The January transfer window in Europe remains open for another week, and clubs are making the necessary moves to complete their desired signings. A World Cup winner with Lionel Messi‘s Argentina could be set to leave the Premier League and make a return to La Liga.
“Valencia are closing in on a loan deal to sign Guido Rodriguez from West Ham,” reporter Fabrizio Romano said via his X account on Tuesday, citing a report from Matteo Moretto. “Valencia will pay Guido’s salary until June, deal close.”
Guido Rodriguez arrived in England in the summer of 2024 from Real Betis. During his first Premier League season, he initially played an important role for West Ham United, but as matches went on, he lost prominence and was relegated to a substitute role, a situation that did not change at the start of the current campaign.
This season, the 31-year-old midfielder has appeared in just eight of West Ham United’s 24 matches across the Premier League, FA Cup, and Carabao Cup, starting only three of them. That difficult situation, combined with the team’s poor performance — sitting in the relegation zone — has made a potential return to Spain especially appealing.
Guido Rodriguez won the World Cup with Argentina in 2022.
Rodriguez faces another tough challenge in Spain
While Valencia’s situation is slightly better than West Ham United’s, it is far from comfortable. The Spanish side currently sit 17th in the La Liga standings, just one point above the relegation zone, with only four wins in 20 matches.
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Still, Guido Rodriguez’s contribution could be crucial in improving Valencia’s outlook. The Argentine midfielder has significant experience in Spain and left a strong impression there: between 2020 and 2024, he played 173 matches for Real Betis and scored nine goals, establishing himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in La Liga.
Can Guido Rodriguez return to the Argentina national team?
At the time, the move to the Premier League appeared to be a positive career step for Guido Rodriguez, but developments since then have shown otherwise. He not only gradually lost his place at West Ham United, becoming a regular substitute, but also fell out of favor with Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni.
Rodriguez was part of Argentina’s squads for the 2021 Copa America, the 2022 Finalissima — where he played all 90 minutes against Italy — the 2022 World Cup, and the 2024 Copa America. While he was never a core starter, Scaloni consistently included him in national team call-ups.
However, after his move to West Ham United, Rodriguez stopped receiving call-ups from Argentina. In fact, his most recent appearance came in September 2024. Since then, midfielders such as Anibal Moreno, Maximo Perrone, and Alan Varela have been preferred as alternatives by the coaching staff. A strong run of form with Valencia during the final stretch of the season could help Guido Rodriguez reclaim his place ahead of the World Cup.
