Yuri Alberto is a name familiar to many West Ham fans, as he was a player who was close to donning a claret and blue shirt back in 2023. Sadly West Ham’s €16m offer was turned down by Corinthians president Duilio Monteiro Alves. Following Martin’s article of this morning, I’ve been doing a deeper dive into the background of this exciting prospect to see if he could be the answer to Lopetegui’s demands for a new forward and what he would bring to London Stadium.
The young Brazilian began his career at Santos in 2013 before signing his first professional contract in 2017. He moved to Internacional in 2020 signing a five year contract and registered 34 goals in 85 league appearances, which caught the attention of Russian Premier League club Zenit St Petersburg who shelled out €25m for his services in July 2022.
His stint in Russia was short lived (5 months to be precise) and having scored six league goals in 15 appearances he was loaned to Corinthians in a deal that saw goalkeeper Ivan and midfielder Gustavo Mantuan move in the opposite direction.
Eleven goals later from 28 appearances encouraged Corinthians to make the deal permanent in January 2023.
With nine league goals this season in ten, with two assists, this has not gone unnoticed, by a number of clubs. Newcastle, Nottingham Forest, Everton and West Ham are keen on signing the striker in the January transfer window.
The 23 year old is understood to be open to leaving Brazil in order to play in the Premiership. With one cap for Brazil, Alberto ranks in the 76th percentile for total shots per 90 minutes (3.09) and expected assisted goals at 43, which demonstrates he creates scoring opportunities for both himself and his team. He is a complete centre forward who would fit in well to the system at West Ham and has youth on his side.
With limited funds it’s likely West Ham will need to offer a loan with either an option or obligation to buy. Currently West Ham have two players in on loan, Jean-Clair Todibo and Carlos Soler. Todibo is an obligation to buy whilst Soler is just an outright loan.
The Premier league rules regarding loans constantly changes, yet for the current season clubs are allowed two domestic loans and up to four foreign loans. Corinthians, one point off the relegation zone are reportedly open to a temporary deal, yet with a number of other clubs keen to secure a forward, it ultimately will come down to the player.