It's no secret that West Ham majority owner David Sullivan has been actively trying to right a wrong by shopping backup keeper Mads Hermansen. Over the summer, the Hammers had set their sights on Brazilian keeper John Victor and Hermansen. After a solid campaign last season with Leicester City, Hermansen emerged as the primary target because of his Premier League experience. Leicester had been relegated and looked to unload some of their players. West Ham got their man, and some say they overpaid by sending Leicester 20 million pounds. In doing so, they literally left Victor at the airport as they had all but signed a deal. What seemed like ancient history, even though it was just 5 months ago, has officially come back to haunt them.
Under former manager Graham Potter, Hermansen started the season as West Ham's number one keeper. In his first four games, he recorded 1 win and a clean sheet versus Nottingham Forest but allowed 11 goals in three losses to Sunderland (3-0), Chelsea (5-1), and Tottenham (3-0). Hermansen struggled in a new system and behind a woeful defense. Potter then sat him down in favor of veteran Alphonse Areola, and he hasn't been on the pitch for a match since.
With the Danish keeper seemingly banished by new manager Nuno Espírito Santo, he and Sullivan began identifying new targets in the January transfer window. Up first was another Brazilian keeper, Bento, 26, playing for Al-Nassr of the Saudi Pro League. The first approach by Sullivan was a loan offer that was immediately rejected. When Nuno and Sullivan came back with a transfer offer, agent Jorge Mendes, who has been brought in by West Ham to consult and help with recruiting, was told by the player that he was not interested in coming to the London Stadium.
In August 2025, towards the end of the summer transfer window, West Ham appeared close to signing Brazilian keeper John Victor from Botafogo. Fabrizio Romano reported a verbal agreement on a 10 million euros deal, with Victor agreeing to terms and documents being checked. However, the club abruptly pulled out at the last minute in favor of signing Hermansen instead. Reports described it as "disgraceful" conduct: Victor was reportedly left "stranded" or waiting at the airport in Rio after preparing to travel to London, having already said emotional goodbyes to Botafogo fans and teammates. This left him in limbo, damaged his relationship with supporters, and drew heavy criticism of West Ham's recruitment approach.
It was no surprise that after disrespectig him, Victor wanted nothing to do with West Ham. Eventually, Sullivan would go back before the summer window closed and offered a loan deal in an effort to bring in more competition and a potential replacement for Areola. Victor turned that offer down in favor of a transfer to Nottingham Forest, which was ironically being managed by Nuno.
As the January transfer window neared, Nuno wanted the team to target another Brazilian, this time Bento, who many consider the eventual starting keeper for the Brazilian national team. When Bento was first approached sources say he immediately called his countryman, John Victor.
"He had no kind words for West Ham, I can assure you," revealed a source familiar with the negotiations. Bento, who is represented by ADM Esporte, then began negotiating an offer to join Genoa of the Italian first division Serie A. Even as Mendes upped the offer on behalf of West Ham, the player refused to go any further. "After hearing the nightmare story, he instructed his people not to deal with West Ham."
West Ham reportedly offered Al-Nassr 10 million euros for a straight transfer after having the loan with an option to buy agreement rejected. Thats when negotiations ended. Genoa's offer for 5 million less was accepted. The terms are a loan with an option to buy, according to Italian soccer journalist Gianluca Di Marzio of Sky Italia.
"Imagine being convinced not to deal with a Premier League team, where he would have been competing for starting minutes and instead taking a deal to back up a keeper in Serie A," said the source. Genoa manager Daniele De Rossi confirmed the deal, but did not disclose whether Bento would be competing with starting keeper Nicola Leali. The source also added that the way West Ham treated winger Luis Guilherme during his time in London could have been a factor as well, but that was not confirmed.
With 3 weeks left in the transfer window, if the Hammers really believe they need another keeper, they still have time. There have been several reports linking them to Manchester City backup James Trafford, but a transfer offer has not materialized as of Friday evening. Sullivan and the West Ham board have continued to say they are backing their manager despite disappointing results and will continue to work with him to bring the players he needs to be successful.