Sky Sports pundit Steve Howey has been left raving over West Ham’s £35million signing of Felipe Anderson in the summer as he calls the Brazilian maestro “a bargain” for the Irons.
The Hammers splashed an eight figure fee on signing the 25-year-old from Lazio in the summer and he has gone on to dazzle the east London faithful with eight Premier League goals, including two against Southampton on Thursday evening.
Speaking about the Hammers’ recent form, Howey insisted it has a brilliant turn of fortunes for Manuel Pellegrini and his side, insisting that Anderson looks worth every penny.
He told Sky Sports News’ Football Centre (28/12, 10:35): “It’s fantastic. I mean look, they have spent quite a bit of money.
“On that man there Felipe Anderson, £35million looking liking a bargain, he’s very, very good, two quality goals (v Southamton).
“It’s a fantastic run (of form), it was a difficult start for them and you could see the moans and groans from the fans.”
Opinion
There were no doubt a lot of people scratching their heads when the Hammers splashed out such a vast amount of money on Anderson but there will be very few doubters now. He has looked like an inspired signing by Pellegrini, bringing his brand of attacking flair to dazzle the London Stadium. The fact that the Irons are soaring up the Premier League table with the amount of injuries they have suffered is quite remarkable and a lot of that comes down to the performances of the men up front, led by Anderson. If he was to be struck down by any sort of setback then the West Ham faithful would be really worried about where their cutting edge is going to come from, and that perhaps is the biggest issue facing Pellegrini right now. Still, he is fit and firing on all cylinders and the Hammers will be hoping he can keep up his form. Otherwise, they could well find themselves floundering once again.