A flop who previously confided that he ‘wished he’d never joined’ West Ham in the first place has now made a surprise U-turn.
It comes after a subtle but clear plea to Graham Potter that he wants a second shot at making a success of his Hammers career.
The turnaround will give Potter a new West Ham dilemma ahead of the summer window.
And what the manager decides to do about it will give a major indication of the club’s ambitions to really back Potter in a bid to get back competing in the top half of the table.
Tim Steidten and Julen Lopetegui have taken a lot of heat for the problems at West Ham this season.
Both paid the ultimate price for the debacle as they were sacked midway through the season with the owners deeply unhappy after committing £155m to transfers last summer.
There have been arguments that Potter has actually been worse than Lopetegui.
After just four wins in 18 games, the Englishman cannot now match the win ratio which got Lopetegui the sack, even with a victory at Ipswich.
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Steidten has taken the brunt of the blame, though.
Who is to blame for West Ham mess?
West Ham even threw Steidten under the bus themselves when announcing his departure.
But there are concerns David Sullivan has made his biggest mistake yet sacking Steidten after it was announced he is in line for a prestigious new job.
Debate has raged over whether Steidten was the problem at West Ham.
Especially as any of the German’s signings have turned out to be among West Ham’s better performing players this season.
Two who haven’t really worked out are Carlos Soler and Guido Rodriguez.
Soler is on a £245k per week contract at PSG until 2027.
Soler has been a popular character among players and fans and has shown a positive attitude and mentality, really embracing being a Hammer.
But West Ham won’t be making the move permanent and he will return to Paris.
When West Ham were signing Rodriguez on a free transfer, it was only made possible after a move to Barcelona fell through.
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
It was claimed Xavi saw him as a replacement for the great Sergio Busquets. But the move collapsed when Barca changed managers.
With that in mind, expectations were high at West Ham for Argentina’s World Cup and two-time Copa America winner.
Rodriguez endured a really difficult start to life in the Premier League as his lack of pace was exposed.
A 3-0 home defeat to Chelsea at the London Stadium in September was the low point as Rodriguez was subbed off after just half an hour.
The 31-year-old has barely been seen since, particularly under Potter who had frozen him out completely – until the recent 2-0 win at Man United.
There was a huge surprise when Rodriguez was named in West Ham’s starting XI for that game.
Shock U-turn from West Ham flop who ‘wished he never joined’
After an understandably rusty start following four months sitting on the bench, Rodriguez was brilliant throughout, emerging as West Ham’s key player in their first league win at Man United for 18 years.
It sparked debate over whether he has been criminally under-used in a team which has all too often left its defence exposed.
Rodriguez was moved him to tears after his first West Ham start of the year.
He was in from the start once again when West Ham faced Forest but struggled to replicate his Man United display in a 2-1 defeat.
With money tight at West Ham, what happens with Rodriguez this summer should give a good indication of where the club is heading.
There has been a shock U-turn from the West Ham flop who ‘wished he never joined’ after a subtle plea to Potter.
Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
It was reported earlier this season that Rodriguez regretted ever joining West Ham.
He has been linked with returns to Real Betis and boyhood club River Plate.
The Hammers are also said to be keen to sell.
But Rodriguez may have muddied the water after appearing to suggest he may now want to stay – and it seems to have been completely missed amid all the emotion of West Ham’s farewell game for Aaron Cresswell, Vladimir Coufal and Lukasz Fabianski in the last week.
Rodriguez reflected on a poor season for West Ham and what the future holds in an honest interview with the club’s website.
And he very much appears to be planning to still be at West Ham next season.
Rodriguez makes subtle plea to Potter over West Ham stay
“Whenever a season starts, I always think about competing, achieving important things and objectives,” Rodriguez said.
“This season didn’t work out, but not every season can be successful.
“I think we have to make the necessary self-criticism when the league is over and look at the positives for what is to come, for next year, to be able to compete better and to be able to achieve objectives, which is what we all want.
“Understanding that there are good moments and bad moments in matches, you have to be strong in the head. I think mentality is very important.”
Now it gives West Ham and Potter a dilemma.
Do they still push ahead trying to sell for a paltry fee?
Or will the Hammers try and do things on the cheap by keeping Rodriguez and making Potter use him more next season instead of investing in a new central midfielder?
The answer to those questions will probably tell West Ham fans everything they need to know about the reality of the financial situation when the summer window opens.