West Ham United tried to sign flop summer 2019 signing Roberto the previous year, according to Claret & Hugh.
The reliable Hammers news source claims that the Spaniard was a transfer target for Manuel Pellegrini in the summer transfer window of 2018.
He was even considered to be a potential number one, rather than the back-up role he took up last summer, before the east London outfit opted to sign Lukasz Fabianski from Swansea City.
The 33-year-old has come in for massive criticism over the past two months since replacing the injured Pole, with the Irons yet to win a league game with him between the sticks.
OPINION
This is a quite alarming revelation, and it makes you really question what Pellegrini and director of football Mario Husillos are doing in regards to the transfer market – and in general, to be honest. To sign Roberto as a back-up has proven to be bad enough, with his shocking performances in the Premier League evidence that he isn’t fit to even hold that role. But to countenance him as a first choice number one is absolutely inexcusable. The fact that Pellegrini and Husillos felt that he was at that level is completely baffling. How can they be trusted to continue in the transfer market when they think a ‘keeper like Roberto is good enough to be a regular starter? Simply put, they can’t. All the West Ham fans can do now is thank their lucky stars that Fabianski was signed instead. At least the Hammers duo had sense enough to bring the Poland international in.
