What will Felipe Anderson bring to West Ham?
Hammers seal club-record deal
It’s been a very exciting summer so far for West Ham United fans. After a tough few years, the club are showing real ambition.
They’ve brought in a manager of real pedigree in Manuel Pellegrini. The East London club have also made six signings, including Jack Wilshere, Andriy Yarmolenko and Lukasz Fabianski.
And the Hammers have closed their biggest signing of the lot – Lazio winger Felipe Anderson has joined for a club-record fee of around £40m.
The Coral News Team have looked at how Anderson could improve the side…
Help bring the West Ham way back
West Ham have never been particularly successful in terms of silverware and their supporters don’t expect their club to be pushing for the title. But they do want to watch attractive, attacking football.
That’s why Sam Allardyce was always an awkward fit and a key factor in why few of them warmed to David Moyes, even though he steered them clear of the relegation zone last season.
Pellegrini has a history of producing entertaining teams and the club have brought in several exciting players.
Anderson also fits that mould. He’s a skilful dribbler who can play on either flank. The 25-year-old was also a important member of the Lazio side that finished last season as the top scorers in Serie A (89 goals scored).
Increased supply
Other than Manuel Lanzini, there wasn’t much creativity in the West Ham side last season. Marko Arnautovic tended to be feeding off scraps up front.
The lack of service also meant there was little point in starting Javier Hernandez in some games – he’s a poacher who relies on his teammates providing chances for him.
Keeping Lanzini quiet would go a long way to victory for opposition teams. But the arrivals of Anderson, as well as Wilshere and Yarmolenko, will go a long way to changing that.
The Hammers will have several players capable of causing problems and making something happen. Arnautovic, Hernandez and Andy Carroll should be much less isolated in the coming campaign.
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