While West Ham United are having to make do with two centre-forwards who have just one Premier League goal between them, imagine a striker with the skill of Neymar, the awareness of Roberto Firmino and the finishing of Lautaro Martinez.
Given that the London Stadium has become something of a graveyard for promising number nines over the years, a striker combining the qualities of Neymar, Firmino and Martinez would probably end up looking more like a Frankenstein’s monster mismatch of Simone Zaza and Jonathan Calleri after a few months in claret and blue.
Yet, having already sampled European football once before with Juventus, Kaio Jorge would presumably return to the continent a much more mature and well-balanced footballer.
One with a point to prove, certainly.
Just three days after Callum Wilson struggled on his first Hammers start in the 2-1 home defeat by Crystal Palace, reports from Brazil emerged claiming that West Ham United are lining up a January bid for one of the hottest forwards in South America.
West Ham reportedly want Cruzeiro’s Kaio Jorge. And they are willing to pay £22 million to get him too.
West Ham United-linked Kaio Jorge was likened to Roberto Firmino and Neymar
Scorer of 20 goals in 34 matches for Cruzeiro this season, Kaio Jorge is a footballer at the peak of his powers.
His re-emergence as a force to be reckoned with, meanwhile, should act as an inspiration for all former wonderkids whose first step into the light proved rather blinding.
Kaio Jorge failed to score in nine Serie A matches for Juventus after joining from Santos. But rather than return to Brazil with his tail between his legs and his reputation destroyed, the now-23-year-old Brazil international set about showing the Bianconeri what they could have had with a little more patience.
Suddenly, while he has developed into a stylish number nine than a jinking, Neymar-like wideman, those Roberto Firmino and Lautaro Martinez comparisons are starting to feel pretty appropriate.
Not only an emphatic and varied finisher like the Inter Milan captain, Kaio Jorge also drops deep, links the play, and creates chances as well as takes them. A la Liverpool icon Firmino.
“A little Lautaro, a little Firmino. He is a player with their characteristics but, by finding him the right position and giving him experience, he can also turn into a Neymar,” Andrea Bagnoli, the agent who took Kaio Jorge to Juventus, told Calciomercato.
“The first thing that impressed me when I saw him in person was his speed with the ball. He’s capable of making lightning-fast moves that leave defenders on the spot. He also has great aerial power and, like all Brazilians, great technique.
“For me, he’s a striker who can play anywhere up front. Wide, narrow, behind a striker, or as a centre-forward. He’s capable of directing the game and coming up with a decisive move. In a pinch, he could also play as a winger in an attacking trio.”
Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur wanted the Brazil striker once
Bagnoli added that, before Juventus won the battle, clubs from England to Spain were also hot on his client’s then-teenage heels.
“I know that he was followed with interest by Atletico Madrid, Liverpool and Tottenham,” Bagnoli said. “But all the top clubs were informed.”
The bad news for West Ham, however, is that Kaio Jorge is in no rush to return to Europe.
While some players in his position may feel they have unfinished business this side of the ocean, Kaio Jorge has grown to appreciate the support, the faith, and the relative freedom away from the glare of the unforgiving European media.
West Ham have their work cut out.
“I really want to stay at Cruzeiro,” he told Caze TV, via Radio Itatiaia, this week. “Everyone knows that, that I’m very happy here.
“Right now, I’m not thinking about going abroad, despite the speculation. An offer should come in soon, but I hope to stay here for a long time.”
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