So Guido Rodriguez stays at West Ham United, for now at least, with his hopes of a La Liga return at Real Betis scotched on transfer deadline day.
As for why, Betis sporting director Manuel Fajardo explained the situation in detail during the unveiling of Antony on Tuesday.
While Antony saw his wish come true – the Andalusian outfit finally agreed terms with last season’s loan star as Manchester United accepted a knockdown fee of around £20 million – there would be no Heliopolis homecoming for Guido Rodriguez.
Hammers News reported at the beginning of August that, despite links with clubs in Mexico and Saudi Arabia, the World Cup winner was hoping to return to Spain with the club he represented between 2020 and 2024.
But when the deadline passed on Monday evening, Rodriguez was still wearing the claret and blue of West Ham United.
Real Betis boss Manuel Fajardo explains why Guido Rodriguez is still at West Ham United
The Hammers successfully shipped Nayef Aguerd and Emerson Palmieri to Marseille in the final hours of the window. Another high-earner departed a few days earlier in the shape of Edson Alvarez.
Ironically, it was partly due to Alvarez joining Turkish giants Fenerbahce that the door closed on Guido Rodriguez.
Because while Real Betis decided against bringing back a prodigal son – Fajardo admitted that the finances involved were simply too substantial – Los Verdiblancos then turned to Sofyan Amrabat. The former Manchester United loanee joined Betis instead, having been pushed down the pecking order at Fenerbahce by the aforementioned Alvarez.
“The success of bringing in Amrabat lies in [finding targets] who, for various reasons, may be undervalued,” Fajardo begins, via ABC de Sevilla. “We received information that things weren’t going well at Fenerbahce.
“When you’re in the market, you monitor information. And if you add to that the fact that Betis have credibility, then the Amrabat option is forged.
“The intention was to build a midfield with diverse profiles. It was always a priority. We’re fortunate to have a top-level sporting director. We’ve had Amrabat under control for a long time. We’ve achieved that and we’re satisfied.”
Rodriguez could still move to Turkey, Greece or Saudi Arabia
Former West Ham coach Manuel Pellegrini opened the door for Guido Rodriguez last month. Amrabat arrives instead, Fabrizio Romano reporting that there is no option or obligation to buy clause in the Moroccan’s contract.
In a sense, Betis have got exactly the type of midfielder they wanted without having to make any sort of outlay. In contrast, West Ham reportedly want around £6.5 million for their Argentine enforcer.
“We have market information [about] a player who, for various reasons, has not fully adapted to the Premier League,” Fajardo added when quizzed on Rodriguez.
“In England, if there’s one thing clubs have in abundance, it’s money. They invest and invest every summer. [Signing Guido] was a possibility that existed and was considered.
“But due to the financial cost, we couldn’t afford to take that step forward. And since we had alternatives of equal or higher standards, we opted for Amrabat.”
There are, at least, still routes available for Guido Rodriguez.
The Turkish and Saudi Arabian transfer windows remain open until September 12th and September 23rd respectively. Clubs in Belgium, Switzerland and Greece are also still able to sign players for the next few days.
