Anderson aims to fire up West Ham
Brazilian hopes to repay club’s faith in him after record £36m move from Lazio, reports Sam Dean
They have never lacked for cult heroes at West Ham United, a club known as much for its great individuals as for its collective success. Their names are scattered across the West Ham history books, from Bobby Moore to Billy Bonds, Sir Trevor Brooking to Paolo Di Canio, Julian Dicks to Carlos Tevez and all those in between.
The latest candidate to join the list is Felipe Anderson, a bushy-haired Brazilian who arrives in London with the expectation — both from himself and from the fans — of being the club’s new “protagonist”.
At a cost of £36million, a clubrecord fee, Anderson is the most exciting of seven arrivals in a summer of change at the London Stadium, where new manager Manuel Pellegrini has been handed control of the club chequebook. The size of the fee for Anderson, whom Pellegrini had wanted to sign during his time at Manchester City, is a telling indication of the club’s faith in both manager and player. “Obviously it is a big responsibility,” says Anderson, who yesterday scored in a pre-season victory over Ipswich Town. “It shows that the club believes in me.”
With responsibility comes pressure, but Anderson is no stranger to scrutiny. He made his debut for Santos in Brazil at the age of 17 and played 65 games for the club, many of them alongside Neymar, before he had reached his 20th birthday. In Brazil, he is sometimes known as “Neymar’s little brother”.
“I was at Santos when there were lots of big players,” he says. “I have played at big clubs. That allows me to leave the pressure behind.”
A move to Lazio in 2013 provided the first cultural and tactical test for an attacking midfielder who had spent his childhood, like so many other Brazilian technicians, cultivating his skills on dirt pitches and cobbled streets. He initially struggled with the language and ballooned in weight because the only food he could ask for was spaghetti carbonara. Soon, though, he wised up, leaned out and began to demonstrate his speed on the pitch.
“Everyone says that I have the ability to be the protagonist in whichever team I am playing for,” Anderson says. “My game is about dribbling, but I also want to concentrate on the team aspects of the game – marking, regaining possession.”
Any West Ham fans wondering what type of player to expect this season will be pleased to hear that Anderson has modelled himself on three of the finest Brazilian forwards of the modern era.
“I always watched Kaka, because of his technical ability, his speed and his improvisation on the ball,” Anderson says. “Now I like to watch Neymar because of the way he dribbles, the way he just goes towards goal and attacks. And also Willian, too. I look at all these players and take the best they offer, and try to put it into my game.”
Whether he is able to flourish quite so artfully as Neymar and Kaka is another question. Anderson knows a more rugged defence in the Premier League may not take too kindly to a playbook of stepovers and back-heels.
“I understand that this league is very different to Italy, which is more technically and tactically-based,” he says. “People use a lot of strength here, a lot of force. I have been watching that and I am going to play above it. I am fast. I am going to use my intelligence.”
For all the excitement about Anderson’s arrival, there was also a little surprise. In recent years the 25-year-old has been strongly linked with moves to Champions League clubs such as Barcelona and Manchester United, but his stock was affected by a difficult final campaign in Rome. Injury kept Anderson out of action from August to December, and he made only nine starts in the league all season. He also had a spat with his manager, Simone Inzaghi, and was sent to train with the reserves in February.
“When I was out injured there were players that kept playing well,” Anderson says. “Even when I returned and was at top form, the manager decided to stay with the other players. I respected that. Obviously when the opportunity arose to come here, that made me really happy.”
On Anderson’s arm is a tattoo of the Olympic rings, a reminder of the gold medal he won at Rio 2016, when Brazil exacted a minor form of revenge on Germany two years after their 7-1 thrashing in the World Cup semi-final. “It was a dream for Brazil,” Anderson says. “Until now, that was my high point.”
There will be more highlights to come, and more targets to reach. “My dream was always to be the best player in the world. Now I am playing here, where I always dreamed of playing, and I want to show my value in one of the best leagues in the world.”
‘I was at Santos with big players and have played at big clubs. That allows me to leave pressure behind’