West Ham United’s new signing Pablo Felipe is already shaping press conferences in Portugal. In an interview relayed by Maisfutebol, head coach Cesar Peixoto addressed the striker’s departure.
“Yes, I think we have to see what the market gives us, because we cannot hide it. Pablo was an extremely important player for us,” he noted.
The Gil Vicente coach said the club must prioritise quality over quantity in the market. “There is a gap there and we have to stay alert,” he stressed. “I do not know what will happen, but if it does, we must be attentive and understand whether we can find someone who brings us quality.”
In his view, signings without real impact would weaken the squad. “If someone comes in only to make up numbers, then no. In that case, I would rather no one comes at all,” he stated. “It has to be someone who arrives to impose himself, to make a difference, someone who adds quality to this group, which already has a lot of quality.”
Peixoto also made clear that the club will not rush into a replacement for the now West Ham player. “It is not only Pablo here with a lot of quality. This is a group with a lot of quality, a lot of capacity and a lot of character,” he said. “That is why we will keep watching and analysing what the market gives us.”
From a West Ham perspective, the comments underline the impact Pablo made in a short period in Portugal. The 21-year-old left Gil Vicente as their standout performer this season. He delivered goals, presence and consistency in the final third.
His importance now shows not only in his output, but also in how difficult Gil Vicente find it to identify a like-for-like replacement. How quickly Pablo adapts to the Premier League remains to be seen. Still, his departure has already reset priorities back in Portugal.
