According to reports, West Ham United are confident of signing Lazio winger Felipe Anderson on a £35million deal.
The Hammers have made some eye-catching signings so far under new boss Manuel Pellegrini, with goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski joining from Swansea City and France Under-21 international Issa Diop making the switch from his hometown club Toulouse.
The east Londoners have also acquired the services of Ryan Fredericks from the newly-promoted Fulham, on a four-year contract, after he became a free agent.
After signing as much as three new players, Pellegrini is still not ready to stop and wants to bring Lazio ace, Felipe Anderson. The Brazilian attacker has proved to be one of Lazio’s key players for a number of seasons, having signed from Santos in 2013.
The 25-year-old scored 7 goals and provided 12 assists in an injury-hit season for Lazio last term, during which he helped the Serie A outfit to the Europa League quarter-finals.
Anderson is under contract in Rome until 2020, which means the Hammers will have to cough up to land their target. And Pellegrini’s pursuit of the Lazio playmaker shows he is moving in the right direction to bolster his attacking options ahead of next season.
West Ham were over-reliant on Marco Arnautovic’s goals last season due to a lack of supply from the likes of Javier Chicharito Hernandez and Andy Carroll. Now that Manuel Lanzini has been ruled out for nine months with a cruciate ligament injury, the importance of adding creative quality is of supreme importance to West Ham.
In that aspect, Anderson would suit the bill perfectly at West Ham. A winger by trade, the 25-year-old is equally capable of playing as an attacking midfielder or as a second striker.
He possesses explosive pace and trickery in his locker, which can cause endless nightmares to a defender. The Brazilian has good technique, thrives of pace and is also a prolific ball carrier. He is a great dribbler of the ball and is very athletic.
Using his ability, skill and guile, Anderson could help West Ham in the attacking third next season. His work ethic is excellent as he never shies away from tracking back and completing his defensive duties.
Also, the Brazilian has a good experience playing in Europe, which will undoubtedly help the Hammers. At 25, the wide man is still young and could develop into a really accomplished first-team player for West Ham.
Given his age and ability, Anderson could well be the perfect signing for Pellegrini’s new look West Ham side. In fact, he will be a brilliant signing for the Hammers and this pursuit already shows the impact that Pellegrini is having on the transfer activities.
West Ham are therefore getting their hands on a top player as Anderson could be that impactful player to fire the club to a top-10 finish next season.
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