West Ham were heavily linked with a move to sign Matheus Pereira throughout the summer transfer window (The Sun).
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The 25-year-old ended up signing a five-year deal with Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal, however (BBC).
He left West Brom for around £16.2 million (Transfermarkt).
We think that West Ham boss David Moyes may well have dodged a bullet, however.
West Ham missing out on Pereira transfer is good news
Firstly, moving for money rather than the chance to compete for major honours in Europe is a huge clue as to where Pereira’s priorities lie.
It hints towards an attitude of someone who you really wouldn’t want to be standing next to in the tunnel ahead of a tough away game.
As good a player as the Brazilian undoubtedly is, the decision to join a club in Saudi Arabia says a lot about him as a footballer and where his mind is at.
So there’s a real argument to be made that we shouldn’t be disappointed having missed out on him whatsoever.
Pereira has made a slow start to life in Saudi Arabia as well. He’s played two games and has been pretty poor in both, failing to register either a goal or an assist.
He missed this absolute sitter just last week:
He may well go on to be a hit with Al Hilal, it’s still very early days of course.
West Ham had a lucky escape, however, regardless of what he does for the Saudi Arabian club in the future.
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Joining Al Hilal just proves that Pereira lacks the elite mindset needed to become a star at the top of the European game.
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