players, and Europe has a lot of money.”
Felipe Melo defends John Victor as West Ham move away from Mads Hermansen
West Ham signed Callum Wilson on Saturday, their third addition of the summer window. A goalkeeper is next in line, though the seemingly impending addition of John Victor has not gone down particularly well with a fanbase who were hoping for a more high-profile, high-cost addition between the sticks.
West Ham had made Leicester’s Mads Hermansen the priority. Tellingly, John Victor is expected to be available for half the fee demanded by The Foxes.
“We have lots of balls in the air,” the top spokesman for West Ham’s owners told Hammers News on Monday.
“I can’t comment on specific names at this time as we don’t want to jeopardise anything or tip our rivals off.”
Former Brazil international Felipe Melo, meanwhile, took issue with the treatment afforded to John Victor by an unhappy Botafogo fanbase on Sunday.
“I don’t agree with fans booing because the player is leaving,” said Melo. “They booed before [the game].
“Booing because John made a mistake, fine, it’s part of it. Football is passionate. Now, booing the player because he wants to leave to play in Europe? And another thing; He’s not leaving for free. West Ham will pay. It’s not just good for him, it’s good for Botafogo too.”
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