John Victor and West Ham
Credit: Imago)
Henry Green
Sat 9 August 2025 12:40, UK
West Ham’s goalkeeping merry-go-round has continued after John Victor turned down a move to the Hammers.
The Hammers looked set to sign Victor as their new goalkeeper before the deal collapsed at the eleventh hour.
There had been contrasting reports over whether the Brazilian had turned down the move or West Ham had put a stop to the deal, but Victor has since confirmed he had elected to stay in his home country.
However, the 29-year-old could now live to regret not joining Graham Potter‘s side following news from Botafogo.
Mads Hermansen playing for Leicester City
West Ham are exploring a deal for Mads Hermansen (Credit: Imago)
Botafogo sign Neto as their new goalkeeper
Potter was reportedly keen to sign two new goalkeepers this summer, with the role of backup choice goalkeeper possibly set to be Victor’s.
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The possibility of not being number one may have put him off a move to East London, and the Irons have already moved quickly to bring in Leicester City’s Hermansen.
However, Victor could regret his decision to stay with Botafogo, as the Brazilian side have now signed former Arsenal and Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto.
Potter has been looking for a new number one after being unimpressed with Alphonse Areola
West Ham turned their attention to signing Hermansen immediately after the Victor deal fell through
The 36-year-old will add competition in the goalkeeping department and could end up costing Victor his place in the squad.
Neto isn’t expected to slot straight in as a number one in Brazil, but given that Victor’s transfer saga has likely caused some unrest, mistakes could creep into his game.
If he had moved to West Ham, the 29-year-old could have been allowed to impress in their final preseason game with Lille on Saturday (9 August), before Potter decided on whether to recruit another new goalkeeper.
West Ham still face Areola problem
Given that Areola is surplus to requirements at the London Stadium, the Hammers face a predicament of what to do with the goalkeeper.
Player Matches Clean sheets
Areola 100 27
Victor 68 30
Victor and Areola’s stats for their respective clubs
Should they have signed Victor, their decision would’ve been made a lot easier, but given their need to keep the Frenchman as a backup keeper, they now risk keeping him on the books for another season.
Potter must now turn his attention towards another backup goalkeeper after a summer of shotstoppers, which will leave Hammers supporters frustrated.
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