Why West Ham should hold on to Felipe Anderson amidst Napoli interest
As per Corriere Dello Sport (h/t Evening Standard), Napoli are interested in signing West Ham forward Felipe Anderson in the summer.
Anderson, 26, made a name for himself with Lazio while making 177 appearances for the Italian outfit. His impressive record of 34 goals and 37 assists earned him a move to the Premier League with West Ham in the summer of 2018.
He became a key player under Manuel Pellegrini last season featuring in all but 2 league games, racking up 9 goals and 4 assists and helping the Hammers survive relegation. However, this term, he hasn’t contributed much while the London side have endured a poor campaign.
West Ham’s poor run of form earlier in the campaign saw Manuel Pellegrini lose his job and David Moyes returned for his second stint as the club’s manager. On his arrival, they started on a high note, beating Southampton 4-0 but they have failed to build on it.
The Hammers are currently 16th in the league table, level on points with relegation-threatened Bournemouth and are at risk of falling into the Championship if they don’t do better in the remainder of the campaign.
The attacking unit has not been at its best and that is one of the major reasons why the Hammers have failed to live up to the expectations. Sebastien Haller is their top scorer with just 8 goals followed by Robert Snodgrass netting 5. Swiss international Albian Ajeti hasn’t yet opened his account, thus resulting in the team’s failure.
Wingers Michail Antonio, Andriy Yarmalenko, Snodgrass and Anderson also haven’t been at the top of their game. Moyes had to bring in Jarrod Bowen from Hull City in January, with the youngster forcing his way into the starting XI. However, with the lack of form and quality in the squad, Anderson should be kept hold at the London Stadium.
Though the Brazilian has not been at his best, he proved to be a good signing last season and has also contributed with 4 assists and 1 goal this term in 22 league games. It is only a matter of time before he gets back to his brilliance and West Ham should give him time.
He has proven his worth with Lazio and has been a top player in the past few years and with his experience, he has what it takes to be a key player for Moyes’ side regardless of their league status in the next season.
Read more
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- Why West Ham should sign Yussuf Poulsen to bolster their attack
- Why West Ham need Franck Kessie to bring stability to their midfield
Verdict
At 26, Anderson still has a lot more to offer at a higher level and once he regains form, he would be unstoppable, given his qualities and potential. He is one of the most important players in the side and hence, West Ham should avoid any temptation to offload him, amid interest from the Serie A side and keep Anderson in London.
