Niclas Fullkrug and Luis Guilherme have left West Ham United already, while Callum Wilson’s brief spell at the Premier League strugglers also appears to be over.
According to Fabrizio Romano, there could yet be another departure in the coming days.
Whether it is too late for Nuno Espirito Santo to start building a squad in his image at West Ham United, though, only time will tell. The under-fire head coach is far from faultless – Nuno’s win rate is the lowest in the club’s Premier League history – but it is fair to say he was hardly tasked with building a home on rock-solid foundations.
Nuno inherited a striker beset with injury issues in Niclas Fullkrug. His departure to AC Milan left a 33-year-old Callum Wilson as the only senior centre-forward left at the London Stadium. Well, until Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos arrived that is.
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Reports this week indicate that Wilson could follow Fullkrug out the door only a few months into his short-term deal.
Luis Guilherme bid farewell to West Ham over the weekend too. He joins Sporting Lisbon for £17 million, having made only one start under Nuno. And on the day that Callum Marshall joined 2.Bundesliga outfit VFL Bochum on loan, Fabrizio Romano is talking up the prospect of Guido Rodriguez joining Fullkrug at one of Italian football’s big-hitters.
Fabrizio Romano explains Juventus interest in West Ham United flop Guido Rodriguez
The Argentina international will be a free agent in the summer.
A January departure would, at least, see West Ham make some profit on a player they signed for nothing from Real Betis. Italian publication La Stampa claim that West Ham value Guido Rodriguez at £7 million.
If they can convince Juventus to spend that much on a 31-year-old, soon-to-be out-of-contract midfielder with only two Premier League starts under his belt this season, well, that would go some way to writing the wrongs of previous recruitment failures.
Yes, you read that right. And talk about falling upwards. Juventus are considering a deal for Rodriguez as Marseille are unlikely to cash in on Luciano Spalletti’s top target, ex-Tottenham captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
And on his Italian youtube channel, Fabrizio Romano believes that the Rodriguez deal is one that could go from zero to 60 very quickly.
“Lots of you are asking us about Guido Rodriguez,” Romano says. “Right now, we don’t see Juventus closing in on Guido Rodriguez today. We understand that Guido Rodriguez is, let’s say, a backup for Juve.
“[But] it is an extremely simple, extremely quick deal. He’s a player who isn’t part of West Ham’s plans, a player who has had very limited impact in England, so could be a classic January opportunity that is easy both financially and in terms of time.
“So, if Juve want to do the Guido Rodriguez deal, they can do it in five minutes. They don’t need to lock him down or book him.”
Rodriguez missed out on a La Liga return last summer
Juventus’ other reported targets include Sandro Tonali. It is safe to say a midfielder Newcastle spent £60 million on, and who has since developed into one of the Premier League’s best, would cost a fair bit more than Rodriguez, even if West Ham’s £7 million asking price is still on the high side.
Former employers Real Betis showed an interest in a La Liga return for their one-time midfield general last summer, only for his £75,000-a-week wages to put an end to any discussions. Betis signed Sofyan Amrabat instead.
Espanyol backed away from Guido Rodriguez too for the same reasons.
West Ham could replace the Argentine with Tochukwu Nnadi
Speaking of Amrabat, the ex-Manchester United loanee, he is one of the midfielders Tochukwu Nnadi looks to model himself upon.
According to Belgian publication Het Nieuwsblad this week, West Ham hold a serious interest in Nigeria ace Nnadi. The Zulte Waregem ace looks up to Amrabat. But, more so, Nnadi idolises N’Golo Kante and Moises Caicedo.
“I enjoy being aggressive, both when I’m not holding the ball and when I am,” the 22-year-old says, via the Daily Post.
“I stay calm [on the ball] like Moise Caicedo and Ngolo Kante,” adds Nnadi, who has an 85 per cent pass completion rate this season.
“I also like [former Manchester United man Sofyan] Amrabat. I watch him a lot. And I also look at [Besiktas’ former Leicester ace] Wilfred Ndidi.”
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