Jamie Redknapp heaped praise on West Ham playmaker Felipe Anderson and claimed he could be the Hammers’ ‘X-factor’ up front now that Marko Arnautovic was no longer at the club.
The pundit revealed that he thought the Brazilian was the Hammers’ key man going into the new season during his club by club guide for the Daily Mail (Page 28 of the pullout, Saturday, August 3rd).
Aside from raving about Anderson, Redknapp did share that he’d like to see the playmaker be consistent against the sides in the bottom half of the Premier League in the upcoming season, rather than just turn it on against big clubs like Manchester United.
“Anderson is West Ham’s Brazilian star,” wrote Redknapp.
“He is that player capable of doing something different. We saw him turn it on in the big games last season, such as home and away against Manchester United.
“I’d like to see him do it consistently against the bottom-half teams who are scrapping for survival as well.
“Anderson is such a talented attacker. Another good season from him might make West Ham supporters nervous in case a big club come calling.
“Marko Arnautovic is gone, but Anderson is more than capable of providing that X-factor in attack.”
OPINION
Redknapp pinpointing Anderson as the Hammers’ key man ahead of the new season is no surprise. This is because the Brazilian showed enough of his talent last season in order to prove that he is the real deal, while leaving a little room for improvement in the upcoming campaign. Anderson scored 10 goals, while assisting five, in the 40 outings he made for the Hammers in his debut season at the London Stadium. The 26-year-old ended the campaign as the Hammers’ second-highest scorer as he averaged a goal every 311 minutes (Source: BBC Sport). Anderson also wasn’t just an attacking threat but pulled his weight defensively. The Brazilian made 88 tackles and intercepted the ball 44 times in his 36 league outings, as per the Premier League, and that is ridiculously good for an attacker. However, while Anderson’s attacking and defensive stats were impressive, he did suffer a dip in form during the season. The 26-year-old had a few disappointing displays, especially the 1-0 loss to Manchester City, near the end of 2018 and start of 2019 where his average rating fell below a 7 (Source: WhoScored).
