West Ham United are at risk of being made to look silly due to a pattern emerging in Tim Steidten’s summer transfer finds.
Journalist Andre Hernan reported via X on 5 June that the Hammers had made an offer of around £7.7million for Rwan Seco of Ludogorets.
That would make Seco the fifth Brazilian player with which West Ham have been strongly linked, after Fabricio Bruno, Wesley Gassova, Luis Guilherme and Vitao.
However, the deal for Bruno collapsed after personal terms could not be agreed – as did the move for Wesley – and there have been suggestions that the Guilherme deal is also under threat of being called off.
Should West Ham’s pursuit of Seco go the same way, it would cast the club in a poor light indeed.
Why are West Ham United targeting so many Brazilian players?
Despite the fact that nationality links these West Ham transfer targets, they profile as broadly very different types of signing.
That is not just limited to their position, with Bruno and Vitao central defenders, Guilherme a central midfielder, Wesley a winger and Seco a centre-forward.
Centre-back Bruno looked to be a creative attempt by the Hammers to bolster their defence with an experienced head on the cheap by signing a 28-year-old player who had never played outside of Brazil.
Guilherme, meanwhile, is only 18 and is very much one for the future, while Seco – who is 23 years old – is a forward approaching his peak years and is coming off the back of a prolific season for Ludogorets in Bulgaria, scoring 19 goals and registering seven assists across all competitions.
It will do the club’s reputation no good, though, to forge a reputation in the football world’s collective psyche as an institution that chases the shadows of talented Brazilians – especially if resident samba star Lucas Paqueta is hit with a long-term ban for spot-fixing.
New head coach Julen Lopetegui’s London Stadium revolution cannot be built on players that were almost signed – it is down to Steidten and the recruitment team to ensure that their business is conducted more efficiently and, if possible, more discreetly.
