Manuel Lanzini officially signed for West Ham today on a season-long loan deal from UAE club Al-Jazira.
Nicknamed ‘The Jewel’, Lanzini is certainly a luxury player. His natural ability adds further strength in depth to an attacking midfield that already boasts some talented players.
At just 22-years-old, Lanzini still has a lot of potential and if Slaven Bilic can nurture it properly, the Hammers could have one hell of a player on their hands.
With the departure of Stewart Downing, the Irons needed to compensate for the England international’s exit and Lanzini is the type of quick, energetic player that could replace Downing if the Argentine performs well.
The former River Plate star will be desperate to impress but Payet’s presence may see his starting opportunities limited. However, here are some formations that include both new signings:
This attacking trio carries a lot of skill and creativity that a player that Diafra Sakho could thrive off. This particular formation is similar to the system Slaven Bilic deployed at Besiktas and it would not be a surprise if the Croatian tries to implement the system into his new West Ham side.
Amalfitano is naturally a wide player and although Lanzini likes to operate in a central position, he certainly has the skill and ability to cause problems in wide areas too. Dimitri Payet is the key central attacking figure who can slot into the space created by the other two attackers.
At times last season, the Sakho and Valencia partnership was the stuff of dreams. Add two tricky playmakers in behind and that’s surely a recipe for chances galore.
Although the formation suggests a wider approach for both Payet and Lanzini, Sakho and Valencia were more than committed to running the channels last season. That would allow the two playmakers to occasionally ‘fill in’, encouraging more of a rotational attack. It would need to take a lot of work for something like this to be successful but it’s a great thought nonetheless.
This is like your kid tucking into too much chocolate at Easter and throwing it up everywhere, if you know what I mean. Yep, this attack screams overindulgence (the midfield would have to sit very deep) but it is certainly something that can be deployed if the Hammers are chasing the game.
Zarate would naturally slot into more of an advanced position behind the striker (Sakho in this case) and would link up with both Payet and Lanzini. This is probably something suited more for a game of Fifa than an actual Premier League match but still, it shows West Ham’s abundance of skill and creative options going forward.
What’s your favourite formation? Is it impossible to accommodate two very similar players? Is Lanzini a good signing? Comment below
