As part of the midseason revamp which had been on the cards following Potter’s dismissal and Nuno’s arrival, several ‘out of favour’ Hammers have been up for sale as West Ham’s fourth manager in to years seeks to move on those who he has assessed and along with, it would seem, most Hammers fans, has found to be surplus to requirements.
Pretty much banished from the starting XI along with James Ward Prowse, Guido Rodriguez has found match day minutes hard to come by and is something of a spare part since the elevation of Potts, Magassa and Fernandes to West Ham’s starting line-ups.
Rodriguez proudly displays his shirt next to West Ham's Tim Steidten
Back in those halcyon days of August ’24 when we thought West Ham had signed a terrier not a tortoise
Rodriguez had been pencilled in for a move to Serie A giants Juventus, who had somewhat inexplicably inked in the name of the former World Cup winner as a winter recruit to bolster their solidity in midfield.
But they’re now having second thoughts: According to juvefc.com, Juventus’ new sporting director has, in a rare moment of clarity, decided to reconsider:
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Why Juventus are taking their time with Guido Rodriguez
“Rodriguez is eager to seal a tranfer to Juventus, but the Italian giants have decided to bide their time.
As the Turin-based newspaper explains, new Juventus sporting director Marco Ottolini would like to calmly assess every possible move before deciding to proceed.”
Which has an ominous ring to it: Sounds a lot like Rodriguez may be reduced to sitting out the last six months of his contract as a Hammer at £90k a week with no prospect of game time. Poor boy.
The perils of signing thirty year old players on a ‘free’ is that nobody else wants to take them off your hands and reward them handsomely – for their past exploits.