The rumour
According to numerous sources, such as reliable Twitter user and West Ham United ITK ExWHUemployee and journalist Ekrem Konur, the Hammers are 'in talks' with EFL Championship side West Bromwich Albion regarding the transfer of Matheus Pereira to East London, with claims that either a permanent deal or a 'loan with an obligation to buy, could be on the cards.
With West Brom being in the Championship, they have little funds to strengthen their squad, therefore meaning a fee for players such as Pereira would be ideal.
The Brazilian is yet to play in pre-season, despite newly appointed West Brom boss Valerien Ismael claiming he has shown an "exemplary attitude" in training.
With West Ham losing loan star Jesse Lingard after the expiration of his deal - and it looks likely that he will stay at parent club Manchester United, West Ham are on the lookout for an attacking midfielder to bolster their attacking options, meaning the move makes sense for both clubs.
Ismael has also stated: "With Pereira - we spoke really openly about the situation, I don't have a problem. We made it simple, you are in or out. He said in training he would give 100 per cent and he is focused. I can't say anything else."
The final sentence is perhaps a small indication that the player is ready to move on, with Ismael perhaps aware of this.
Why Matheus Pereira?
Despite playing in a poor West Brom in the 20/21 Premier League season, Matheus Pereira contributed to 17 league goals (11G, 6A), a stat which outperforms any West Ham United player, with Lingard and Jarrod Bowen having the most contributions for the East London based side (14), shown on the official Premier League stats website.
Pereira also made a strong defensive contribution, an attribute that West Ham manager David Moyes considers important even from his flair players. Pereira made a combined 55 tackles and interceptions for his side last season in 33 games, for context Said Benrahma made a combined 32 in thirty matches, (admittedly he had more sub appearances than Pereira, therefore equating to fewer minutes per game).
Pereira has displayed on numerous occasions that he is one of the best in his position in terms of creativity. He created 11 big chances in a low possession side in 20/21, a stat that was only bettered by ten players in the entire division, including just one West Ham player in Aaron Cresswell. Interestingly, this creation only equated to six assists, proving, that despite having an impressive goal contribution, he would perhaps consider himself unlucky to not have more.
Pereira also made 17 assists in the 19/20 EFL Championship season, four more than the next best in Millwall star Jed Wallace, showing that his creativity in the 21/22 season was no fluke.
From his point of view, it makes sense. At 25, Pereira is entering the prime years of his career. He has recently hinted via his Twitter page bio that he now considers himself a Portuguese international, in which case he will need to play at a higher level than the Championship to break into the strong and illustrious squad of Fernando Santos.
With West Ham being in the UEFA Europa League group stages in 21/22, something Pereira is rumoured to be interested in, as a move to the London Stadium is appealing and attractive for the player. It will offer him the opportunity to play in a competition that other clubs linked to Pereira, such as Leeds United, can't offer.
The prospect of Matheus Pereira linking up with the likes of Declan Rice and Arthur Masuaku is an exciting one for Hammers fans, it will be interesting to see how this transfer develops over the coming weeks.