West Ham United’s newest signing Luis Guilherme has all the tools required to succeed in the Premier League according to ESPN Brazil’s London correspondent Joāo Castelo-Branco.
It was Castelo-Branco who sat down with the 18-year-old for his debut West Ham TV interview, after the Brazil Under-20 international completed his move from Palmeiras earlier this week.
The ESPN Brazil man was impressed with Luis Guilherme’s attitude and determined mindset, which he believes will stand him in great stead for his move across the Atlantic Ocean.
There can be no doubting his potential on the pitch – after playing his part in helping Palmeiras complete an Under-17 quadruple consisting of the São Paulo state championship, Brazilian championship, Brazilian Cup and Brazilian Super Cup – before already making his mark on the senior stage.
And Castelo-Branco says that, combined with his off-pitch demeanour, gives him the best chance of success in east London.
“I’d heard very highly of him before he arrived – he’s from obviously from a golden generation of the Palmeiras youth team – but I was really impressed meeting him how, despite such a young age, he’s very grounded, professional and focused,” he explained.
“He doesn’t seem fazed by the whole situation and he seems excited. Being part of the Brazil U20 set-up and this hyped Palmeiras youth team will have helped with that.
“At the same time, he’s not over-confident and he’s speaking a lot about wanting to learn and he knows that he has to adapt.
“He’s confident in his abilities, but he’s not trying to go too fast and he seems like a really good kid.”
Castelo-Branco has already seen a new generation of his countrymen impress on these shores at younger and younger ages.
From Gabriel Martinelli at Arsenal, to Joāo Gomes at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Crystal Palace’s Matheus França, Brazilian talent is appearing at Premier League level younger than ever before, and the ESPN reporter believes Luis Guilherme can only add to their successes.
“It’s something we’re seeing more and more – Brazilian players coming straight from Brazil at such a young age,” he added.
“They used to stop off at other clubs or be loaned out, but now the Premier League clubs have clocked on that they can go to South America and get young talent.
“The players are much more professional perhaps than the generation before, who would find it harder to adapt, but you can see he’s a clear example of a dedicated professional who knows what he has to go through.
“He has a very good set-up with good people around him. He has his family coming with him and he looks like a really good buy.”
