Having completed the season-long loan signing of highly-rated Al Jazira and Argentina U20 international attacking midfielder Manuel Lanzini, we spoke with Ed Malyon of the Mirror who told us all about the potential Hammer.
Manuel Lanzini is set to join West Ham on loan – what type of player will we be getting?
A talented one, but one who is dreadfully inconsistent and has never really strung together that many performances – even at the comparatively low level of the Argentine Primera.
Looking at the stats, Lanzini enjoyed a decent first season with Al Jazira, why would they look to offload him so soon?
He only ever moved there as a stepping stone to Europe. His loan spell at Fluminense could have been that but he didn’t perform well enough for them to activate the US$15million release clause.
MORE: South American football writer Sam Kelly shares his views exclusively with us about Manuel Lanzini.
How was Lanzini rated in Argentina before his move to the UAE?
He was always in Lamela’s shadow. The two were of a similar position and similar age in the River team that would eventually be relegated in historic fashion, but Lamela was the undoubted star.
Would he really play a role in the first-team for West Ham, considering their increasing options in his position?
I find it hard to see him playing week-in, week-out in the Premier League. He doesn’t really have a defensive work rate and would need the formation built around him to accommodate him.
In the Premier League you’d expect a manager to maybe play him wide but that’s not really his game and I fear he’ll end up on the bench playing 20 minutes here and there and failing to settle.
In one sentence, tell us what to expect from ‘La Joya’?
Flashes of brilliance to excite fans but nothing substantial in the long or even medium-term.
