It’s fair to say West Ham did not enjoy the season many predicted for them this term, finishing the campaign perilously close to the bottom three in 16th place. Once again, David Moyes was drafted in to rescue the Irons, and the Scot succeeded in his task for the second time in three years.
Shrewdly, after the club decided to “go in a different direction” last time around, Moyes made sure he got an 18-month deal on this occasion. He’s now being given his first preseason with the Hammers and summer transfer window to make this side his own.
One Manuel Pellegrini signing who the Scot is reportedly looking to offload is Felipe Anderson, and former Premier League striker Darren Bent believes it is easy to understand why.
What did he say?
Speaking to Football Inside, Bent said: “He showed flashes at the very start where I thought: ‘Wow, they’ve got a player here’, but there have been way too many 4/10 performances.”
The former striker added: “There were times where someone like Michail Antonio might not be as pleasing on the eye as Lanzini or Felipe Anderson but at least I know 100 per cent when it comes to go to war and battle, there are going to be certain guys, like Antonio, that are going to go to war with me.”
“As far as Felipe Anderson goes, no fight, nothing. Way too many below-average performances and I’m not surprised they’re looking to offload him because he didn’t do anything for them.
“They’re going to have to take a big hit, but at the end of the day you can’t have too many of those players when they aren’t performing week in, week out,” suggested Bent.
Rapid decline
As Bent suggested, the Brazilian winger initially showed a tremendous amount of promise at the London Stadium, firing in nine goals, along with providing four assists in his debut campaign. However, this season he has experienced an incredible decline, scoring just once.
After the Premier League’s return from its hiatus, Anderson was used sparingly by Moyes, as well as being hampered by injury, and he played for just 92 minutes, further adding fuel to the fire that the 27-year-old could be on his way out.
It’s been suggested West Ham would like to see the winger fetch a fee equal to the £36m they initially paid to bring him to East London. But given his performances, this season and the impact coronavirus may have on the transfer market, it may be a challenge to find suitors at that price.
