Former West Ham United misfit Felipe Anderson could make a move to Italian giants Juventus from Lazio just two years after bringing an end to his tough spell in the Premier League.
They say you should ‘never go back’. But Felipe Anderson’s success during an impressive second spell at Lazio is one in the eye to those who argue that retracing your steps is always destined to end in disaster.
The Brazil international earned himself a club-record £36 million move to West Ham United in 2018 after taking Serie A by storm in the capital. Since returning in 2021, meanwhile, Anderson has arguably taken his game to a whole new level.
West Ham flop could now join Juventus
Neymar’s former Santos sparring partner enjoyed his best-ever goalscoring season last term, netting 12 times under Maurizio Sarri. And his reward for a sudden return to form – Anderson putting that West Ham stint in the rearview mirror – could be a move to one of Europe’s bonafide A-list clubs. An opportunity which, at the age of 30, appeared to have past him by.
According to La Repubblica, Juventus are offering Anderson a £3.5 million-a-year deal at the Allianz Stadium. Or, if you like, £66,000-a-week.
His Lazio contract expires next summer. And, with negotiations frozen and yet to thaw, Anderson could seize the chance to make a move which would have seemed implausible when he found himself gathering cobwebs on David Moyes’ bench at the London Stadium.
Lazio ‘always believed in me’
“My first time (at Lazio), there was a year-and-a-half acclimatisation process. It wasn’t easy, but the club helped me and always believed in me,” Anderson told the UEFA Europa League magazine show in February.
““In fact, the following year was one of my best seasons.
“My return, after the experiences with West Ham and (on loan at) Porto? I benefited from and grew up in those hard moments. Whether you like it or not, you cannot separate your private life from your professional life.
“Returning to Lazio was one of the best things I’ve ever done. They really wanted me and, this time, everything is going even better.”
West Ham sold Anderson for as little as £2.5m million back in 2021.
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