West Ham United appear to have taken quite a liking to the Brazilian market. Unfortunately for Nuno Espirito Santo’s Premier League survival battlers, so too have reigning champions Liverpool.
Or, at least, that is what the reports from out of South America are saying.
Back in November, West Ham were mentioned among the suitors for Allan Elias; a 21-year-old winger who plays for Palmeiras.
Diario AS reported that the Hammers – who are set to face another so-called ‘one-that-got-away’ when they host Eli Junior Kroupi’s Bournemouth on Saturday were among a host of Premier League clubs keeping a close eye on the latest youngster to emerge from the Palmeiras production line.
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Flash forward to February, though, and Brazilian reporter Robson Morelli is now claiming that Liverpool will be Allan’s eventual destination.
Morelli adds that Arne Slot’s flailing champions are in pole position – ahead of Portuguese giants Benfica – with a deal ‘expected to take place in the coming weeks’. Liverpool and Palmeiras are reportedly likely to agree a fee in the region of £30 million.
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West Ham United-linked Allan Elias is reportedly set for Liverpool
Now, as West Ham know, plucking largely unproven young talent straight out of Brazil can go one of two ways.
West Ham made a mess of that Luis Guilherme deal, South American oracle Tim Vickery told talkSPORT, largely because they paid £25 million for a teenager with only 30 first-team matches under his belt. On the other hand, it is fair to say Chelsea have enjoyed a lot more success with Estevao; another Palmeiras academy graduate.
Time will tell which side of the fence Allan falls, if indeed he is Merseyside-bound. With 64 appearances for Palmeiras – scoring five goals and setting up six more in that time – Allan is certainly a lot further along in his development than Guilherme was back in 2023.
Following his £17 million move to Portugal during the January transfer window, Luis Guilherme has made a ‘superb’ start to life with Sporting Lisbon. He has already started more games – and scored more goals – than he ever did at West Ham.
In hindsight, a move to a ‘stepping stone’ league like the Primeira Liga probably suited Guilherme better than being fast-tracked to the English Premier League.
Mateus Fernandes told Guilherme to join Sporting Lisbon
West Ham’s own Mateus Fernandes talked up Sporting as a destination when Guilherme asked for advice. Fernandes arrived on UK soil, with Southampton, after graduating from the fabled Sporting academy.
“The locker room is fantastic and Sporting has all the conditions [for Guilherme to succeed there],” Fernandes told DAZN last week.
“The Portuguese League is the best championship in Europe for a young player who needs confidence or playing time. Playing for Sporting or another big club, you’ll always have the ball, you’ll have many opportunities to shoot and attack.
“Plus, it’s a language he knows. The culture is practically the same [as in Brazil].
“I told him, ‘If you have that opportunity on the table, don’t think twice.’ He didn’t think twice and now he’s there.
“Luis told me at the time about Sporting’s interest. He was very enthusiastic and I tried to guide him in terms of home, what daily life was like in Portugal, the pressure from the fans and what the league is like.”
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In terms of other Brazilian-based targets, Globo Esporte state that West Ham failed with a bid for Matheus Martinelli of Fluminense last month. Martinelli is now expected to sign a new contract until 2030.
Flamengo reporter Leo Jose also claims that Evertton Araujo is being watched closely by the Hammers ahead of the summer window. Araujo has been likened to Manchester United battleaxe Casemiro and, like Martinelli, is a deep-lying midfielder renowned for his ball-winning talents.
“He has practically the same physical characteristics as Casemiro, except Casemiro’s passing is more forward,” former Flamengo ace Luiz Antonio tells ESPN. “He provides assists, and his finishing is a bit better. These are characteristics [Araujo] can improve through training.
“Casemiro has very good reading of the game. He reads the game very well despite not being fast. Evertton is fast, stronger, and younger [but] Casemiro’s reading of the game is much greater.
“They are very similar characteristics, with a few details that Casemiro, due to his experience in Europe, brings with him. But he has all the characteristics to become very similar to Casemiro.”
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