Lazio’s Felipe Anderson is heavily linked with a move to West Ham – but would they be better off waiting for the World Cup to finish?
The World Cup has an enormous effect on the transfer window, changing just about everything about how things are usually done.
Getting your deals done quickly? That’s not possible when half the players want to wait until after the tournament. And perhaps you’ve spent months scouting the ideal man – only for someone to really catch your eye at the World Cup and change your strategy immediately.
And so football’s grandest stage ignites the transfer merry-go-round with rocket fuel, making potential deals appear in an instant as players need offloading.
No team is better suited for that than West Ham United.
Having already showed their ambition with the appointment of Manuel Pellegrini as manager, the Hammers also find themselves wanting a rebuild of sorts.
An attacking, respected manager at a Premier League side with a large stadium is a very attractive proposition for any player and especially those seeking first-team football at that level.
Be it a World Cup gem or a player being moved on from a bigger club, West Ham can attract the players they want with little worry that they can fit them in.
And if that is the case, is the club making a mistake by rushing through with a move for Felipe Anderson? The Brazilian isn’t at the tournament thus shouldn’t see his fee or availability change as a result – but it would prevent West Ham from potentially picking up new targets should they become available.
If Anderson is the player they desperately want, then it’s the right move, but the Hammers might be better served to wait – you never know what might fall into your lap.
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