The Portuguese press still fails to find a reason why Sporting and West Ham would get back on talking terms if not to negotiate the transfer of William Carvalho.
On Tuesday, the clubs released a statement saying there are no hard feelings after September’s episodes, when board members accused each other of lying about the transfer.
The resumed relationship could be good for any other business, as two big European clubs would normally do, but the Lisbon papers aren’t buying it. And, given the prickly reputation of Sporting president Bruno de Carvalho, they’ve probably got a point.
Yesterday, Record said this was a new chance for William Carvalho to move, and today, Diário de Notícias has the very same opinion.
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With a headline saying ‘Willian is back to have open doors at West Ham’, Diário de Notícias makes it clear the player could be moving to London in January or in the summer window.
Even though they mention the possibility of the midfielder signing a new contract, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he’ll stay in Lisbon for much longer, since these deals are often used just to raise the player’s price.
The summer move still sounds more likely. Both because Sporting are really fighting for the title this season and William is an important piece in the squad, and also because with the World Cup, his price could go up considerably.
Was there a smoking gun which could have been used against West Ham in any FIFA complaint, and was then turned against their head and now they’ll offer more for Carvalho next summer? Perhaps time will tell.
