West Ham United appear to have tied up a move for Sao Paulo defender Luizao…
What’s the latest?
That’s according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth, who claims that the Brazilian has undergone a medical and will sign for the Premier League club next month.
He told GIVEMESPORT: “It was confirmed to me that this one is as good as done. Luizao will join in January on a three-and-a-half-year deal.
“But he’s seen, at 20 years old, as probably one for the future. As opposed to going straight into the first-team squad, I think he’s going to develop first in the under-21s at West Ham.
“There is a lot of truth in that and he has had a medical already with West Ham. He is set to join in January.”
The new Zabaleta
This move could draw comparisons with the successes that West Ham had with another South American defender, as they signed Pablo Zabaleta in 2017 when he entered the twilight of his career.
The main difference in this situation is that the future remains incredibly bright for Luizao, who can still be moulded into whatever kind of defender David Moyes desires.
He would come to the London Stadium as a “highly rated” centre-back, as dubbed by Toby Cudworth, and the sky is the limit for the 20-year-old starlet, who has impressed in his breakout year for Sao Paulo.
Boasting a 6.79 average rating, he has averaged one tackle and a mammoth 3.8 clearances per game, alongside an 88% pass accuracy (via Sofascore).
His defence-first mentality could liken him to Zabaleta, who joined West Ham five-and-a-half years ago and went on to feature 80 times for the Irons.
His debut season at the London Stadium was actually less impressive than the Brazilian’s current campaign, as the Argentine only received a 6.74 rating from Sofascore despite impressing defensively.
At the very least, the Manchester City legend would always offer a solid presence down the right flank for West Ham, outlined in his match averages of 1.6 interceptions, 2.6 tackles and 3.4 clearances in 2017/18 (via Sofascore).
With both of these players focusing their game around solidity, it seems that the Hammers could be set to repeat the successes of the past by signing a player who’s very much for the future.
Luizao has also been labelled “super confident”, and with the right guidance this could be channelled into an unprecedented ability on the ball which could even surpass Zabaleta, who won two Premier League titles at the Etihad Stadium.
Assuming there are no late hitches, this move would be a huge statement of intent from Moyes, who will look to the example set by the 37-year-old Argentina as the benchmark for the young Brazilian, who now seems destined for east London.
