West Ham United are back in the Championship. While blame for a disastrous season is shared throughout the club, one decision in the January transfer window—made against explicit medical advice—stands out as pivotal to their downfall.
According to The Athletic, manager Nuno Espirito Santo was warned by the club’s medical team not to sign Pablo Felipe from Gil Vicente due to a pre-existing hamstring injury. Ignoring the advice, Nuno sanctioned the €20m deal—and ultimately paid the price.
What followed was all too predictable. West Ham were aware of Pablo Felipe’s lingering injury before sealing his January 2 move from Gil Vicente. He was thrust into the squad and soon broke down again.
The striker missed weeks with a calf injury, sitting out crucial fixtures against Bournemouth, Liverpool, Fulham, and Manchester United. In a relegation scrap where every point counted, the absence of a striker signed to save the season was a setback entirely of the manager’s making.
Pablo had scored ten Liga Portugal goals for Gil Vicente before his move, prompting West Ham to offer a four-and-a-half-year deal worth £25,000 per week.
It was a major financial commitment for a club already haemorrhaging money, especially for a player flagged as a medical risk. The decision proved reckless.
Pablo ended the 2025–26 campaign without a goal for West Ham, and the months spent sidelined at the most crucial stage of the season left Nuno short of the attacking options he had gambled everything to acquire.