By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)
So it would appear that Gustavo Sá is set to become West Ham’s first signing of the summer if reports from Portugal are to be believed.
The Portuguese attacking midfielder has captained his country at Under-21 level and would appear to have the pedigree to perform in the Primeira Liga. Two goals and three assists in 33 matches are nothing to write home about, but he is the youngest player ever to reach 100 senior appearances in the Portuguese top flight and he looks decent.
There Is A Note Of Caution
That said, West Ham’s experience with Pablo Felipe last season will certainly add a note of caution to expectations.
When Pablo arrived from Gil Vicente in January, he had been scoring goals for fun in the Primeira Liga but could barely muster a shot on target in the Premier League.
It would only be fair to point out, however, that the Championship is not the English top flight and hopefully Sá will adapt better than Pablo.
One Thing Bothers Me
It would be remiss of me not to voice my concern over the fact that Sá has recently joined the Jorge Mendes stable.
I had rather hoped the club would leave behind the days of favoured agents and multiple influences over the playing squad, a habit which blighted David Sullivan’s tenure at the club.
It rankles slightly that our first signing following the appointment of Nils Koppen as recruitment chief could be a Nuno Espírito Santo/Jorge Mendes pick.
However, I’m open-minded and really trying my very best not to be cynical about the situation.
If It Works, Nobody Will Complain
Let’s just hope Sá, if he signs, turns out to be an excellent player.
If he does, I’m sure nobody will care about the nature of his arrival.
It could well be that Nuno Espírito Santo’s falling out with Edu following his appointment as director of football at Nottingham Forest means the head coach needs a little placating.
If allowing Nuno one player from his friend’s stable makes him more willing to work alongside Nils Koppen in the future, then perhaps that is the price of progress.
Ultimately, as West Ham fans, all we want is a good team to get behind and to leave the stench of controversy in the past. But nobody will mind if a Mendes relationship means we get good players, it’s when the stinkers are offloaded at inflated prices that the problems begin.
Mendes does generally have great players in his stable.
As I said in another post let’s give Pablo some time he might not have pace but he is brilliant at closing down from the front and helping us win the ball high up the field.
In Portugal Pablo scored some brilliant goals so he has it in him and at Wolves they had players like Neto, Jimenez, Moutinho I think and played some great football.
If Sa is another then great let’s take him nurture him hopefully turn Kante into an Elliot Anderson which he could be because he has a tremendous eye for passes between the lines.
COYI!!!
I don’t know anything about this youngster but I imagine he is pretty decent if he is captaining their under 21 side has Pablo ever played for Brazil under 21 ? I doubt it so maybe not a particularly good comparison
I agree with others – the Pablo bashing and the obsession with Mendes is getting a bit unhealthy. It’s not like Pablo missed loads of sitters – he didn’t really get many chances. I think he had a big impact and would much rather see us start with the energy he brings to the team than the lack of it with players like Wilson.
As for Mendes – of course we don’t want him long term being a Salthouse type but the majority of young Portuguese talent he brought to Wolves that later sold for big fees means we shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
Stop the Pablo bashing…yes he was poor but again asked to do a job he was not familiar with and this man proved to be a workhorse and was committed which is a helluva lot more than some of those other players out there…keep him lets see him flourish in the championship and if he does not then by all means move the player on but give it a rest it is not his fault he was asked to do a job and a role he never had before.
Thank you.
Yes, as long as it works, I don’t care who the agent is. Unlikely DK will have the same relationship with agents that DS had.
Also, can we please cut Pablo some slack? A youngster moving to a new country, new league, no pre-season, and a team in a really bad situation. It took Tevez more than half a season to come good, and Javier Mascherano was kept out of the team by Hayden Mullins! It would be great to see Pablo find his feet this season.
I’m no expert on which players are signed with which agents, but would it be correct to suggest there’s a difference between Mendes and Salthouse? One has young talent that can go on to be world class on the books, the other has over the hill journey men?!!