West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini identified Lazio winger Felipe Anderson as one of his top targets when he took the helm at the London Stadium, but a deal for the Brazilian is still yet to go through.
Even though the east London outfit are ready to smash their transfer record to bring him to the English capital, the two clubs still haven’t agreed a fee for him and the Chilean boss may well be considering moving on to other targets if the Serie A side aren’t willing to play ball, or continue to be difficult to negotiate with.
While the 25-year-old may try to push the matter by handing in a transfer request, there are plenty of other marquee signings that Pellegrini may feel he is able to buy if the owners are willing to back him again.
With just five weeks until the transfer window closes, time is of the essence in the market this summer and the Hammers should end this saga now because of the lack of progress, and turn their attentions elsewhere.
Here are three wingers West Ham should sign in a big-money deal instead of Anderson…
If West Ham do pull out of a deal for Anderson, they should consider launching a huge offer for PSV Eindhoven winger Hirving Lozano after he enjoyed an outstanding campaign for the Eredivisie outfit, before he shone for his country at the 2018 World Cup.
The 22-year-old scored 19 goals and provided a further 11 assists in 34 appearances in all competitions in his debut campaign with PSV, and his pace, skill and finishing ability was also present in Russia when he found the net in the 1-0 win against Germany.
Mexican media outlet Record reported last month that Lozano could be available for €35m (£31m), but that may well have risen following his World Cup displays.
Sky Sports reported on Sunday that West Ham had launched a £27m bid for Nice attacker Alassane Plea, and whether that is true or not it would suggest there is interest in the versatile Frenchman from the Irons.
If they could get him for around that fee he would almost certainly be cheaper than Anderson, and with a record of 21 goals and seven assists in 49 appearances in all competitions for the Ligue 1 outfit last term, he would add something in the final third for Manuel Pellegrini’s men.
While he largely played as a striker for Nice last season, he has often played on the wing previously during his career and with a potential battle against Javier Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic for a centre-forward spot at the London Stadium, he could find himself out wide again.
The Frenchman is another player that could come at a big cost this summer following an outstanding Ligue 1 campaign, but he could be a worthwhile purchase for West Ham out wide given his impressive statistics.
The 25-year-old scored 26 goals and provided a further 18 assists in 54 appearances in all competitions for Marseille last term from out wide on the right, and while he struggled during a spell with Newcastle United previously he looks to have matured and improved significantly since then.
Do you agree, Irons fans? Let us know below.
