Xande Silva set for first team involvement after West Ham rebuff loan inquiries
West Ham’s Xande Silva got his first senior start for West Ham in the FA Cup, after shining at U23 level. Could he be set for more first team chances?
Bringing youth through has always been something West Ham have taken pride in, and the Hammers have a few players making their way through. Grady Diangana has shown how useful he can be as a squad player, and it looks as though Xande Silva is set for his chance at the squad.
The Hammers have a number of young players out on loan looking to prove themselves, such as Marcus Browne, Martin Samuelsen and Toni Martinez, but there are inherent risks when you are not in control of the playing time. Despite receiving a number of offers Pellegrini does not want Silva going out on loan, and it’s only safe to assume that he will get time with the first team.
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According to Football London the Irons have recieved a number of offers for the Portuguese attacker since he joined the East London club, his initial appearances and goals for the U23’s drawing a lot of interest from lower league clubs. But the plan was always to use him as a rotation option, and Pellegrini is sticking to it.
With Anderson nailing down the left wing place and Snodgrass and Diangana playing well in the right wing spot vacated by the injured Yamolenko it will be harder for Silva to make his impact, because he enjoys playing wing roles more than as an out an out striker. However his physical attributes should lend themselves to an effective player anywhere across the front 3.
Given Snodgrass’ technical ability I imagine it will be Diangana that Silva will be competing with most directly, because they offer similar things. But his versatility could also mean that when Anderson is looking fatigued or ineffective in that game, Silva may be called upon for something different.
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Either way, I am excited to see what Silva can bring to the Hammers. He is a young exciting forward who has many clubs interested in his future. Can he fulfil his potential? Can Pellegrini help him show the West Ham faithful what he has?