Felipe Anderson possesses the flair to set the Premier League alight, according to tactical expert and former Arsenal midfielder Adrian Clarke.
Writing on premierleague.com, Clarke’s verdict is that the Hammers have made one of the most exciting acquisitions of the summer transfer window after breaking their club record fee to bring the Brazilian to east London.
Anderson’s dribbling stats had him out in front of everyone in Serie A last term – and his six completed runs per game were only beaten by Eden Hazard and Neymar in the whole of Europe – leaving Clarke in little doubt that he can transfer his considerable talents to the English top flight.
He said: “Felipe Anderson is a creative attacking midfielder who is skillful and extremely quick, especially when accelerating from a standing start.
“The Brazilian is an expert at surging past his markers with explosive bursts of pace.
“Anderson has all the attributes you would normally associate with a winger, but does not like to be restricted to one position.
“While previous managers have tried him out on the flanks, Anderson’s best performances have almost exclusively come as a No 10 behind the striker.
“In that free role the Brazilian will receive passes on the half-turn in pockets of space, or drift wide to take on opposing full-backs.”
Clarke also believes that dynamism will make him very difficult to defend against this season.
He added: “The 25-year-old will also make forward runs beyond the strikers.
“For Lazio last season he frequently used his pace to break through and create one-on-ones with goalkeepers.
“It is an attribute that he showed in scoring his first West Ham goal in a friendly win over Ipswich Town on Saturday.
"Premier League defenders will find the hardworking Anderson an unpredictable and evasive opponent."
Adrian Clarke analyses more of the Premier League’s summer transfers here