West Ham United are thriving at senior level but have also been nurturing the next crop of academy talent after the emergence and recent £105m sale of Declan Rice to Arsenal, and might have an evolving titan in Luizao, who arrived from Brazil in January.
Who is Luizao?
While arriving from Sao Paolo to the Irons academy only in December 2022, as a 20-year-old, Luizao is very much an important member of the development squad and is viewed as a prospect with the potential to cement a starting berth in David Moyes' first-team set-up in the future.
A late bloomer, Luizao only made his senior debut in his homeland in May 2022, which is why he is now aged 21 and still acclimatising to life in England beneath the surface.
More often than not, patience is a virtue and West Ham have recognised the worth of steadily aiding this talent's growth; one day, he might be an awe-inspiring titan at the back.
Previously, in Brazil, Luizao made 20 appearances for Sao Paolo and scored one goal, while he has now made as many matches for the Hammers' second team and scored twice, including seven outings this term.
As he continues to progress, there is perhaps an eventual expectation that he will take the baton from Angelo Ogbonna, who is nearing the end of his stay in east London.
When does Angelo Ogbonna's contract expire?
Ogbonna has been a stalwart for West Ham and has now completed 236 matches since signing from Juventus for a reported £10m in 2015.
Barring a late, unexpected change, the veteran defender will depart the London Stadium next summer upon the expiry of his contract, which is indeed set for expiry in June.
Given West Ham's acquisition of Luizao in December 2022, he may well have been identified as the perfect successor to the former Italy international's position in the squad.
And while he has yet to make his maiden showing for Moyes' men, he is surely approaching his debut – especially with the need for integration rising as Ogbonna approaches the culmination of his Irons career.
How good is Angelo Ogbonna?
Now 35-years-old, it certainly does appear unlikely that West Ham will offer Ogbonna new terms, especially considering he has fallen down the pecking order and Konstantinos Mavropanos was signed from Stuttgart for £19m in the summer.
But that's okay, he's in the twilight of his career and has enjoyed immense success as a central presence in West Ham's meteoric rise under Moyes' tutelage, clinching glory with a triumph in the Europa Conference League last season – a campaign where Ogbonna forged seven starting showings.
Once heralded as "brilliant" by ExWHUemployee, Ogbonna boasts a career average 83.2% pass success rate, while also making 1.2 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 4.4 clearances per game, as per WhoScored.
Luizao might be a relatively unknown commodity in English football, but he is deemed a 'promising' player by West Ham's official website and has been working hard to make the increments to his game in anticipation of a shot at the big time.
The Irons are well-equipped defensively and losing Ogbonna will unlikely play detriment to their future ambitions, but as he departs, 6 foot 1 Luizao will have the opportunity to impress and must now be allowed to do so to demonstrate his skills on the Premier League scene.
