West Ham’s Embarrassing player treatment only deters future talent. West Ham treatment of player leaves much to be desired
It was an open secret from many who watched West Ham’s youth team week in, week out last year that there was a young Brazilian who was struggling to make an impression on the seniors: Defender Luizao had been auditioned and discounted by both Moyes and Lopetegui and surely should have been sold or allowed to leave on loan at least a year ago.
Transfer windows came and transfer windows went and yet the poor youngster couldn’t catch a break – no movement towards the seniors, no opportunity to go out on loan, still he hung around the club as a perennial ‘in-betweenie’ that nobody seemed to know what do to with. And then for no apparent reason just last week Luizao suddenly popped up in the Premier League squad list submitted for the second half of the season:
What? He’d be last-placed choice as a defender, behind all of three front line centre backs, youngster Kaelan Casey, Edson Alvarez the emergency centre back, third choice keeper Wes Foderingham in a defender jersey and anyone in the crowd under fifty who’d brought their boots to the ground just in case.
And a week later we hear from ex-whuemployee via The West Ham Way of another u-turn as the unfortunate Luizao is now about to depart. Finally. “Brazilian Academy defender Luizao is in talks to join Polish side Pogoń Szczecin,” reported Ex. “The player had been in talks about both a loan and permanent move and was keen to start playing first team football”.
Call me a cynic but presumably someone had the idea of adding him to the Premier League squad list to make him look more ‘valuable’, knowing that a deal might be on the cards with the Poles.
This poor young man has a wife and family here having uprooted everything to follow the dream of Premier League football. West Ham clearly have no idea what to do with him.
Hardly makes the club look like a top prospect for any other Brazilian talent thinking of a Premier League move, does it. Just embarrassing. We wish Luizao better times in Poland.
