West Ham have announced the signing of midfielder Felipe Anderson – a player they call “one of the most exciting talents in Europe” – for a club record £36m from Lazio.
The fee for the 25-year-old could rise rise to £41.5m and eclipses the £22m the Hammers paid Toulouse for France Under-21 defender Issa Diop last month. Anderson scored 34 goals in 177 appearances for the Italian club and has signed a four-year contract. He was part of Brazil’s Olympic gold medal-winning squad in 2016. “West Ham is a club with a lot of tradition. Lots of great players have played here, like Bobby Moore, Carlos Tevez and Di Canio,” he said. “I’m aiming big. Who knows, maybe I could hit their heights and be a legend here too. I’m really happy to be here. It’s a dream come true.” Anderson helped Lazio reach the Europa League quarter-finals last season, but they finished fifth in Serie A, missing out on Champions League qualification to Inter Milan on head-to-head record. “We believe we have signed one of the most exciting talents in European football,” said West Ham director of football Mario Husillos. “He is also a player very suited to the style of manager Manuel Pellegrini. “For West Ham United this is a very big statement.”
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