Luis Guilherme will be fuming with West Ham transfer plans in January
West Ham United outcast Luis Guilherme won’t be happy that there are no current plans to grant him a loan move away in January.
The Athletic reported on 26 December that despite the Brazilian having been given a meagre 11 minutes of game-time so far this term, the Irons aren’t planning on sending Guilherme away next month.
Guilherme was a relatively high-profile signing in East London at a cost of £25.5million over the summer, but the 18-year-old has hardly kicked a ball for the first team, making just two substitute appearances.
Given it’s already looking like the Hammers wasted £27m on striker Niclas Fullkrug in the summer, restricting Guilherme’s opportunities further seems to be a strange strategy by Julen Lopetegui’s side.
West Ham loan move could be the making of Luis Guilherme
Shelling out £25.5m on a highly sought-after, teenage Brazilian prospect is a massive statement of intent, particularly given how early in the transfer window Guilherme was brought to the London Stadium.
After Max Kilman and the aforementioned Fullkrug – both of whom are well-established at Premier League and European level – that fee made Guilherme the Irons’ third-most expensive summer signing.
As a result, awarding the youngster just 11 minutes of game-time via two late cameo appearances seems a bizarre strategy, given the sheer level of investment the Hammers have shown in Guilherme.
His minutes may increase with a different manager in charge, but with Lopetegui seemingly safe for now [Daily Mirror, 24 December], a loan move for Guilherme to get regular first-team action would surely be beneficial for all parties.
Languishing on the bench as a continually unused substitute isn’t doing Guilherme’s development any favours, and a change of stance on a January loan could hugely benefit the Hammers in the long term.
In other West Ham news, Lopetegui is ‘not optimistic’ over the availability of a key defender against Liverpool on Sunday.
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