West Ham Opinion: Hammers should offer Manuel Lanzini a new deal
According to reports from Football Insider, West Ham are set to begin negotiations with Argentinian international Manuel Lanzini over a new contract, despite the player missing large quarters of the season due to an injury.
Lanzini, who currently earns £70,000-a-week, is contracted to the east London giants until the summer of 2020 and Football Insider understands that the Hammers have an option to extend his stay by a further two seasons.
West Ham, though, are keen to secure the 26-year-old’s long-term future by convincing him to put pen to paper on a new deal altogether. (h/t Football Insider)
Lanzini, who missed the 2018 World Cup for Argentina due to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament suffered back in May last year, was a long-term absentee for West Ham in their Premier League campaign this time around and only made his way back into action as a substitute in a 3-1 victory over Fulham towards the end of February.
Since then, Lanzini has made 9 appearances in the league, 7 of which have been starts, with manager Manuel Pellegrini being extra cautious not to push him too hard lest there is a recurrence of that long-term injury. The Argentinian looked pretty rusty and short of match fitness in his first few appearances on his return to the first team but he has shown strong signs of getting back to his best, and most recently, played a key role in the Hammers’ 3-0 triumph over Southampton in the Premier League.
An academy product of famous Argentine club River Plate, Lanzini’s route to the Premier League wasn’t an orthodox one, as West Ham signed him on loan from UAE-based club Al-Jazira in the summer of 2015.
He made an immediate impact in the Premier League and delivered 6 goals and 2 assists in his first season in east London, which prompted the Hammers to make his stay permanent. The 26-year-old hasn’t looked back since then and has shown the world what a wonderful player he is, establishing himself as a regular at West Ham and contributing with a total of 20 goals and 17 assists from 108 appearances for the Hammers in all competitions till date.
To put things into perspective, West Ham would strike gold by securing Manuel Lanzini’s long-term future at the London Stadium given that he is arguably one of the best players in their ranks at the moment. In fact, a player of his calibre would easily fit into any top European club and few would deny that he has all the qualities to excel in the UEFA Champions League.
He is currently playing for an underachieving side and West Ham should recognise that by offering him a lucrative long-term deal. Had it not been for the long-term injury, Lanzini would have been a man in demand last summer.
Looking at things from another perspective, it is indispensable for West Ham to hold on to Lanzini for the foreseeable future as a part of their long-term project under Pellegrini. The Chilean favours a more aesthetic style of football which requires players with good technical abilities and high levels of footballing IQ.
Lanzini has both in abundance and Felipe Anderson is probably the only other player at the club who can match the Argentinian’s brilliance. The 26-year-old has struggled with injuries this season but he has always been a sure starter and a wonderful asset to the team when fit and running.
Known for his wonderful range of passing, incredible vision, lightning pace, quick acceleration and mesmerizing dribbling skills, Lanzini is not only about goals and assists but a player of his class is capable of making a difference just by being on the pitch and getting involved in the game.
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If West Ham are to close the gap on the top-six and eventually make a return to Europe, they would need Lanzini to stay at the club and work his magic. That said, they should do anything and everything to make him sign a new deal.
