According to a report by Leicester Mercury, Leicester City are gunning for a summer swoop for Lazio star Felipe Anderson.
The report further claims that he is also a West Ham United target and it will be interesting to see if the Foxes are able to trump the Hammers in acquiring his signature. West Ham have already had a bid rejected by Lazio for Anderson, who is also on the radar of Southampton.
The Brazilian is undoubtedly a promising player and could work wonders for whichever club he chooses to join. But as far as Leicester are concerned, should they go all out for him?
Having finished 5th in the Serie A in the recently concluded season, Lazio failed to secure a spot in the Champions League for the upcoming campaign. In such a situation, they could be open to the prospect of selling a player such as Anderson.
A pacy winger by trade, the midfielder also boasts of impeccable creativity skills and that could come in handy for Leicester. Also, with the Foxes looking increasingly likely to lose Riyad Mahrez to Manchester City, a move for Anderson does make sense.
As far as the stats are concerned, Anderson scored 8 goals and provided 10 assists in 32 appearances across all competitions last season.
At Lazio, he primarily operated as a secondary striker behind Ciro Immobile and the duo put in some stellar performances which lit up the Italian top-flight. It fell short to propel them to a top-4 finish is another matter entirely but all in all, Anderson seemingly looks like a good choice for Leicester.
A prolific dribbler, Anderson could prove to be of immense value for the club in the final third as well as in counter-attacking situations. He can read the game extremely well, leading to quick yet effective decision-making on the field.
With the likes of Marc Albrighton and Jamie Vardy at Leicester, Anderson could truly take his game to the next level. The player also seems to have a penchant for making short passes, which help his team to maintain fluidity up front.
Interestingly enough, the Brazilian is also adept at making defensive contributions. However, it must be noted that Anderson’s passing and finishing skills are quite weak. That could prove to be problematic for the Foxes, given Claude Puel’s tactics and footballing philosophy at the King Power Stadium.
But keeping all that in mind, it must be noted that Anderson is talented enough to make his mark in the Premier League. If Puel and company are confident about bringing the best out of the 25-year-old, Leicester could benefit.