On a La Liga weekend blighted by the sorry Vinicius Jr saga, another Brazilian forward by the same name made headlines for much more positive reasons as Almeria took one giant stride towards safety with a 3-0 thumping of Real Mallorca.
In the space of just 46 minutes at the Power Horse Stadium, 21-year-old Lazaro Vinicius doubled his La Liga tally with a hat-trick befitting of his jogo bonito roots.
If Lazaro’s early opener was relatively simple – a neat far-post tap-in – then his second was straight out of the Brazilian playbook. A fierce half-volley which nearly sent the Mallorca net flying into the stands. Arguably the best was yet to come; Lazaro completing his hat-trick with an acrobatic finish that made even our hamstrings twinge from the comfort of our own sofas.
That’s six goals in just four league starts now. Five in his last three outings, following on from a consolation at Real Madrid and another stunner away to Osasuna. Suddenly, nobody is questioning Almeria’s £6 million acquisition of a player who found himself on West Ham’s radar during the summer 2022.
West Ham United could have signed Lazaro Vinicius
“There was an offer (from West Ham ),” Flamengo’s vice president Marcos Braz confirmed. “It has to be improved. Whether it will be improved or not is not up to us. We are waiting (for a new offer).
“Lazaro is a very important player. We count on him. It depends much more on who wants to buy him, because we don’t want to sell. They already know the value we want.”
According to Brazilian reporter Jorge Nicola, West Ham’s offer was around £4.5 million. Just £1.5 million less than the fee Flamengo would accept from Almeria on the final day of the summer window.
“I have been saying for some time that the club had made the right choice by signing Lazaro,” Almeria coach Rubi smiled following the winger’s maiden hat-trick on European soil.
“I am satisfied with the work he’s done to have days like today. It’s a reward for the effort and nothing more.”
If that scintillating was a ‘reward’ for Lazaro’s hard work, then it was also a reward for Almeria’s scouting department and their recruitment team too. Because, while West Ham appeared unwilling to match Flamengo’s demands, Almeria never seemed in any doubt that – with a bit of time, and a bit of care – Lazaro would eventually prove to be excellent value for money.
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