Returning from a loan spell in Poland, his future at West Ham United uncertain and a return to Brazilian football potentially on the cards, Luizao understands ‘everything is still very open’ as the Premier League misfit weighs up his options.
Two-and-a-half years after crossing the Atlantic, swapping Sao Paulo for West Ham United in a deal worth £4 million, Luizao is still awaiting a first-team debut in claret and blue.
A debut which may never arrive.
Luizao had to join Polish outfit Pogon Szczecin in January in order to get some much-needed senior minutes under his belt. And while the Brazilian made a big impression in Poland’s Ekstraklasa, the man himself accepts that his dream of becoming a Premier League regular in a claret and blue shirt may have gone up in smoke quite a while ago.
West Ham United was a chance Luizao could not turn down
Luizao, speaking to UOL Esporte, insists he has no regrets about that 2023 switch to the London Stadium. This was an opportunity he could not turn down.
Though while many of his former Sao Paulo teammates have gone from strength to strength in the European game – see Lucas Beraldo [Paris Saint-Germain], Lucas Perri [Lyon] and Gabriel Sara [Galatasaray] – Luizao remains a 23-year-old centre-half with fewer than 20 league appearances under his belt.
“I looked at a very good opportunity for a 20-year-old. [West Ham’s offer] was irresistible,” Luizao explains. “The sporting project that West Ham showed me. My dream of playing in the Premier League, in addition to securing security for my family.
“I would be one step away from my dream, of playing in the Premier League. They say that sometimes there is a train that comes along only once. So there was no way to say ‘no’.
“Without a doubt, national team coaches look first at the Premier League, for the players who play in the Premier League. So it was something that, for me, would be a step closer to getting on the radar of the national team.
“Playing in the Premier League would be something extraordinary for me. [An opportunity] that I couldn’t pass up.”
Luizao’s camp plan London Stadium exit after Corinthians talks broke down
West Ham reportedly rejected a bid from Corinthians during the summer of 2024.
Corinthians put all their focus into signing Memphis Depay instead – the former Manchester United, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid winger – with a deal for Luizao falling by the wayside.
The 6ft 2in centre-half admits that his representatives are looking to secure a belated departure 12 months on, with the ill-fated appointment of Julen Lopetegui as David Moyes’ replacement consigning him to another season outside of the first-team picture.
“My company are willing to negotiate a loan or a permanent [deal], but it doesn’t depend only on me. Now, it depends on West Ham,” Luizao explains. “West Ham are looking forward. If it is a loan, let it be with an [permanent option].
“They don’t rule out my going back there and even doing pre-season. But also if a deal comes up that is really good for them, they can include a purchase clause. Right now, everything is still very open.
“When I arrived [back in January 2023] my first six months were to be about adaptation, [playing] for the Under-21 team and then doing some training with the first-team. At the end of those six months, I would be integrated into the first team.
“But then the months passed and I ended up with a coach who had some difficulties with young players and so on. Then, things ended up not happening.
“I tried to leave on loan to get minutes. Then, there were some internal difficulties within the club and I couldn’t leave. I spent two years kind of going back and forth between whether I would leave or not, until I managed to go to Poland.”
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