OPINION
West Ham United’s attack burst into life with a 3-1 destruction of Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday, as Andriy Yarmolenko hit a brace and Marko Arnautovic notched another goal.
Manuel Pellegrini favoured a fluid front three against the Toffees, with Yarmolenko and Aranutovic playing alongside club record signing Felipe Anderson.
And that system is perfect for another of this summer’s new recruits: former Vitoria de Guimaraes man Xande Silva. The Portuguese starlet arrived in East London for £1.8million, and that fee is already looking like a bargain.
The 5’8″ 21-year-old [Source: Transfermarkt] has been on fire for the Hammers U-23 side, scoring five goals and registering an assist in five games in the Premier League 2.
Capable of playing all across the front three, but particularly on the right wing, Silva would be a real asset to Pellegrini if the Chilean continues with the 4-3-3 he employed against Everton.
He is a quick, talented player with a real eye for goal, and he’s only going to get better the more regular football he receives. And the young striker is already targeting a place in the first team.
“I’m really confident at the moment,” he told the club’s official website. “I’m working hard for the team and I’ve managed to score a few goals from that.
“I want to continue with the good performances and hopefully get myself in the eye of the manager and the first team,” he finished.
It’s good for West Ham that the young winger is showing such ambition. It matches his talent, in fact. If he keeps up his current form for the U-23’s then he will certainly be featuring in the first team picture before long.
Pellegrini is clearly not convinced by his current batch of strikers, hence Arnautovic operating as the main frontman for the club in the Premier League so far.
Javier Hernandez was meant to be the main man up top last season, but he has yet to make an impact since the new manager arrived. Lucas Perez, too, has done little since he joined from Arsenal while Andy Carroll is perpetually injured.
So there is a chance for Silva to barge his way into the first team if he carries on as he’s begun at the London Stadium. Silva may be more comfortable on the wing, but he clearly has the eye to goal to operate as the lone frontman as well.
Otherwise, he could play behind Arnautovic, and alongside Yarmolenko and Anderson, in a 4-2-3-1 formation. His versatility will be important moving forward, and will make him a key player for Pellegrini before too long.
One thing is for sure: the 21-year-old has a massive future in East London, and it won’t be long before he’s terrorising Premier League defences in the claret and blue of West Ham.
