If reports in Italy are to be believed, Napoli are ready to cut their losses on Mexican star Hirving Lozano, with the PL being cited as Chucky’s next destination. The winger has struggled to adapt to life in Serie A and the Partenopei are keen on a replacement, with former Lazio winger Felipe Anderson being rumoured as one of their targets. That could potentially allow for a swap deal between West Ham and Napoli, should the Hammers be open to the idea of selling one of their prized players.
Lozano broke a number of transfer records when he moved to Naples from PSV last summer- he was Napoli’s most expensive signing, PSV’s biggest ever sale and also the costliest ever Mexican football player at the time of the switch. However he hasn’t quite lived up to expectations at Stadio San Paolo.
Despite scoring on his league debut against Juve, Lozano only has two league goals to show for his efforts after 16 top flight appearances this season. A grand sum of three goals from 28 appearances across all competitions is perhaps not what Napoli expected from their star summer signing, and gaffer Gennaro Gattuso is probably of the opinion that they need fresh reinforcements next season if they are to seriously challenge the likes of Juve and Inter and do better in Europe.
Anderson is a curious case. He was excellent during his first season at West Ham, but hasn’t quite been able to replicate those performances this year. The inconsistency shown by the likes of the Brazilian and Manuel Lanzini saw them move from almost certain first team starters to the bench, with the likes of Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen now preferred by manager David Moyes. Bowen, a winter window signing from Hull, has been quite good so far, and unlike Anderson, doesn’t shirk his defensive responsibilties.
However despite his flaws, Anderson is proven PL quality- he has shown in his debut season that he has what it takes to succeed at this level. Moyes might prefer to stick with him and hope he comes good rather than taking a chance on Lozano, who is talented, but unproven outside the Eredivisie. If you feel that Anderson will continue to be in the PL, don’t forget to use the newslotsite.org.uk site before wagering on the Brazilian’s future destination. He is currently contracted to the Hammers till the end of the 21/22 season.
West Ham aren’t short on wingers- Anderson, Antonio, Bowen, Andriy Yarmolenko, Robert Snodgrass and Manuel Lanzini have all played for them in that position at one or the other time this season, but no one has really nailed down that spot, with injuries and/or lack of form affecting virtually every player this season, and that’s been one of the reasons why the Hammers are so low down in the league table despite spending heavily in the last two transfer windows.
Lozano can play on the left wing (Anderson’s primary position), and is younger than the Brazilian, so if he does succeed in the league, much like his former PSV team mate Steven Bergwijn has done at Spurs, it could well end up as a transfer masterstroke. But on current form, Anderson is probably more valuable than the Mexican, which means Napoli might need to do a player plus cash swap if they want the Brazilian. Another alternative being touted for Lozano is Everton, which will re-unite him with Carlo Ancelotti, the manager who originally signed him at Napoli, but now manages the Toffees.