CLUB CHIEF CLAIMS STRIKER REJECTED £15.5M WEST HAM MOVE THIS SUMMER
After a brief ‘will he, won’t he?’ saga towards the back end of the summer window, the deadline passed on September 1st without Yuri Alberto posing for photos arm in arm with David Moyes, a claret-and-blue scarf wrapped around his neck.
West Ham United reportedly made a bid of £15.5 million in August (Gazeta Esportiva).
Sky Sports went as far as to say that Alberto was keen on the move; Hammers director Tim Steitden doing like he did with Edson Alvarez and Mohammed Kudus and jetting out for face-to-face talks.
Corinthians chief Ricardo Bonomo, however, now provides a different side of the story. One which tells a tale of Alberto being keen to stay and rediscover his form after a barren run in front of goal.
“Yuri Alberto commented that there was an offer to go to West Ham for 18 million euros,” Bonomo, who works as an advisor to Corinthians president Dulio Monteiro Alves, tells Meu Timao.
“He preferred not to now, despite Yuri being in bad form and being heavily criticised. He is a player who will be able to rediscover his value.”
Alberto, a long-time West Ham target, has scored just four goals in 20 Brazilian Serie A games this season. Only two have come in his last nine outings, the form which caught the eye of some of Europe’s biggest clubs during his formative years at Internacional conspicious by it’s absence.
“(Yuri Alberto) is a spectacular striker,” said his former Internacional coach David Aguirre at the time. “We’ll see Yuri at a big club like Chelsea or AC Milan. Big teams. With Yuri, the same thing will happen as with Alisson at Liverpool, who was also my player.
“He has everything needed to succeed. (He has) quality. He’s an excellent professional, a very good boy.”
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Mohammed Kudus selection not nailed on as West Ham United stat emerges
David Moyes is now blessed with an extra attacking option following the arrival of Mohammed Kudus at West Ham late in the transfer window.
The Ghana international made his debut in the closing seconds of United’s 2-1 win at Luton Town prior to the international break.
Assuming he returns from international duty fully fit, many will be hoping Kudus makes his full Hammers bow against Manchester City on Saturday [16 September].
However, the emergence of an interesting statistics suggests Moyes is perhaps better off easing Kudus into the side.
According to an article from The Analyst [12 September], the nine goals scored by West Ham after four matches has been bettered only once before by the club in their Premier League history, when scoring 10 times in 2021-22.
Indeed, the Hammers’ 10 points at this stage is their joint-best ever, alongside the 1999-2000 season.
Even without a truly recognised out-and-out striker – unless Michail Antonio can now be classed as one – West Ham have still scored at an average of 2.25 goals per game.
For comparison, they scored at a rate of 1.1 goals per game across the whole of last season’s Premier League campaign.
That is not to say there is no place in the West Ham side for Kudus, of course, but rather it may be better sticking with a winning formula for now.
All going to plan, the goals will keep flowing for West Ham’s attackers in order to keep the club in the higher reaches of the division.
