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West Ham Midfielder Exit Could Fall at The First Hurdle

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West Ham midfielder Guido Rodríguez is rumoured to be frustrated with life at the London Stadium and looking for an exit route.

The Argentinian World Cup winner was signed as a free transfer last summer at the request of former boss Julen Lopetegui, and it’s clear he’s had far less game time than he was originally promised.

Therefore, his frustrations are understandable — but if he really does want an early exit from West Ham, he’s in the perfect position to make it happen.

To put it simply, if Rodríguez were to accept an inevitable pay cut to return to La Liga, and the Hammers were to receive a nominal fee of around £1 million, the midfielder would be allowed to leave.

Because while Rodríguez may be upset at his lack of football, West Ham are currently paying him £100,000 per week and handed over more than £2 million in signing-on fees last summer.

Claret & Hugh were informed last week that there have been no bids for the midfielder — but the club are keen to get him off the books.

West Ham head coach Graham Potter has little or no interest in using the former Betis midfielder, and he is now surplus to requirements. But as things stand, there’s a bit of a stalemate: the player wants to keep earning big money, and the club are unwilling to subsidise his wages for a move.

So, if Rodríguez really is desperate to leave East London, he’ll need to accept that regular football is going to cost him — and that means taking a serious wage cut.

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Kris Gonzo (commonly known to the West Ham community as Gonzo) is the co-founder of Hammers Chat (established 2014) and the lead video content creator and columnist for Claret and Hugh.

With over a decade of professional sports media experience, he is a frequent West Ham United analyst and contributor for Sky Sports News, BBC Football Focus, and BBC Radio 5 Live. He previously served as an official video and content creator for West Ham United FC during the club's tenure at Upton Park and featured in the official documentary commemorating the historic final game at the Boleyn Ground.

A lifelong Hammer since the legendary 10-0 victory over Bury, when he isn't providing daily match analysis on the Hammers Chat YouTube Channel or broadcasting on X (@GONZObignose), he can be found walking his dog and restoring classic pinball machines.

2 comments

  • Mr T R says:

    Rodriguez could be among a few moved on this summer. Possibly Irving, Coufal, Areola, Cresswell, Mavropanos, Ings, Fabianski and Alvarez.

    Ferguson is a huge doubt for me at the price he could be. Send him back to Brighton.

  • Whippet hammer says:

    This is the same scenario as Ings if any of it is actually the truth.

    The club can only gain by agreeing to subsidise the wages; player moves, weekly salary to club reduced, squad place released, no brainer.

    Maybe it’s along the business genius masterplan lines of refusing to employ the best manager for the role in favour of the best ‘free’ option then multiplying your losses by paying compensation when it all goes t*ts up anyway.

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