West Ham United are reportedly keen to sign highly-rated Botafogo striker Matheus Nascimento, who is described as a new “pearl” of Brazilian football.
According to Fichajes.net, Botafogo’s 19-year-old striker, Matheus Nascimento, has emerged as a transfer target for West Ham United, who are looking for young talents from South America.
Despite losing a key player in Declan Rice, West Ham United did well to improve their squad during the summer transfer window, and the team is already looking better than it was last season.
Initially, there were rumours that manager David Moyes was not getting along with the newly appointed technical director Tim Steidten’s long-term vision. But those fears have now been allayed, and Steidten has delivered a promising window for the Hammers.
They have signed players like Edson Alvarez, Mohammed Kudus, James Ward-Prowse, and Konstantinos Mavropanos this summer. Aside from Ward-Prowse, all of their summer recruits are 25 or under.
The Hammers also wanted to sign a striker before last summer’s transfer deadline and were interested in a move for Corinthians forward Yuri Alberto after Gianluca Scamacca was sold to Atalanta this past summer after an underwhelming season in English football. Steidten even flew over to Brazil to get a deal over the line, but an agreement could not be reached.
Nevertheless, it appears they have set out a plan to build their squad for the future and are looking to bring in some of the young, hungry talent around the world. The Hammers hope star playmaker Lucas Paqueta’s international profile can help the club make some key signings from the South American market. One player the Irons have been keeping tabs on is Botafogo youngster Nascimento.
A striker by trade who can also operate in the number 10 position if need be, Nascimento has been plying his trade at the Estadio Nilton Santos ever since his childhood days, having graduated from Botafogo’s academy to get promoted to the first team back in 2020, and across all age levels.
He’s so far clocked up 80 appearances to date, bagging 11 goals and four assists — a very decent return for someone so young, with more than half of his outings being substitute appearances. He is currently chasing down the Brazilian Serie A title with Botafogo, who are currently sitting at the top of the table with 51 points from 24 games.
Despite still having another two years remaining on his contract until December 2025 with Bruno Lage’s side, the 19-year-old’s impressive performances at senior level have grabbed the attention of David Moyes’s side, having been linked with a move to Real Madrid earlier this year.
He is leggy, powerful, and unlike the typical Brazilian forwards who look calm and effortless in possession, he has a gnarly intensity about him, which would help massively to cope with the rigours of Premier League football if he makes the move in the near future. It will be interesting to see if West Ham does make a move for the Brazilian prospect come the next transfer window.
