Pablo Felipe: A struggling Hammer just waiting to explode

As a player who made his Premier League debut at just 22, few footballers have had a rise as rapid as that of Pablo Felipe Pereira de Jesus.

Having joined Portuguese side F.C. Famalicão as a 15-year-old, Pablo would go on to make his senior league debut for the Vila Nova in a 2-0 Primeira Liga loss to F.C. Paços de Ferreira in August 2021. Despite scoring 4 goals across 38 appearances for Famalicão, Pablo was sent to spend the second half of the 2023/24 season on loan at Paços de Ferreira in the Liga Portugal 2.

After failing to make any real impact at the Estádio Capital do Móvel, Pablo was shipped back out on loan, this time to Liga Portugal side Gil Vicente. It was here, back in the Braga district, where Pablo truly started to make his name. Although starts were hard to come by across the 2024/25 season, with Cuban international Jorge Aguirre preferred to Pablo in attack, the future West Ham man began to come good on his potential, scoring 5 goals in just 799 league minutes.

Such form prompted Gil Vicente to make Pablo’s loan permanent, agreeing a reported €250,000 deal to bring the hard-working forward back to the Estádio Cidade de Barcelos for the 2025/26 season. A continuation of his fine form in front of goal saw Pablo net 10 goals in 13 games between July 2025 and January 2026, form which was recognised by his winning of the Primeira Liga Player of the Month award in October 2025. Whilst his goalscoring exploits stole the headlines, it was his ability in build-up that drew the attention of Nuno Espírito Santo. A per-90 average of 1.32 chances created, 8.10 duels won, and 1.23 tackles completed across the first half of the 2025/26 season pointed to a player who is as comfortable supporting his teammates as he is stealing the spotlight; an attribute increasingly important to elite sides who prefer systemic solidity over individual innovation.

Pablo’s hard work and technical quality were rewarded on 2 January 2026, the day he completed a reported £22,000,000 move to English giants West Ham United. Despite joining the Hammers in the midst of a crisis season, Pablo continued to show the ability that had led to his rapid rise. By averaging 7.85 defensive contributions, 2.83 tackles, and 1.31 clearances per ninety across his first 6 months in England, the 6ft tall Braga-born forward proved that he was willing to put the team before individual recognition, showcasing a defensive talent that allowed him to contribute in areas of the pitch beyond the traditional responsibilities of a forward. Whilst the defensive side of his game excelled, his attacking metrics faltered, shots on target fell to 0.33 per ninety and Pablo failed to register a single goal across 14 Premier League appearances. Despite Pablo maintaining a unique ability to create chances, creating 14 Premier League chances between January and May, he was powerless to prevent West Ham from experiencing a shocking and deeply embarrassing relegation.

Whilst, given his relative obscurity, it may seem unusual to identify Pablo as a potential gamechanger in the 2026/27 EFL Championship season, it is in fact this relative anonymity that may allow him to flourish. As a side stacked with forwards of international acclaim, such as club captain Jarrod Bowen, Argentinian international Valentín Castellanos and former Barcelona speedster Adama Traoré, West Ham will require a player who is willing to put in the hard yards to allow his teammates to hog the headlines. For this role, there are few better than Pablo.

Whilst his defensive and creative endeavours set Pablo apart from many young forwards, it would be too simple to categorise him as purely a creator. For Pablo, goalscoring is not just a career, it’s a birthright. As the son of the former Porto hitman Pena, who won the 2000/01 Primeira Liga Golden Boot, Pablo has been raised to hit the back of the net. Although he is yet to score his first goal for West Ham, there is little indication that his lack of goals in England represents a permanent problem. His record at Gil Vicente shows that a goalscoring ability is undoubtedly present and with greater confidence, more consistent opportunities and the added space that the Championship can provide, there is little reason why Pablo cannot rediscover the form that first attracted West Ham to him.

Whilst he is yet to truly win the favour of the Hammers faithful, the 2026/27 season offers Pablo the perfect opportunity to change that. With a full Championship campaign ahead of him, the Braga-born forward has the chance to rediscover the confidence that made him such an exciting prospect at Gil Vicente and prove that his disappointing start to life in England was nothing more than a blip. He is unlikely to ever command the headlines of the likes of Bowen, nor should he need to. Pablo’s value lies in the work that often goes unnoticed, the defensive contributions, the chance creation and the willingness to put the team before himself. But with the ability to score goals still firmly within his locker, it seems incredibly likely that the 2026/27 season will see the struggling Hammer finally explode.