West Ham appear to have signed a brilliant replacement for Manuel Lanzini.
Felipe Anderson has really impressed for West Ham so far, despite the team losing three out of their four games.
It’s been a summer of change at the London Stadium, with lots of new faces coming through the door.
The Brazilian Olympic gold medal-winner though has looked like the best acquisition, having featured in every game so far for the Hammers.
The 25-year-old, who cost £41.5 million to sign from Lazio, has shown great speed, creativity and skill.
His capture appears to have softened the blow of losing Lanzini somewhat, with the Argentinian ace out for the forseeable.
An ample replacement
Anderson and Lanzini look to be very similar players.
Lanzini is technically very good, and is great at working the ball in tight spaces and using his vision.
Anderson is also very handy with the ball at his feet, and has shown he can play those same through balls that Lanzini likes.
What’s more Anderson can operate anywhere in the attacking areas. Lanzini can also be creative on the wing or from central positions.
Could Anderson become the next Payet?
It’s only natural to compare players to Payet.
The Frenchman was probably one of the best natural talents the club has ever seen.
It’s obviously very early doors but Anderson could well get somewhere near the bar set by Payet.
There’s a slight difference between the two in that, Payet at times made the game look very easy, whereas Anderson appears to be more industrious.
Comparison between Anderson and Payet are probably a stretch at this point, but he can certainly replace Lanzini.
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