West Ham have officially announced the signing of Guido Rodríquez. Rodríquez has joined the Hammers on a two year deal , becoming the sixth signing this summer for the East London club.
The Argentine joins Julen Lopetegui's side after his contract with Real Betis expired this summer and he became a free agent. The signing of Rodríquez will bolster the Hammers midfield options following the departure of Flynn Downes to Southampton.
This is a major coup for the Hammers as Rodríquez was a target for many clubs and even had agreed to join Barcelona in June but the deal collapsed after former manager Xavi parted ways with the La Liga side.
The deal was first reported on Friday afternoon by VarskySports a news outlet in Argentina. Then well-known Journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed the story and tweeted his famous quote of 'Here we go' the same evening.
ExWHUEmployee also confirmed that Rodríquez was one of the players the club were working on signing behind the scenes, but they wanted to keep it under the radar to avoid other clubs getting involved.
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What role will Rodríquez play?
The 30 year old is very experienced and will be key for the East London outfit even with the amount of quality midfielders Lopetegui now has at his disposal.
Having made 173 appearances for Real Betis the midfielder knows what its like to play at the top level consistently. The midfielder was involved in Argentina's World Cup winning side in 2022 as well as this summer's Copa America winning side.
It's yet to be seen whether the Argentine will be a starter as the Hammers now have multiple midfielders such as Edson Álvarez, Tomáš Souček, James Ward-Prowse and Lucas Paquetá.
However, with Álvarez currently nursing a hamstring injury, Rodríquez could slot straight into the starting eleven.
Also, ExWHUEmployee reported that the Hammers are still in the market for another midfielder with Carlos Soler, Wataru Endō and Youssouf Fofana all of interest to the club so we could then potentially see the likes of Souček and Ward-Prowse being sold.
In terms of what Hammers fans can expect from the midfielder, he is the type of player every club needs as he will play for the badge and will get stuck in.
He is also a great passer of the ball which is exactly why Xavi was so keen on him joining Barcelona and that's why Lopetegui decided he would fit in at West Ham as they both like to play possession based football.
Rodríquez scored many times for Real Betis from set pieces so this will add to West Ham's already existing threat from corners and free kicks. He is also not afraid to shoot from distance.
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The background of Rodríquez
Rodríquez started his career at River Plate and made his professional debut in 2014. However he struggled for game time only featuring 18 times in two years. With the lack of minutes, Rodríquez then went out on loan to Defensa y Justicia who played in the Argentinian topflight as well.
The Argentine's time at River Plate came to an end when he then joined Mexican side Tijuana in 2016. Rodríquez would go on to make 42 appearances for the Liga MX side and score 5 goals in all competitions.
After an impressive first season, Rodríquez transferred to arguably the biggest side in Mexico, Club América. He would go on to make 123 appearances in the three years he was at the club.
From 2017 to 2019 Rodríquez's midfield partner was current West Ham midfielder Álvarez. So with the 30 year old joining the Hammers it will see these two be reunited and hopefully the Mexican can help settle the Argentine into the team and re-form the partnership they had at Club América.
After three successful seasons at Club América, Rodríquez then got a well deserved move to La Liga side Real Betis. In a deal that would be worth around €4 million even though the midfielder had a market value of around €10 million. The midfielder would go on to feature 173 times scoring nine goals in his five year spell with Betis.
In the back end of last season the Argentine played with former Hammer and fan favourite Pablo Fornals. The Spaniard joined the Los Verdiblancos in January for a reported €8 million. It has also been rumoured that Fornals spoke to Rodríquez about his move to West Ham and praised his former side.
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A busy few days at West Ham
With the signing of Rodríquez officially confirmed by the club, he becomes the Hammers third signing in the last four days. With Crysencio Summerville and Niclas Füllkrug being the other players to sign.
Even with these signings, the East London side look far from done in the transfer window as Fabrizio Romano reported that West Ham are trying to advance on a deal for Manchester United right back Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Also EXWHUEmployee reported that even with the signing of Füllkrug, the Hammers will continue talks with Aston Villa for striker Jhon Durán.
It remains to be seen whether the East London outfit have the funds for many more transfers but its clear to see that Tim Steidten and Lopetegui have big ambitious for the club.
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"I'm very happy to be here"
Following on from the confirmation of his signing, Rodríquez commented about his move to the club on West Ham's official website, stating:
“I’m very happy to be here, I feel like it’s every footballer’s dream to play in the Premier League, and I was very excited when I heard that West Ham were interested in me".
Additionally, Rodríquez added, “It’s a historic Club, that has a really interesting project. I think it’s the right Club for me, at the right time, and I hope together we can keep growing. I spoke to Edson (Álvarez) before signing, and we’re both really looking forward to working together again.
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"I will bring experience to the team"
Rodríquez also spoke about how his experience will help the team and how he is ready to put in the work to adapt to the Premier League.
“I will help the team in any way I can. I will bring experience to the team, and though I’m aware the Premier League is very physical, I’m ready to put the work in to make sure I’m up to the task".
“What I can say to the fans is that I will give them everything. I’m very motivated, and I think together with the supporters we can achieve many good things. I just can’t wait to get going now!”
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Steidten on Rodríquez
Speaking to the clubs' official website, Steidten stated, “This is a massive moment for West Ham United in bringing a player of Guido’s pedigree to the Club. He is a player I have admired for a long time, and we couldn’t be happier to have completed the deal to bring him to east London,”
“Guido is a defensive midfielder whose intelligence in and out of possession is a real strength to his game. He is also a proven winner, having won the World Cup, Copa América and Finalissima with Argentina, so to have secured his services is a big statement of intent by the Club".
Rodríquez becomes the Hammers sixth summer signing and will also become the ninth Argentine to represent the East London club.
