Former Sunderland and Tottenham striker Darren Bent believes West Ham manager David Moyes needs to sell Felipe Anderson due to his inconsistent performances since his signing in the 2018 summer transfer window.
He was a key signing for former boss Manuel Pellegrini, joining for £36 million from Serie A side Lazio (BBC Sport). In his time at the club the winger has played 64 times, providing ten assists and scoring eleven goals, per Transfermarkt, but he has struggled this season. Recently, he has been named on the bench for the Hammers in their last couple of Premier League matches.
According to the Mirror, the east London outfit will listen to offers for the 26-year-old in the summer transfer window and Italian outfit Napoli are interested in taking him.
Speaking to Football Insider about the player, Bent indicated that he thinks the Hammers should sell: “I think it might be time for West Ham to cut their losses on him. I’ve been a big Felipe Anderson fan for a long time now, but he’s too inconsistent.
“There are too many five out of 10s instead of nine out of 10s. We know that he’s got the ability to be at least an eight out of 10 every single week without fail, but for whatever reason he doesn’t really do it. It’s not good enough.
“If you can command a big fee for him I’d be inclined to let him go.”
It’s hard to disagree with Bent, this season the winger has been very inconsistent, managing only one goal and four assists in 21 appearances, per WhoScored, and averaging only one shot on target per game. He is also dispossessed on average 1.2 times per game.
In addition, the Brazilian has a huge price tag behind him, so he has added pressure from the fanbase to perform and, if he continues performing in a similar fashion it will be best for the club to recoup as much for the winger as possible. This gives opportunities to other players like Jarrod Bowen, who has already matched Anderson’s goal tally this campaign despite only making four appearances, per Transfermarkt.
It will be interesting to see what the Hammers do during the summer transfer window but it would be a good move for the club because he is not performing and they can use the money they get for him to strengthen their squad. It would also be beneficial for Anderson who has lacked confidence this season as shown by his statistics. A move may give him the fresh start he needs to perform at his best.
West Ham fans, what are your thoughts on selling Felipe Anderson?
