Could Carlton Cole be the catalyst for the oddest South American signing since West Ham United brought both Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano to Upton Park two decades ago?
Days after former Barcelona and Argentina stalwart Mascherano reflected on his brief spell in East London, Cole reveals the somewhat bizarre reason behind him telling the West Ham United scouts to take a look at what could be one of the 2026 World Cup’s big breakout talents.
Gilberto Mora, a pint-sized playmaker from Club Tijuana, is part of Mexico’s 26-man roster.
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Carlton Cole’s knowledge of the 17-year-old comes not from his contacts in top-level football, but from a rapper looking to make waves in the sport after reaching number 12 in the UK charts with his debut album in 2023.
Carlton Cole recommended Mexico’s Gilberto Mora to West Ham United
Achi Avelino, better known by his surname alone, co-founded Nexus Football Group. An agency which, according to their official website, are determined to ‘widen access’, ‘create pathways’, and ensure that ‘football is a gateway to opportunity’.
Does a pathway to West Ham exist, though, for young Gilberto Mora?
“Someone threw him to me! He’s a rapper, Avelino. He threw him to me. He said, ‘West Ham could do business, get him in!,” Cole says on the Dressing Room podcast, his ears pricking up when the Mexican ‘wonderkid’ was mentioned as one to watch at the World Cup.
“I sent [Mora] to our scouts, I sent him to our scouts at West Ham.”
Carlton’s namesake and former West Ham favourite Joe certainly cannot envisage a teenage midfielder making the near 6,000 mile cross-Atlantic trip purely on the back of a recommendation from a Tottenham-born musician.
But, as Carlton says, stranger things have happened in football.
Forget Tevez and Mascherano, West Ham nearly signed an 18-year-old Neymar from Santos back in 2010.
“‘Listen, some rapped called Avelino has told me there’s a player in Tijuana, Mexico!'” Joe Cole laughs, envisaging how Carlton’s conversation with the Hammers scouts may have gone.
“Neymar could have been at West Ham, when he was young!” Carlton responds. “These things do happen. He could have been up front with me!
“Honestly, I’ve heard of Mora. Avelino gave me all his stats and said ‘you could do the deal’.”
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Mora already has eight caps for the Mexican national team, despite still being four months away from his 18th birthday. He also scored six times in 20 Tijuana appearances in 2026.
Interestingly, sources in Mexico have already confirmed that West Ham held talks with Armando Gonzalez, a teammate of Mora’s in the El Tri set up. Gonzalez won the Liga MX Golden Boot with Chivas Guadalajara.
However, he can seemingly aim a litter higher than the recently-relegated Hammers these days. Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Feyenoord have also been linked.
Another exciting young forward from across the ocean, Keiber Lamadrid is reportedly set to sign a five-year deal at West Ham with a £20 million release clause included as part of the arrangement.
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