West Ham United have endured a turgid campaign to this point, and they sit above the relegation zone on goal difference alone. Despite the most significant investment in the club’s history in the past two seasons, the expenditure has failed to yield results on the field, and one of the key underperformers has been Felipe Anderson. The flying winger arrived from Lazio in the summer of 2018 for a then club-record £34.2m, but he has not kicked on as some may have hoped at the London Stadium.
In total, he has scored ten Premier League goals for the Hammers at a strike rate of 0.17 in his 58 top-flight appearances. Nine of those goals came last term as he impressed on his debut campaign in England, but he has almost completely stalled this season, finding the back of the net just once, as per WhoScored. Worryingly for David Moyes, the 26-year-old has also missed five big chances since arriving in the Premier League, suggesting he has not been confident in front of goal. The Brazilian’s form has fallen off a cliff in the second half of the campaign especially, having not started a match in the top-flight since January, albeit owing partially to injury.
Anderson has remained more consistent with regards to creating chances for others though since arriving, providing four in each of his Premier League seasons. However, he has not been able to replicate his previous best total in Italy of providing nine goals in the 2016/17 season. The Brazilian may have remained relatively consistent but having created just eight scoring opportunities for others begs the question as to whether Anderson has been good value for money.
Not only was Anderson a record transfer when he arrived in London, but he is also the Hammers’ third-highest earner, reportedly taking home £85k a week, for a £4.4m annual salary. Given his productivity in front of goal, this season, in particular, has been so pitiful, and while he is also yet to provide more than five assists in a single campaign, it is hard to justify his price tag and wage.
Last season Anderson showed promise, but his second Premier League campaign has not gone to plan thus far and seen him side-lined of late, and based on his current performances the Brazilian is not providing the Hammers with any value for their investment.
