West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Pablo Maia to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to a report by 90min, who claim that Rob Newman has held ‘exploratory talks’ with São Paulo regarding a move for the defensive midfielder ahead of the winter market, with the Premier League side eager to secure an initial loan deal with an option to buy, while the Brazilian outfit are looking for a permanent €10m (£8.6m) sale.
However, the report goes on to suggest that the Hammers are not alone in their interest in the Brazilian, with Fulham having already seen an offer for the 20-year-old rejected by the Série A side, while Tottenham Hotspur are also said to be monitoring the situation of the youngster ahead of launching their own potential move for Maia this winter.
“Mini-Casemiro”
Considering just how impressive Maia was in Brazil last season, coupled with the fact that Declan Rice is being increasingly linked with a move away from the London Stadium next summer, it is not difficult to understand why Newman and David Moyes would be interested in a deal to bring the 20-year-old to east London in January.
Indeed, over his 32 Série A appearances in 2022, the £4.3m-rated talent was in fantastic defensive form, making an average of 1.3 tackles, 0.7 interceptions, 0.9 clearances and winning 3.3 duels – at a success rate of 51% – per game.
The “highly-rated” – in the words of Fabrizio Romano – youngster also impressed in possession of the ball, creating one big chance for his teammates, in addition to enjoying an average of 51.7 touches, making 0.3 key passes, playing 2.9 long balls and completing 38.7 total passes – at a success rate of 90% – per match.
These returns saw the defensive midfielder average a very respectable Sofascore match rating of 6.85, ranking him as São Paulo’s 19th-best performer in the top flight of Brazilian football – not a bad feat for a player who only turned 20 in January of this year.
Furthermore, as a result of his undoubted potential, Maia has already drawn comparisons to Manchester United’s £70m summer signing Casemiro, with Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig dubbing the talent a “mini-Casemiro” and listing the Brazilian’s strengths as his “passing, vision, tackling, positioning, anticipation and work rate”.
As such, it is indeed easy to see why West Ham would be interested in a move for Maia in January, as the 20-year-old would not only appear to be a fantastic long-term replacement for Rice in the heart of the Hammers’ midfield, but the youngster could also go on to become a Casemiro-esque talent – something that is undoubtedly an extremely exciting prospect for all at West Ham.