Keiber Lamadrid’s agent explains West Ham’s plan and draws £52m Real Madrid comparison

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The question on everybody’s lips, once they had figured out the ‘who?’, was what sort of role Venezuela international Keiber Lamadrid would have at Premier League outfit West Ham United.

Hammers News can confirm that Keiber Lamadrid is viewed as a ‘lottery ticket’ signing for the London giants.

There is no guarantee that they will hit the jackpot – the 22-year-old arrives from Deportivo la Guaira on loan with an option to make the deal permanent for around £1 million – but this is a ‘low risk, potentially high reward’ bit of business, to quote a source close to the West Ham United board.

Describe the Keiber Lamadrid signing in ONE word! 🇻🇪

The youngster joins from Deportivo la Guaira…

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Capped once by his country, Lamadrid wants to put Venezuelan football on the map. His agent, Karim Assafo, is backing the youngster to do just that.

But when will he wear the claret and blue shirt for the first time? And at what level?

Agent Karim Assafo speaks out on Keiber Lamadrid’s West Ham United transfer

Reports have indicated that Keiber Lamadrid will play for West Ham’s Under-21 side initially.

Nuno Espirito Santo confirmed as much before Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Sunderland. Keiber hasn’t played a competitive minute since early-November, and will need time to get up to speed as well as time to get used to a new country.

“I’m very happy,” Assafo says on the Fernando Petrocelli y la Ruta Vinotinto YouTube channel. “Now comes the ‘carpentry’ work; getting him settled in his apartment, getting him a UK phone number, and teaching him that they drive on the opposite side of the road here!

“We’ve been working on something for the Premier League for a long time. I was determined for this to happen the right way.”

Keiber Lamadrid was named the Venezuelan league’s Young Player of the Year in 2025. West Ham have got themselves a ‘top dribbler’ with an eye for goal. He scored eight times and provided six assists in his final campaign for Deportivo la Guaira, justifying his agent’s faith in the process.

“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.”

Karim Assafo says Lamadrid will be part of Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad

Lamadrid underwent medical tests in Paris before he was handed the requisite work permit.

Interestingly, Assafo insists that Lamadrid is viewed as a first-team player, rather than a reserve. Though it may still require a few outings with Greg Lincoln’s Under-21s before he is ready to take on the Premier League.

“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,” Assafo explains. “He has already trained.

How Keiber Lamadrid could fit into West Ham’s U21 side!

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“We arrived in Paris on Sunday. A club representative was waiting for us. Despite the long flight, we went straight to do imaging tests – X-rays and MRIs. He had seven MRIs almost right off the plane. The next day, the club doctor and the PSG doctor did a five-hour physical checkup.

“By 7:00 PM, they told us he passed. The next day, we did the visa. It arrived Wednesday morning, and we left for London immediately, accompanied by Stuart Brown [West Ham’s Head of Player Care].

“Once all the documents were signed, they welcomed us. The fitness coach [Dave Billows] explained that they wanted to put him through an ‘adaptation period’ because his last formal training session with Deportivo La Guaira had been the previous Thursday.

“On Friday, he did some very light work on his own. The fitness coach told us, ‘Look, if I throw him in today with the first team, it makes no sense because they are already preparing for the Saturday match against Sunderland’.

“So, he worked separately on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.”

Venezuela international to train at Rush Green this week

Assafo claims that today, Tuesday January 27th, was marked down as Lamadrid’s first outing training with the rest of his new teammates at Rush Green. He also draws comparisons between this and Real Madrid’s £52 million signing of then-Palmeiras teenager Endrick in 2024.

“On Tuesday, he joins the first team for full training. From that point on, it’s up to him and what he produces to see if he gets called up for matches.

“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.

“Look at Endrick at Real Madrid! They paid 40 or 50 million euros for him and he barely played for a year. We are asking this of Keiber, who is essentially coming out of a pre-season rhythm compared to the players here who are mid-season.”