West Ham: Nuno Espirito Santo could finally end Pablo experiment with transfer for Martin Adeline
West Ham United have had some interesting team selections by Nuno Espirito Santo, particularly striker Pablo being used as a number 10.
The Brazilian has struggled to adapt to English football and is still yet to score his first goal in the claret and blue colours.
Pablo arrived for quite the sizeable fee at £21.8million and while his lack of output has been a worry, perhaps there can be sympathy found.
Moving to a new league is never easy, especially if you are utilised in an unfamiliar position.
However, as West Ham’s summer business has turned them towards the transfer of Martin Adeline, Pablo may finally get lift-off.
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Why Martin Adeline could revive Pablo’s West Ham career
Adeline could be joining West Ham, as the Irons plot a move for the French playmaker. In the 2025-2026 Ligue 2 season, Adeline provided 20 goal contributions.
The output on show is certainly impressive, and hopes will be that that level of performance in the French second-tier can be translated into England’s.
| Martin Adeline | Ligue 2025-2026 |
| Goals / Assists | 10 / 10 |
| Big chances created | 12 |
| Key passes per game | 1.9 |
| Goal conversion | 27% |
The arrival of Adeline would also provide Nuno with a profile of a player they do not really have among their ranks.
West Ham do not have a playmaker within their side, with Jarrod Bowen providing both goals and assists off the wing.
Reliance on creativity out wide often left Pablo isolated, and he struggled to have a positive impact in the attacking side of play.
Playing him at number 10 was quite an odd choice in hindsight, but with the future of Taty Castellanos in doubt, the signing of Adeline could finally move Pablo back to striker.
Will Pablo stay at West Ham?
While talk of Pablo moving back into a number nine role is all well and good, it does have to be said that the Brazilian has been a flop.
Pablo’s transfer to West Ham has been a failure on all accords, and at £21.8m, it seems difficult to see how the Hammers could convince another club to pay a similar fee.
If they can somehow pull that off, there should be no hesitation over letting the 22-year-old leave.
However, signs point towards the fact he is more likely to remain in E20 as a push for promotion gets underway.