The Brazilian midfielder scored twice in Thursday’s 2-1 win over Southampton, giving him eight goals this season in just 19 appearances.
Felipe Anderson joined the Hammers in the summer for a club record transfer fee of 36 million euros as part of West Ham’s plan to rebuild and bring in some new players. Considering Anderson only played in Brazil for Santos FC and in Italy for Lazio prior to coming to England, it was definitely a bit of a gamble considering how much they paid for him. Safe to say that so far the 25-year old has been worth the money.
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He’s been very instrumental for West Ham this year, playing primarily on the left flank as an attacking midfielder. Anderson has netted seven times in his last nine appearances for the Hammers after scoring just once in his first twelve fixtures across all competitions to begin the season. He is slowly starting to figure out how to play tactically in England, evident by his high number of goals as of late.
His latest form has been spectacular
Anderson played wonderfully in the Hammers win over Southampton on Thursday. He was creating a ton of chances and bagged two goals with two beautifully placed strikes. Although he’s been playing on the left flank, the Brazilian often cuts into the middle with creative runs. He has blistering speed down the flank, beating most defenders strictly on quickness. His dribbling skills are also top-class, but he does tend to lose the ball too often sometimes by trying to do too much. It’s still early in the year and Anderson is still adapting to the English style of play, so with time, Manuel Pellegrini does hope that his leading goal-scorer will learn how to play more clinical.
The fact he’s scored so many goals as an attacking midfielder is very impressive though. If you look at the leading scorers in the Premier League, they are all strikers. Anderson is currently tied for seventh in goals and is the only midfielder in the top ten besides Everton’s Gylfi Sigurdsson. He has the ability to change the game at any given moment with his ability to ruthlessly finish.
West Ham currently sits in ninth place in the Premier League, and Felipe Anderson is largely to thank. Many of his goals this year have been game-winners, including his second goal on Thursday against the Saints.
If Anderson continues to improve and play at this high level, he could even see himself earn a call-up to the Brazilian national team. For now, though, all he needs to do is keep on leading West Ham offensively.
The Hammers next match will be on Sunday when they face Burnley at Turf Moor.