West Ham have lacked an attacking player with truly world-class quality since they signed Carlos Tevez, way back in 2006.
And Felipe Anderson filled that South American hole last season when the Brazilian made the move from Lazio in what was a real coup for the Hammers.
Anderson came to life after a difficult start, finishing with nine goals and five assists in 38 appearances, according to Who Scored. That’s compared to Carlos Tevez’s seven goals and five assists in the season he kept West Ham up with that infamous goal at Old Trafford on the final day of the season.
The similarity between the two is they both caught the eye at times when it was a toxic atmosphere at the club.
Tevez pulled them out of the mire when the football was dire and very few believed they had a chance of staying up.
Meanwhile, it is easy to forget how toxic the feeling was around the London Stadium when West Ham had picked up just 12 points from their opening 13 Premier League games.
After a tumultuous start, Anderson was the shining light for West Ham going forward, thriving off the good work of Declan Rice and Mark Noble behind him.
He scored seven goals in nine Premier League games in November and December to take his side from 13th up to 9th.
It was a spell that failed to catch the eye in the same way Tevez’s end of season flourish did back in 2007, as it was in far less dramatic fashion.
But Anderson’s skill and delivery is something very few have been able to bring to Upton Park or the London Stadium since Tevez made the move to Manchester United.
It’s true West Ham are no strangers to South American players in their side – Pablo Zabaleta, Mauro Zarate, Ilan, Pablo Armero, Enner Valencia, Nolberto Solano and Nene to name just a few.
But none of them have brought the traditional Brazilian flare Hammers fans are now watching in Anderson.
His ability to change a game with a piece of magic is the sort of talismanic attribute West Ham need to move from middle of the table obscurity to breaking the top six.
Dimitri Payet was another world class player who came to West Ham, but his arrival felt very much like a stepping stone to bigger things in his career – Anderson feels like more of a statement of intent that they are now in the business of signing and keeping top players.
Anderson and Rice were the two players that made the team tick and going forward it is important Manuel Pellegrini makes the Brazilian the focal point of his side.
West Ham are well placed to mount a big push up the table next season with new signing Pablo Fornals offering another option for Pellegrini as the main playmaker behind the striker.
