BREAKING: WEST HAM RUSH MEDICAL FOR GIL VICENTE STRIKER PABLO FELIPE THIS FRIDAY
West Ham is finalising a deal for Gil Vicente striker Pablo Felipe. Discover how the 21-year-old poacher fits Nuno's 2026 plans.
West Ham United is checking out other markets for attacking players before January. Pablo Felipe might be the one, as talks are pretty far along. So, who is he?
Born in Portugal but raised in Brazil, Pablo grew up playing soccer in Europe. His dad, Penna, used to play for FC Porto, but Pablo is making a name for himself.
He came up through Famalicao’s academy, and then Gil Vicente signed him last year for about €250,000. It was a cheap move that paid off right away.
West Ham is watching him because he knows how to be in the right place at the right time in the box.
The 21-year-old plays for Gil Vicente and is having a killer season in the Primeira Liga. He’s already scored 10 goals in 13 league games.
Pablo seems like a classic striker who hangs out in the box, but he doesn’t just push people around. Out of his 22 shots in the league, 20 were from inside the box, and none were from outside. That means he’s good at timing, knowing where to be, and moving well, instead of just taking random shots.
He can score in different ways, but he keeps it close. Pablo has scored five goals with his right foot, three with his left, and two headers—all inside the box. He’s hit the target with 14 of his shots, which shows he can stay cool when it counts.
He’s quick and knows where to stand, instead of just being strong. He’s good in the air, but his headers come from running into the right spot at the right time, not from fighting for every ball.
He figures out the game early and goes for it, instead of always battling with the defenders.
How he'd jump into West Ham's play
Even though he’s a number nine, Pablo doesn’t just stand around. He’s often in the middle of the attack, both just outside and inside the box. He drops back to help connect plays and then quickly attacks when he sees an opening.
He’s not a winger and doesn’t go wide to cross the ball. Pablo hasn’t tried to cross at all this season and has only taken two shots from outside the box. He’s all about scoring and making short passes instead of trying to get creative from the wings.
Pablo works hard and is always moving. He gets caught offside a lot because he’s always testing the defence. He’s also good at pressing and winning the ball back quickly.
He’d fit well in a fast-paced system where he can be active instead of just waiting for the ball.
Why he’s a good choice
Pablo Felipe has been getting better little by little. He had some trouble with injuries last season, but now he seems confident.
He’s scored in every one of Gil Vicente’s league wins and has already won a few awards in Portugal this season.
Plus, he has citizenship in both countries (Brazil and Portugal), but wants to play for Portugal internationally. He missed out on playing for their youth team because of paperwork issues.
He’s been playing soccer in Europe for a while and plans to stay.
So, Pablo Felipe is a young striker who is good at scoring, moving, and being efficient. That’s why West Ham is talking to him about joining in January.
AWONIYI DOUBLE LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON THE VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE SAFETY
Nottingham Forest moved closer to safety with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, while West Ham fell into the relegation zone after Spurs won.
_1777914166.webp)
Nottingham Forest came out of the weekend looking pretty safe after pulling off an impressive 3-1 win at Chelsea. They’re almost clear of the relegation mess. Tottenham’s big away win at Aston Villa shook things up too, and now West Ham are back in the bottom three, running out of time faster than ever.
Forest have stepped up just when they needed to, leaving West Ham and Tottenham behind with a string of solid performances. Honestly, no one saw this coming, especially since Vitor Pereira shuffled his lineup with eight changes, fresh off a Europa League win against Aston Villa.
Even so, Forest were ahead within 90 seconds, thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi’s quick strike. By the 15th minute, Igor Jesus calmly buried a penalty after Malo Gusto’s reckless foul in the box. Chelsea had a chance to get back in it, but Cole Palmer wasted a penalty right before the break after a scary head collision involving Jesse Derry.
Awoniyi doubled down and scored again early in the second half, pushing Forest six points ahead of West Ham with just three games left.
West Ham’s weekend started badly; they looked flat and lost to Brentford. Things got worse Sunday night when Tottenham pulled off their first back-to-back Premier League wins since August 2025, beating a heavily rotated Aston Villa side 2-1.
Forest is now out of West Ham’s reach, or almost. Tottenham’s still close enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to worry, but with three tough games coming up, Spurs could stay up even without another win, unless West Ham digs deep and pulls off something unexpected before their home finale against Leeds.
Right now, Forest can practically taste safety. Spurs finally see a way out after weeks of struggle. As for West Ham, they’re left hoping for a miracle, a last-minute twist to dodge the drop.
CESC FABREGAS CONFIRMS INTEREST IN PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AMID CHELSEA'S MANAGER SEARCH
As Chelsea searches for a new manager, Cesc Fabregas breaks his silence on his future at Como and his Premier League ambitions.
Cesc Fabregas recalls exactly how a conversation with Jose Mourinho prompted him to join Chelsea, despite having the opportunity to return to Arsenal.
After winning six trophies in just three seasons, the Spanish World Cup winner left Barcelona for the second time in 2014. That summer, Fabregas made a move back to the Premier League, signing with Chelsea for about €33 million.
He already knew English football well. Fabregas had arrived at Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona in 2003 and made 212 Premier League appearances for them. When he decided to leave Barcelona, Manchester City also wanted him, but Chelsea convinced him, mostly thanks to Mourinho.
Talking with talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings on YouTube, Fabregas laid out how it all happened. “Honestly, when I made up my mind to leave Barcelona, my first thought was just to go back to Arsenal. They had this buyback clause; they had two weeks to use it after I told them I was leaving. They knew about it but didn’t take it. That surprised me a little, but in the end, I had to think about my career. I was 27, at the peak of my career, and I wanted to continue performing and winning trophies. City and Chelsea were both options.
“But when Mourinho spoke to me, that was it. He showed me his plans for the team and told me about Diego Costa, Courtois, and Filipe Luis and how, with those guys, we’d win the league. He was right, by the way. We won both the Premier League and the Carling Cup.”
Fabregas wasted no time winning over Chelsea fans. On his debut at Burnley, he set up two goals, including a stunning assist for Andre Schurrle. He finished his first season at Chelsea with five goals and 24 assists, along with Premier League and League Cup medals.
Things dipped the next season. Fabregas got just 15 goal contributions, and Chelsea slipped all the way to tenth. But when Antonio Conte took charge in 2016-17, they bounced back, and Fabregas picked up another league title.
He added an FA Cup win in 2018, his second, after his earlier one with Arsenal, and left for Monaco a few months later. His last Chelsea match came in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. When he got subbed off, he couldn’t hold back tears.
Chelsea supporters still sing about him; that “Oh, Fabregas is magic...” chant sticks around. And with his name in the conversation for a possible return, maybe they haven’t seen the last of him yet.
Must Read
