Keiber Lamadrid is now a permanent member of Nuno Espirito Santo’s West Ham United squad.
Five months after joining on loan from Deportivo la Guaira, the Hammers have confirmed that the Venezuela international is staying in East London.
Keiber Lamadrid was officially announced via West Ham United’s website on Saturday morning. As things stand, the length of his contract – not to mention his role in Nuno Espirito Santo’s plans – remains a bit of a mystery.
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Mystery. That is a fitting description, really, of a player who arrived as an unknown and has played only 71 first-team minutes since.
Keiber Lamadrid unveiled by West Ham United as he leaves Deportivo la Guaira
There have been suggestions back home in South America that Lamadrid will have a £20 million release clause in his contract. There has been no confirmation of that, either.
The only certainty is that, for the club who signed a 14-year-old Lamadrid in 2018 and gave him his break in the senior game, a permanent move to one of the giants of English football is a source of enormous ‘pride’.
While West Ham took the matter of fact approach – welcoming Lamadrid with no bells, no whistles and not even a quote – Deportivo la Guaira are positively giddy with excitement.
“Our pride!” the three-time Copa Venezuela champions write on their X account.
“‘DLG’ announces that West Ham have exercised the purchase option for Keiber Lamadrid, who will continue to prove his worth in England.
“We’re thrilled about this new step in your career, Keiber. We wish you every success! Once Orange.”
It is not every day you will see a club so pleased to announce the departure of such a highly-rated player. Yet, it is also not every day one of the homegrown talents of Venezuelan football makes the move to England.
It maybe slipped under the radar that Lamadrid actually arrived at West Ham with over 100 first-team appearances under his belt. He was also named Venezuela’s Young Player of the Year in 2025. At the age of 22, he is not quite as ‘unproven’ as some have suggested, albeit whether he can make his mark in a West Ham shirt is anyone’s guess.
Lamadrid allegedly has a first-team role under Nuno Espirito Santo
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Lamadrid made his West Ham debut against Burton Albion in the FA Cup. That is his only senior outing so far. He also made just three appearances for the reserves at Premier League 2 level, although Lamadrid exploded onto the scene with a glorious debut goal during a 3-3 draw with Middlesbrough in February.
According to Karim Assafo, Lamadrid’s agent, the intention was to fast-track the youngster into the first-team set-up. The twice-capped Venezuela international is therefore one of those who could actually benefit from a season in the Championship.
“Something unprecedented has been achieved for Venezuelan football,” Assafo told Union Radio News, in the winter. “It’s the first time that a player has been transferred directly from the Venezuelan league to the Premier League.
“A player who has had just 12 minutes of national team football…
“His signing has had an impact, not only at the national level, but right here in England, because many people have asked how West Ham managed it!
“The coaching staff, led by [Nuno] Espirito Santo, asked him to play with the Under-21s,” Assafo added after that thumping right-footed finish on his reserve-team bow. “Forty-five minutes so that he could acclimatise, adapt to all things different.
“This is a different kind of football – completely different, with a much more varied pitch, faster, under certain conditions, different climates… Keiber had never been to a place at 0 degrees with a wind chill of minus-four, in the rain!
“[They wanted] to observe a little how he would behave. But I reiterate that the [Lamadrid was signed to go] directly to the West Ham first-team.”
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