Why West Ham should extend Manuel Lanzini’s contract

According to a report from the Express, West Ham want to extend playmaker Manuel Lanzini’s contract at the London Stadium.

The Argentinean, 26, joined West Ham in a loan deal from Saudi Arabian club Al Jazira in 2015, but the move was made permanent after six months, when he signed a four-year deal.

He has just one year remaining on his current deal with the Hammers, although the club do have an option to extend it by a further two years. Nevertheless, West Ham are keen to tie him down for even longer.

Manuel Lanzini has been set to sign a new deal last summer, but a cruciate ligament injury which ruled him out of the 2018 World Cup and for eight months in total delayed a new agreement.

He made his return to first-team action in February in a 3-1 victory over Fulham and the club are now positive that he can return to his very best form.

The 26-year-old is continuing to work his way back towards full sharpness and has looked good in the first two games of the new season. And the diminutive playmaker looked close to being back to his best against Brighton on Saturday.

He has been one of West Ham’s better players so far this term, providing the assist for Javier Hernandez to score their goal in the 1-1 draw with Brighton.

Lanzini had a great pre-season for Manuel Pellegrini’s side and was arguably their best player at Brighton.

On his day, he is a quality creative player, capable of breaching the tightest of defences with his incisive passing and vision. And it’ll be a big coup for the Londoners to tie the playmaker down to a new deal.

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West Ham have not made a great start to the 2019/20 campaign, bagging just a point from the first two games. However, they have a lot of quality in the final third and can certainly bounce back if Pellegrini’s tactics work.

Sebastien Haller and Pablo Fornals were the marquee additions this summer and if they can keep the creative department, led by Manuel Lanzini, ticking, the Hammers will receive a lot of boost in achieving their targets this season.

Verdict

At the age of 26, Lanzini is entering the prime stages of his career. He is one of Pellegrini’s most trusted players and a potential match-winner on his day.

Therefore, West Ham should definitely go ahead and extend the Argentina international’s contract beyond 2020.