Tim Steidten was convinced that Luis Guilherme would prove to be a success in the Premier League with West Ham United.
But, as with many things, the former technical director’s confidence may have been misplaced.
Steidten was the ‘mastermind’ behind Niclas Fullkrug’s £27 million move from Borussia Dortmund to West Ham United in the summer of 2024. Now, with a departure imminent, the Hammers are set to make a massive loss on the AC Milan-bound striker.
Exactly how much of a loss – some have suggested Milan could stump up £14 million, others a lot less – remains to be seen.
What do you think about Luis Guilherme LEAVING West Ham? ✈️ 🇧🇷
Are they giving up on him too soon?
Now, in the latest rather damning indictment of the Tim Steidten era, another of his expensive acquisitions could be pushed awkwardly out the back door. Luis Guilherme set the Londoners back a further £25 million when he arrived from Palmeiras just two months before Fullkrug.
According to Turkish publication Kuzey Expres, the seldom-seen Brazilian may be the latest Steidten signing to end up in the Super Lig.
West Ham United could send Luis Guilherme to Turkey with Besiktas or Trabzonspor
Shortly after West Ham ruled out bringing Edson Alvarez back ahead of schedule from his loan spell at Fenerbahce, reports have emerged claiming that Guilherme is of interest to their Istanbul neighbours Besiktas.
Stuck in fifth place, the Black Eagles are already ten points adrift of Alvarez’s Fenerbahce in second.
The Kuzey Expres claim that third-place Trabzonspor have been ‘offered’ the chance to sign the 19-year-old benchwarmer themselves. While Besiktas have entered discussions with Guilherme’s camp, Trabzonspor were allegedly approached by the winger’s agents with an eye to a January deal.
It remains to be seen, at this stage, if the 2022 Turkish champions are going to take Guilherme’s representatives up on their offer. Besiktas certainly seem keen to do so. While Milan are expected to sign Fullkrug on loan with an option-to-buy clause included, Besiktas are hoping to land Guilherme on a similar arrangement.
Interestingly, Hammers News were told recently that Luis Guilherme was being pushed towards Portugal by the Premier League strugglers. He has been made available for transfer.
Tim Steidten defended Guilherme deal but West Ham are now moving for Adama Traore
West Ham are closing in on Fulham’s Adama Traore, after all. Guilherme has played only 122 minutes of league football all season – hauled off at half-time during his only start in the 2-2 draw with AFC Bournemouth – and opportunities would be even more scarce if Traore reunites with his former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Nuno in East London.
One former wonderkid, then, may be about to replace another. Although, thanks in part to the lessons he learned from Nuno at Molineux, Traore would potentially arrive having provided an impressive seven Premier League assists during his final full season with Fulham.
“In my experience, you notice it pretty quickly [whether a young player is good enough],” Steidten protested in an interview with Transfermarkt a few months ago, having also seen a certain £116 million Liverpool forward rise through the ranks at Bayer Leverkusen.
“After one of Florian Wirtz’s training sessions, coach Peter Bosz said, ‘Guys, I’m not letting him go back down [to the youth side]. He needs to train up there.’ It was clear to everyone involved that he didn’t need any more time and had to join the professionals, even if no one could have known that he would become so good.
Adama Traore for £20m would be the worst signing in West Ham history…😡
Disagree with us? Let us know who YOU think was worse…
“I brought the Brazilian Luis Guilherme to West Ham when he was 18. At the first training session, everyone saw what talent he had, but that he still needed a lot of time to learn the things that Florian Wirtz could already do intuitively.
“But situations also arise where you see that it might be more difficult than we had hoped. Then you have to make quick decisions. The hardest task, of course, is always admitting to yourself that you may have been wrong in your assessment.
“Then you have to be very self-critical, but mistakes are part of life. On and off the pitch.”
Ironically, Steidten looked at signing Norwegian sensation Antonio Nusa too before he swapped Club Brugge for RB Leipzig. The electrifying Nusa has scored or created eight league goals since the start of 2024/25, while Luis Guilherme is yet to even get off the mark.
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