Welcome to West Ham United, Keiber Lamadrid. It would be a stretch to say ‘we’ve been expecting you’ but, now that you’re here, make yourself comfortable.
Of the five new signings pulled off by the Hammers during the winter window, it’s fair to say one of them required a lot more research than the others.
Keiber Lamadrid joined on an initial loan deal from Venezuelan outfit Deportivo la Guaira, with the option to make the transfer permanent next summer for just shy of £1 million. Even West Ham themselves describe this as a ‘lottery ticket’ signing.
What do you notice about Keiber Lamadrid’s FIRST West Ham goal? ⚽ 🇻🇪
He looks pretty special, doesn’t he…
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A ‘low risk, potentially high-reward’ acquisition. If the numbers don’t come up, oh well. Better luck next time. But if they do, then West Ham United will have landed the jackpot for the price of a scratchcard.
The early signs certainly look promising.
Keiber Lamadrid scores a stunner on his West Ham United U21 debut
While Lamadrid’s agent insists he is a ‘first-team’ signing rather than one brought in with the Under-21s in mind, the one-time Venezuela international made his first appearance in claret and blue for Greg Lincoln’s reserves in a 3-3 Premier League 2 draw with Middlesbrough on Monday night.
It took the 22-year-old only twelve minutes to open his account. Shifting the ball onto his left foot, Lamadrid curled a beauty into the Middlesbrough net from the edge of the box.
And Juan Domingo Tolisano, his former head coach at Deportivo la Guaira, feels that this is only the first chapter in an exciting tale.
Photo by Luis Soto/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
“One of the things I value most about Keiber is his willingness to meet the demands, to self-correct, to listen to the coaching staff’s needs and what they ask of him, and then his desire to improve,” Tolisano tells Solovenex.
“I think he still has no ceiling. I believe he hasn’t reached his full potential yet. I hope he stays fit!
“At the beginning of the [2025 Venezuelan] season, he suffered an injury that could have made his return difficult. I was surprised because, during that time, he was away for two months, training separately. But he came back with more muscle mass in his quadriceps. He came back much stronger aerobically.
“In other words, it took him very little time to get back into a rhythm. He trained in a way that actually allowed him to take advantage of the two months he wasn’t training with his teammates to grow. That speaks to his self-discipline.”
Venezuela international ‘will be successful’ in Europe
West Ham were told about Keiber Lamadrid’s ‘eye for goal’ when news of his signing filtered through last month. While claiming the Venezuelan league’s Young Player of the Year award, he scored eight times in 34 games.
The way he opened his account against Middlesbrough certainly gave the impression of a forward happy to try his luck from distance, and with the ability to make it count.
“I think he’s handling the leading role he has now in football very well. And I think that if he doesn’t change his way of thinking, his way of working, his way of demanding more of himself, and the way he’s been handling it, he’ll have a great chance of going to any league,” adds Tolisano.
“For me, wherever he goes, I have a feeling he’ll be successful.”
A worrying development as another Hammers starlet leaves! 😟
Why do YOU think Adiele and Sowunmi both departed? What needs to CHANGE?
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Greg Lincoln disappointed with Hammers collapse against Middlesbrough
Keiber Lamadrid will wear the number 21 shirt at West Ham, whenever the time comes for him to make his first appearance for Nuno Espirito Santo’s senior side.
Josh Ajala scored one and set up another as Lincoln’s youngsters roared into a 3-0 lead away to Middlesbrough, meanwhile. Last season’s Premier League Cup matchwinner was linked with a move away in a month when both Elisha Sowunmi and Emeka Adiele departed for Tottenham Hotspur and FC Utrecht respectively.
He sticks around for the time being, though his contract is up in the summer.
“It was a really tough, challenging game. Tough conditions, a tough pitch, but again, that variety of challenge is the important part for the players,” Lincoln said on a night in which West Ham went three goals up and, in the end, were fortunate to walk away with just a point thanks to a fine late save from Tom Wooster.
“You’re going to play in environments like that, so it’s good for the boys to have to adapt and adjust. It was a proper test.
“I thought we started really well. We played a little bit more direct today and produced some really good attacking football to score the goals. That gave us a platform in the game.
“The disappointing part is the timing of the goals we conceded and the way we conceded them. We spoke before the game about two key things: winning second balls and winning the set-play game. For large periods, particularly early on, we did really well with the second balls, and that allowed us to play our football.
“But there’s certainly room for improvement with our defensive set plays, and that’s something we’ll go back to the training pitch and continue to work on.
“On the positive side, it’s ten Premier League games without defeat. Of course, it feels bittersweet when you’ve been three goals ahead, but that’s the reality of senior competition, which is how we framed it with the boys.”
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