West Ham have signed 18 year-old Brazilian midfielder, Luis Guilherme from Palmeiras for £25.6m.
Guilherme graduated through Palmeiras’ academy and made his senior debut in April 2023, from which he has gone on to score one goal in 41 first-team appearances for the Brazilian club.
The youngster also was part of Palmeiras’ 2023 Brasileiro Serie A title-winning squad, and also helped the club win 2024 Campeonato Paulista.
Palmeiras accepted a £25.6m bid from West Ham consisting of a fixed fee of £19.6m followed by £6m in add-ons, with a 20% sell-on clause for Guilherme,
Guilherme has signed a five-year contract until June 2029 with a club option of a further 12 months, and will be the Hammers’ first signing since Julen Lopetegui’s appointment as manager last month.
“I’m very happy to be signing with West Ham United, a Club that trusted in my work,” commented Guilherme.
“I also want to thank everyone at West Ham, particularly Tim [Steidten] and his team who came to Brazil, and not only talked with me, but also with my family.
“They presented the project, and both my family and I liked it. So, I’m very happy to be signing with this Club and hope to contribute as much as possible. If things go well, we have a beautiful journey ahead.”
Guilherme added that he and Lopetegui had already spoken about the club’s ambitions and is confident that the Spaniard is the right manager for the club following David Moyes’ exit.
“The Head Coach and I already had a conversation. He showed me his project and I believe I’ll learn a lot from him. He’s coached at the national level in Spain and managed big clubs.
“The Premier League is the best league in the world. I believe I’ll improve a lot here with the entire staff at West Ham, which is crucial for my development.
West Ham’s Technical Director, Steidten is “really happy” that the club have signed Guilherme, who he considers to be “a very exciting young talent” given his naturality as a wide player albeit “with the flexibility to play across other attacking positions, which is an important and valuable factor in the modern game.”
Steidten added that the youngster will add extra quality to the first-team and is confident that he will adapt to the English game.
“He is technically very gifted, but also has very good physical qualities – great pace, strength and stamina, and these are traits that will help him to adapt to the demands of the Premier League and English football.”
Steidten also iterated that the 18 year-old is “is ready to make an impact in the first team”, where he “will be surrounded by other exciting young players and good people who will support him every step of the way.”
Supporters have been urged to give Guilherme “time to adapt” to the “tough” Premier League environment, with the Hammers keen to be “competitive next season,” whilst planning for their long-term future with young players like Guilherme, Callum Marshall and Oliver Scarles.
Guilherme and his new teammates will discover their first competitive opposition of the 2024-25 season on Tuesday 18 June at 9am BST, when the Premier League fixtures are released.
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