West Ham’s marquee record signing Felipe Anderson arrives from Lazio full of confidence. Anderson is yet to make his mark in the Premier League, but once he is up and running – Nobody can stop him.
Felipe Anderson arrives in London after spending five years in Rome with Lazio. During his time there, he has had many ups and downs, hot streaks and period where he was left out of the team. Despite of the odd struggles, Felipe Anderson has maintained consistency with his performance.
Manuel Pellegrini knows he has signed a weenie in Felipe Anderson – someone who will drag the team forward, someone who will fight till the last minute and someone who will establish himself as fan favorite in no time.
Felipe Anderson made his first appearance for West Ham in pre-season fixture against Aston Villa where the Brazilian combined with Arthur Masuaku to set up the second goal as the Hammers’ won comfortably with a 3–1 margin. Anderson made his Premier League debut against Liverpool in the opening match-day as West Ham were thrashed 4-0 by the Reds.
Felipe was far from impressive against Liverpool and it was quite clear – The Brazilian was surprised by Liverpool’s and Premier League’s pace. It was followed by a decent performance against Bournemouth as West Ham were bottled at home.
The Brazilian superstar is yet to mark his arrival in England and West Ham next face Unai Emery’s Arsenal. Unai Emery will need to keep Anderson quite as the Spaniard looks to mark his first Premier League win at Emirates on Saturday.
Felipe Anderson is principally known for his pace, he is regarded as one of the fastest players in the modern game. He is a quick and intelligent dribbler, though not being up to the mark physically or in the air but you would forget every weakness he possesses when you see him dribble. He is a versatile forward who can be deployed in the midfield as well as on the flanks and is highly known for his skills and work rate complemented by creating and scoring goals.
“People say I have the capability to be a protagonist in whichever team I play for and I believe that,” says Anderson, speaking through an interpreter. “My game is dribbling but I also want to concentrate on the team aspects of the game, whether that be marking or regaining possession. I want to do whatever is necessary for the team but then also to stand out in my own right.”
Felipe is deployed on the right flank for West Ham United and is expected to come up against Nacho Monreal supported by Alex Iwobi when West Ham plays Arsenal. Iwobi has to make sure he holds to Anderson in the defence. Monreal is an experienced head and Anderson will have to be on the front foot for every chance he gets.
Considering the vulnerability of Arsenal’s defence, Felipe Anderson may just be in for a treat. With his dribbles and intelligence, he is a threat which can pay dividends for West Ham. We have seen Arsenal having problems with pace and intelligent dribblers in Eden Hazard and Leroy Sane and Anderson may just be another addition to that category.