West Ham United have endured a difficult opening to the new campaign under Manuel Pellegrini, and growing speculation concerning Marko Arnautovic’s future is doing nothing to boost the mood at the London Stadium.
Promises of a revitalised West Ham side characterised by free-flowing attacking football and positive results have, largely, been well short of the mark. Felipe Anderson has shown immense promise in sporadic bursts, Jack Wilshere’s glass legs have failed him again and Issa Diop has been a revelation in central defence, and the varying successes of West Ham’s summer signings are rather indicative of how the season is going.
Typically unpredictable and frustrating, Pellegrini’s side have fallen into a familiar pattern which persisted last season: relying heavily on Arnautovic.
The Austria international is a menace at the spearhead of the attack, but at 29-year-old he is running out of time at the top level, so it would be no surprise if a club boasting the prospect of Champions League football lure him away from east London before the end of next summer.
But he is not the only player who West Ham may be forced to offload in the next twelve months if Pellegrini fails to inspire his side on a march up the Premier League table, as Manuel Lanzini is a player who has hinted that he is destined to compete at the very top level with his performances since joining the club permanently in 2016 for a fee of £10.8 million.
The Argentina international’s prolonged absence through injury has been a huge blow for Pellegrini this season, and he will be eagerly anticipating the opportunity to work with him when he eventually recovers from his cruciate ligament problem.
Naturally, Lanzini will have to power through an awkward adjustment period in which form and fitness are bound to elude him at times, but once he manages to re-establish himself in the starting eleven he will become a pivotal cog in Pellegrini’s machine.
The hint of spark, guile and flair which Lanzini could provide in abundance has been missing from West Ham’s midfield this season, and the sooner that returns the better.
Lanzini has seen his Transfermarkt value rise to £18 million since he joined the club – a fact which proves David Gold and David Sullivan will be in a position to command a significant profit in the future.
That value will certainly be some way short of the mark if Lanzini performs at the level he is capable of upon his return, but that is the only minor consolation the Hammers faithful will be able to take if he is snapped up by a European rival.
It remains to be seen how quickly Lanzini will be able to return to his best but, on the assumption that he will be firing by the end of the season, there is no doubt West Ham will have a hard time keeping him at the club.
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