Much has already been written about West Ham’s £25m summer signing, [Luis Guilherme.](https://www.claretandhugh.info/guilhermes-ten-minutes-speak-volumes/) Yet, the biggest mystery remains as to why the Brazilian winger has had limited playing time, in a team that is struggling and lacks pace.
Whilst the obvious answer is that he was bought for the future, and at aged 18 would be up against other highly rated youngsters such as Earthy, Potts and Orford for a first team spot, there are still questions as to why he wasn’t therefore loaned out or given more playing time in the U-21s.
A more worrying view is that there are suggestions he simply isn’t good enough. A senior source back in October stated “_he is taking longer to come good than first anticipated._” Whilst journalist Alex Crook went one step further saying “_the player’s training appearances have not stood out.”_
The last comment is slightly worrying given Tim Steidten identified the player, and a £25m outlay was a lot to pay for what effectively was a gamble. Eleven minutes on the pitch and two substitute appearances are hardly enough to evaluate the player, yet for an attacking minded player he did play 30 league games for Palmeiras with zero goals, finally finding the net in the Continental cup.
At such a young age it would be harsh to use these statistics against him. His overall performances did capture the imagination of the media with the Guardian voting him one of the best players born in 2006 alongside Endrick and Victor Reis.
By comparison, Endrick has made eleven appearances for Real Madrid scoring once. Looking at Lopetegui, it would be fair to say he had little input into the signing, and with a strained relationship between him and Director of Football, Tim Steidten, the player could be caught up in this, alongside Fullkrug and Todibo.
With limited funds in the forthcoming transfer window, it will be interesting to see how the chess pieces move around the board, and I suspect there will be a number of Brazilian clubs keen to sign the winger on loan.
Many Hammers fans are simply bemused by the situation and want to see the player get more minutes on the pitch. With the likelihood of a new manager at the helm before the next transfer window, it will be interesting to see whether this Christmas wish will come true!