For as long as I can remember, I have complained that the West Ham team has lacked outright pace. Certainly, in the years preceding the arrival of Mohammed Kudus, the club relied too heavily on the speed and athleticism of Michail Antonio, which understandably is beginning to decline.
We’ve had our fair share of skilful players like Yarmolenko, Benrahma, and the early version of Pablo Fornals, but very few were considered truly rapid. Ryan Fredericks was incredibly fast but lacked the footballing ability to secure a consistent first-team place.
However, with the introduction of Kudus along with Nayef Aguerd, I began to believe that the club was finally about to build a quicker team. I never understood why this wasn’t more of a priority for a counter-attacking coach like David Moyes, given that the element of surprise was so critical to his tactics.
It has been slightly concerning to see West Ham looking ponderously slow on a few occasions this season, particularly when Soucek, Fullkrug, and Rodriguez have all been on the pitch simultaneously.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has added some much-needed dynamism to the team, but there is still too much reliance on Kudus to provide that blistering burst of pace. Jarrod Bowen is far from slow, but he wouldn’t be among the top 50 fastest players in the Premier League.
Frightening Pace
This brings us to the jet-heeled Brazilian wonderkid, Luis Guilherme.
I must admit that, until I read Matt Kemp’s earlier article, I had forgotten the claims made over the summer about his speed. For those who missed it, Guilherme was labeled the fastest player in Brazil and clocked at a faster speed than Kylian Mbappé.
Now, I know that Danny Ings scored a hat trick against Dagenham & Redbridge yesterday, and perhaps Guilherme would have featured if he wasn’t away with Brazil’s U-20 team.
But there must be a place on the bench for someone as talented and fast as Guilherme, who can change the game in an instant.
With three games in seven days at the end of September, it could be the perfect time to discover whether the team would benefit from his frightening pace.