[ad_pod ]

Sky Sports journalist Gerard Brand has picked West Ham United’s club-record man Felipe Anderson as the Premier League 2018/2019 summer signing of the season in a collaboration with fellow writers.

What did he say?

The Brazilian international hooked up with new manager Manuel Pellegrini at London Stadium last summer, signing for a fee of £36 million from Lazio.

At the time, the deal had many doubters, mainly from those who watched him in Serie A and consistency seemed to be the biggest worry surrounding the Anderson move for members of the Claret & Blue Army.

However, fast forward the best part of a year and after a sluggish start, the number 11 is a firm fan favourite in east London for his goals, assists and general flare, even breaking back into the Brazil squad.

“Though he’s not a like-for-like replacement for Dimitri Payet, Felipe Anderson certainly has Hammers fans off their seats like the Frenchman did. The Brazilian was slow to start, but then chipped in with seven goals in nine games in November and December, and there’s a clear reason why Real Madrid are thought to be planning a move for the 25-year-old if they fail to land Eden Hazard. He may not have scored in 2019, but Anderson still remains a huge threat for West Ham; his running off the ball creates space for others and often goes unnoticed, and his statistics are up there with the best. He’s ranked in the Premier League top 10 for chances created, final third passes, dribbles, through-balls and tackles.”

Anderson’s been amazing, but best signing is a stretch

While Anderson has impressed hugely in his first term in English football, exceeding many expectations and attracting unlikely interest, signing of last summer is a little bit of a stretch.

At times, the attacker’s performances have been wide of the mark and he has gone missing for large periods for the Irons, take his goalless year so far – he’s just not been consistent enough to warrant this kind of accolade.

Check out Playmaker FC’s Tom Skinner’s unfiltered take on Wayne Rooney’s England legacy in the video below…

There’s plenty of room for improvement for the 25-year-old and whilst his first campaign in Claret & Blue has been a success, it just hasn’t matched the 2018/2019 of fellow summer arrivals such as Liverpool’s Alisson.