West Ham are reportedly one of the clubs interested in signing Porto winger Yacine Brahimi on a free when his contract expires later this month.
While it is always a positive to bring more talented players into the club, signing the Algerian could lead to competition between he and one of West Ham’s biggest current stars: Felipe Anderson.
Both of these men predominantly play on the left wing, but have also played in a more central role in the past.
With this in mind, if Brahimi was to sign it would be likely that either he or Anderson could be deployed in the attacking midfield role to ensure there is space for the pair in the lineup – with playing one on the right wing being another alternative.
Considering how much Anderson has thrived in his first season on West Ham’s left wing, it is unlikely that Manuel Pellegrini would want to disrupt his progress by changing his position.
That means it would likely be Brahimi who would be moved to the central areas, which if given the freedom, could see him create overloads on the left-hand side while drifting in and out of wide positions.
WhoScored cite dribbling as his main quality, with through balls, long shots and passing are also considered strengths; that crossing is one of his weaknesses could strengthen the case for playing him centrally when Pellegrini’s system is considered.
Though the fact that tackling is seen as very weak while defensive contributions are also a weakness could mean he needs extra cover from teammates.
Nevertheless, if Pellegrini signs Brahimi it should be the new man who has a position change rather than Anderson.
