West Ham Attackers Deep and Dangerous

Manuel Pellegrini made dangerous attackers a priority in his first transfer window with West Ham. Scouring Europe’s top leagues, Pellegrini has introduces some elite talent to front-load the West Ham attack in hopes of rocketing them up the table for 2017/18.

looking at the players brought in to fill the role of attacking midfielder or winger (excluding strikers) it is clear that West Ham is currently spoiled for options. What dictated a heavier focus on attackers was the untimely injury to Manuel Lanzini at his World Cup training camp.

The knee injury incurred at the Argentinian camp will keep Lanzini out until at least January 2019 which meant Pellegrini and Husillos, his director of football, had to get to work early. Two players who eased their managers search with their play in preseason are Michail Antonio and Robert Snodgrass.

Antonio missed from April to the end of last season with a hamstring injury but returned from injury in fine form. Antonio has featured prominently in the preseason teams Pellegrini has put forward playing as a left winger, right winger, attacking midfielder, and secondary striker.

His pace and strength are his biggest assets on the pitch, bullying opposition with his size and exposing them with his speed. When fit Antonio is a beast, however, Crystal Palace was close to buying him this transfer window to offer some pace for Zaha to play with.

West Ham fended off their offer after Antonio impressed in preseason as Pellegrini wants to continue to watch him, reevaluating a potential transfer in January. Alongside Antonio, Robert Snodgrass’ return to East London has provided a reliable squad option for the attacking midfield role.

Coming off of an extremely productive season with Aston Villa on loan where Snodgrass scored eight goals and added thirteen assists, the Scotish winger/forward has kept up his form under Pellegrini. He scored in West Ham’s 3-1 win over Villa this preseason and added a beautiful assist against FSV Mainz for a Toni Martinez goal in the Betway Cup.

He has had a tumultuous past with the club but appears to have moved on from his first spell with the team. In both the 4-2-2-2 and 4-2-3-1 formations Pellegrini has used this preseason Snodgrass has offered solid support of the striker(s), good inside runs, accurate crosses and passes, and quality on set-piece deliveries.

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Snodgrass’ renewed vigor at West Ham has seen Villa’s attempt to sign him on loan again rebuked by Pellegrini. Instead, Snodgrass has set his sights on the heated battle for a starting position at West Ham among the European stars that have joined the side.

Borussia Dortmund winger Andriy Yarmolenko’s signing for West Ham quickly switched from a transfer rumor to an official signing. Pellegrini wanted proven European talent and got just that with his 6’2″ dribbling right winger.

Formerly of Dynamo Kyiv and Dortmund, Yarmolenko offers veteran talent and skill, providing another proven weapon for Pellegrini to form his new attack with. In 2016/17 he captained his Kyiv team in 18 Ukranian Premier Liga games, scoring 15 goals and 7 assists in 28 games.

Yarmolenko offers some long-range magic with his thunderous shot, some tricky dribbling feet, and the versatility of playing as a right winger (his natural position), a wide or central attacking midfielder, or as a striker.

Finally ,we come to the crowning jewel of West Ham’s transfer window, the club record transfer fee signee from Lazio of Serie A in Italy, Felipe Anderson. The 25-year-old Brazilian attacker was linked with West Ham as soon as Pellegrini was announced, and after some long and arduous negotiations West Ham made it official with a signing video, and we all had that Felipe feeling…

Anderson’s deal was for a whopping £33.5 million, with fees that could raise the price to around £40 million. This blew the previous club record transfer fee of £22 million for defender Issa Diop out of the water.

Pellegrini’s insistence on getting this player has caused many to get excited about his potential at West Ham. He has extreme speed and is very technically skilled with dribbles making him a terror for defenders down the wings. For Lazio, Anderson has played both left and right wing and midfield, right wingback, and attacking midfield. As well, he scored four goals and added seven assists in 21 league games last season.

Anderson missed extensive time (18 games) last season with an abductor injury which is cause for concern. However, his return to action saw him collect one goal and four assists in his first two games back, reasserting and proving himself at the top level.

Anderson scored his first goal for West Ham, a free header he won with his speed, against Ipswich in preseason play this season. He has been used a bit sparingly so far, but when he has played he has been exciting and adapting well. The left side attack of Anderson and Masuaku is mouthwatering for West Ham fans, ripe with dangling and crossing talent.

It appears that Andersen is a lock to start in any formation Pellegrini rolls out, but Antonio and Snodgrass’ form this preseason have pushed Pellegrini to consider them for starting spots as well. Yarmolenko should factor in as the early favorite for rright-wingstarter but nothing is written in stone just yet.

One thing is sure with Pellegrini’s attacking options – West Ham not have both skill and depth, a combination they have been lacking and desiring for years previous.