Former West Ham United striker Dean Ashton has criticised Hammers winger Felipe Anderson and doesn’t believe he’s good enough for a move to Real Madrid.
Sky Sports reported last month that the former Lazio man was on Madrid’s radar were they to miss out on Chelsea man Eden Hazard, who earns £225,000-a-week (Source: Spotrac), this summer Hammers favourite Ashton, however, doesn’t believe that the 25-year-old is in the same league as the Belgian.
“I don’t think he’s that good,” he told the Daily Express. “He’s done very well at West Ham, especially in the first half of the season. He’s been OK in the second half, in which he hasn’t had the same number of goals and assists.
“If you’re comparing him to Hazard I don’t think there’s really any comparison. But, give it another year or two at West Ham, I think he could prove to be a top player. He’s showed that he’s got all the qualities to be.”
OPINION
It’s hard to argue with Ashton’s stance, here. Anderson is a good player, there’s no doubt about that, but he’s done nothing to show that he’s good enough to play for Madrid or to be viewed as a viable alternative to Hazard. The Chelsea man is simply streets ahead of the Hammers star, and even the most die hard West Ham fan would have to agree with that. What Ashton says about Anderson’s second half of the season is also true. The Brazilian hasn’t done anywhere near as well since the turn of the year, with no real performance sticking out since we moved into 2019. He had a good Christmas period, but since then he’s been pretty average in all honesty. He needs time, of course, and he’ll be better next year no matter what after a campaign spent getting used to English football. However, if he did make the move to Madrid he would be quickly found out as being just a notch below the level required to find success at that most demanding of footballing institutions.
