Brazilian gamble on the cards as West Ham hunt goals for Nuno
West Ham are being nudged towards South America in their January striker search, with word out of the recruitment grapevine that Flamengo’s Pedro and Cruzeiro’s Kaio Jorge have been offered to the club. Intermediaries have sounded out the Hammers and held conversations with the hierarchy, but there’s a way to go before anything concrete lands on Nuno Espirito Santo’s desk.
Nuno wants a finisher—and fast
It’s been a grim old slog so far, culminating in Graham Potter’s dismissal last month and Nuno stepping in at the London Stadium. Despite a busy summer—El Hadji Malick Diouf, Kyle Walker-Peters, Mads Hermansen, Mateus Fernandes, Callum Wilson, Soungoutou Magassa and Igor Julio all arriving—the goals haven’t flowed. Nuno’s identified the obvious: a proper No 9 is non-negotiable if West Ham are to steer clear of a relegation scrap.
Zirkzee admired, but the door’s barely ajar
There’s admiration for Joshua Zirkzee, who has emerged as a preferred option, especially with Niclas Füllkrug battling yet another knock elsewhere. But prising Zirkzee away mid-season looks a nightmare; his club are in no mood to weaken themselves in January. Sensible to have alternatives warming up on the touchline, then.
Who are the Brazilians on offer?
Pedro is a proven finisher in Brazil—penalty-box craft, tidy movement, and the sort who needs only a sniff to punish you. Kaio Jorge, once on Juventus’ books, has been tagged as “lethal” by those who followed his youth rise; he’s quick across the grass and happy to run channels. Both would need time to adjust to the Premier League tempo, but the raw tools are there.
Fit for Nuno’s blueprint
Nuno craves a mobile focal point who can finish the first chance and occupy centre-backs. Despite Callum Wilson’s arrival, the mix still feels one short—either through fitness concerns or lack of a consistent penalty-box predator. Pedro offers instant penalty-area nous; Kaio Jorge brings upside and pace. The question is which profile plugs the leak quickest.
Lessons from recent punts
West Ham’s flirtations with “known quantities” haven’t exactly sung from the terraces. The pursuits and spells involving names like Niclas Füllkrug, Gianluca Scamacca and Danny Ings haven’t delivered the sustained return hoped for. Perhaps the braver route—a younger, hungrier forward—makes more sense, provided the club protect themselves with sensible structure and staging.
Punters’ note: transfer swings can move markets. If you’re tracking odds across the best betting sites, keep an eye on West Ham’s striker chase—news on Pedro or Kaio Jorge could quickly shift goal-scorer and relegation prices.
Risk versus reward
Signing straight out of Brazil in January is always a roll of the dice—new league, new pace, little time to bed in. But when the current strike force isn’t firing and primary targets are hard to extract, it may be the calculated gamble that sparks a turnaround. Crucially, talks being held doesn’t equal a done deal; it’s a live option, not a fait accompli.
Verdict
If the finances are sensible and the medicals check out, West Ham would be wise to keep the lines open for Pedro and Kaio Jorge while testing the water for Zirkzee. Nuno needs a finisher yesterday; whether it’s polished output from Pedro or the higher ceiling of Kaio Jorge, the Hammers can’t afford to miss the target again this window.
