Why West Ham should move for Bolivian starlet Daniel Camacho

According to reports from Bolivian news outlet Eju, West Ham have been credited with an interest in 20-year-old Bolivian U-21 international midfielder Daniel Camacho, with the source dubbing the starlet as ‘one of the most outstanding young players in the country’.

Camacho, who is currently playing on loan at Bolivian side Aurora from national heavyweights The Strongest la Paz, has caught the eye with his prodigious talent in his homeland, with many regarding him as a player with serious potential to make a big impression in Europe in the years to come. 

Reports from Eju have been confirmed by another Bolivian outlet Diez, which reveals that Camacho is keen on completing a move to the London Stadium and The Strongest will decide their stance on the transfer after evaluating the terms mentioned in his loan deal at Aurora.

Interestingly, Camacho’s transfer links with West Ham come via a rather unorthodox route. Aurora’s goalkeeper Agustin Cousillas happens to be the son of Ruben Cousillas, who is currently Manuel Pellegri’s assistant at West Ham and the Hammers are looking at the prospect of signing Daniel Camacho to bolster their U-23 ranks. 

Essentially a central midfielder by trade, the 20-year-old right-footed ace has established himself as an international for Bolivia at the U-21 level and his talent and potential have been there for everybody to see. 

To put things into perspective, not much is known about Daniel Camacho but he seems to have all the makings of a future star and the Bolivian starlet could prove to be a smart long-term investment for the Hammers if he goes on to fulfil his potential in the years to follow.

Pellegrini has shown in the past that he is not hesitant to bring top-quality young talents from South America to the Premier League and Camacho could be the next in the queue to get a chance to impress. 

Despite academy graduate Declan Rice earning rave reviews for his consistently impressive performances in central midfield over the past 12 months, West Ham currently lack depth in the central midfield department.

Though Camacho would not be expected to challenge for a first-team role upon his arrival, the Bolivian is likely to provide the Hammers with a talented young midfielder to groom for a senior role in the future. 

Rice’s emergence as one of the mainstays of the first-team is indicative of a clear pathway from the U-23s to the senior ranks at the London Stadium under the stewardship of Pellegrini and Camacho could also get a fair crack of the whip at the highest level should he manage to impress the staff with his development.

Fellow academy stars like Nathan Holland, Grady Diangana and Josh Cullen have all been handed their debuts in recent years and while neither of them is currently in the first-team fold this term, they are expected to get a look in from the manager at some point in the near future. 

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Camacho would definitely increase competition for places in the youth ranks and given that he is unlikely to cost the Hammers a fortune in the market, the East Londoners can look at this move as a shrewd piece of business. 

With that in mind, West Ham should not hesitate to wrap up a deal for the Bolivian prodigy as soon as possible.