Why West Ham's £40m Move for Lazio's Felipe Anderson could prove to be a good one

Why West Ham’s £40m Move for Lazio’s Felipe Anderson could prove to be a good one

Under the leadership of new manager Manuel Pellegrini, West Ham have already started their summer recruitment policy, roping in Ryan Fredericks, Issa Diop and Lukasz Fabianski. However, West Ham are set to make further signings and are reportedly close to reaching an agreement with Lazio for Felipe Anderson, who is rated at £40m by the Italian outfit.

So, let’s scout the Brazilian on the basis of his ability and stats from the previous season before explaining why he’d fit in at West Ham.

Scouting Felipe Anderson

Anderson is a type of player who can tear apart any defence single-handedly on his day. The Brazilian has pace and dribbling skills to go past defenders in a trice. Although he missed a considerable part of the 2017/18 campaign with an injury, the 25-year old was still directly involved in 11 goals in Serie A last season (4 goals and 7 assists in 21 games).

Talking about his playing style, Anderson is a mercurial winger, who can also play behind the striker. He usually plays at the right-wing for Lazio. As mentioned earlier, the Brazilian has pace and quick feet to drive past defenders with ease. His key pass rate was 1.8 per game last season, while his dribbling rate stood at 3.7 per game.

The 25-year-old has a remarkable eye for spotting his teammates’ runs into the box, while his ability to cross with either foot makes him very menacing.

Why is he a fit for West Ham

West Ham are in a quest to gain ground in the Premier League after narrowly surviving relegation last season, with new manager Pellegrini expected to bring stability at the club. The Chilean is an experienced manager with the required knowledge of the league, having led Manchester City to the title in the 2013/14 season.

Pellegrini normally prefers a 4-2-3-1 formation with two wingers and a No.10 playing behind the main striker. Anderson’s profile would suit this formation at West Ham as he will have the license to play either behind the main striker or as a right-winger. His crossing ability will also help feed the likes of Javier Hernandez, Marko Arnautovic and Andy Carroll.

There is a dearth of wingers in the current West Ham team, with Michail Antonio and Arthur Masuaku being the only available options.

So, buying a quality wide player would make sense for the Hammers. Anderson has all the attributes to succeed in the Premier League. And there’s a high possibility that if he shines for West Ham, big clubs would be looking for his signature sooner than later.