Remember Flops When Bigging Up Barbosa!

Remember Savio Nsereko and the hype surrounding the next 'best young striker in Europe' when West Ham paid Brecsia £9 Million for the 19 year old back in 2009? Despite the massive fan fair on his arrival, he failed to settle at the club, making just one start and failing to score in any of his ten appearances. He was sold to Fiorentina for €2.7 Million, with Manuel da Costa going the other way as part of the deal for free. Hammers retained the rights to 50 percent of the player's sell-on fee, which would eventually be worth, a big fat Zilch!

Savio hasn't been the only flop to arrive at West Ham by a long mark, there is quite a comprehensive list after all. So rumours of Hammers supposed interest in signing Gabriel Barbosa ,who has already FAILED miserably in Europe and has a questionable entourage that accompany him at whichever club he plays for, must surely be wide of the mark, mustn't they?

No one doubts that the 25-year-old Brazilian forward has been a stunning success since returning to Brasil and playing for Flamengo, he has scored 84 goals in 124 games for them. Last season, he scored 29 goals in 43 games so he obviously knows how to score, in BRASIL! However his struggles in Europe with Inter and Benfica will surely ring alarm bells and undoubtedly be a concern for David Moyes. Smashing it in the Brasilian top flight is one thing, doing so in the Premier League requires a whole new set of skills, which on the face of it, 'Gabigoal' as he is nicknamed, clearly lacks.

Barbosa may have been tracked by West Ham for quite some time now, but that delay has been for a reason, David Moyes doesn't 'fancy' him, due in no small measure to the fact that Barbosa as a full time body guard and no less than TWO full time social media managers! Exactly the sort of baggage the Iron's manager is really fond of, NOT.

Those wishing to see 'Gabigoa'l in the Premier League need not be disappointed though, he'll probably end up at Newcastle! - Ed