Manuel Lanzini arrived at West Ham United back in 2015 for an initial year-long loan spell for the 2015/16 season from Al Jazira Club and immediately shone in East London for his temporary employers.
The Argentine attacker struck on his club debut in the Europa League against minnows Astra Giurgiu, shining despite a 2-1 defeat in that maiden outing. He then bagged the opening goal in an eventual shock 3-0 Premier League triumph over Liverpool, as he continued to prove his class upon taking to then home ground of Upton Park.
Lanzini finished his first campaign for the Hammers with seven goals in all competitions across 31 appearances, with his form seeing West Ham pounce for his signature on a permanent basis that following summer.
There had been an option in place for the English capital club to snap the South American upon a permanent deal if he had shown his worth in the top-flight, and they didn’t hesitate in doing as he put pen to paper on such a move in July 2016.
Lanzini went on to bag eight goals in 39 outings on all fronts during his first season a permanent Hammers midfielder in 2016/17, but his impressive showings have faded this current campaign as the club as a whole have struggled massively.
Such an awful run of form and fortunes saw Slaven Bilic axed from the hot seat at their new home of the Olympic Stadium, while former Manchester United managerial flop David Moyes was chosen to take the Croatian’s place at the helm.
The Hammers have enjoyed a slight revival in form and fortunes domestically since the arrival of Moyes at the club and they are now seen as 6/1 outsiders in the Premier League live betting markets to be relegated.
Lanzini has previously been a constantly reliable player for the Hammers but his showings began to fade dramatically throughout this term and he was earlier banned in the Premier League after diving.
He is still key to West Ham’s attack- the Hammers’ midfield looks shorn of attacking threat when he doesn’t play, and the recent fixture against Newcastle when he was suspended was a classic example. West Ham lost that game 3-2 with Obiang and Kouyate struggling in the centre of the park, but many West Ham fans, this blogger included, reckoned that they would’ve ended on the right side of the scoreline had Lanzini and Noble been playing.
Given his talent, the Argentina has long been linked with a departure from the east Londoners, with Tottenham Hotspur being the key Premier League outfit linked with his future services.
It’s unclear whether the 24 year old will jump ship and depart during the January transfer window but Spurs are believed to be on the lookout for new boosts to their squad, and a Lanzini swoop could be on the cards. Liverpool are another club said to be linked with him, with the Reds now flush with funds following star playmaker Philippe Coutinho’s transfer to Barcelona.
It may be worth retaining him beyond January but next summer Moyes may look to offload the sought-after midfielder and cash in for the big fee, providing they are still a top-tier club by that time.
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