West Ham have had a slow start to the 2018/19 season under new manager Manuel Pellegrini.
Despite spending over £100m this summer, West Ham have picked up just two league wins. They sit in 14th place as we enter November.
Moreover, they were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Tottenham Hotspur last night in a 3-1 loss at the London Stadium.
With this season petering out a bit already, could Pellegrini dip into the transfer market this January to freshen things up?
According to the latest reports coming from South America, he might be tempted to bring in an exciting talent.
West Ham want Gabriel Barbosa
Everton, Crystal Palace and West Ham hold an interest in Gabriel Barbosa, as per Goal Brazil.
Barbosa, sometimes known as Gabigol, is on loan at Santos from Inter Milan. He is the top scorer with the Brazilian outfit, scoring 25 goals in 48 games.
But he has struggled at Inter, netting just once in 10 matches since his 2016 switch from Santos.
The skilful forward has a contract with Inter until summer 2021 but is down the pecking order with the Serie A giants.
This has alerted Premier League trio Everton, Crystal Palace and West Ham ahead of the January window.
Barbosa’s career so far
Barbosa was widely considered to be the next talent to emerge in Brazil.
Many media outlets have dubbed him the “next Neymar”, although he is yet to justify that tag outside of Brazil.
Other than representing Santos and Inter, the 22-year-old also spent time on loan at Benfica, scoring once in five games before cutting his spell short.
The Brazil international has also scored twice in four senior games for his country. Furthermore, he represented Brazil at the Olympics, earning himself a Gold medal in Rio de Janeiro.
What could he offer West Ham?
Barbosa is a maverick talent but there is no hiding the fact that this move would be risky.
He possesses plenty of natural skill but has flopped at Inter and Benfica – his two stints in Europe.
But perhaps his recent loan spell at Santos will give him the confidence to translate that form into his game in Europe.
West Ham have a growing contingent of South American players at the club, including Felipe Anderson, Manuel Lanzini, Fabian Balbuena and more.
This could help Barbosa fit in and if he is firing on all cylinders, West Ham would have a tremendously exciting player on their books.
It could help salvage a season which is already looking underwhelming.
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