West Ham star pushed out by summer arrival, with agent told to organise January deal
The arrival of Lucas Paqueta has reportedly pushed Manuel Lanzini out of David Moyes’ West Ham plans and his agent is now free to organise a transfer elsewhere.
Lanzini joined West Ham from Al-Jazira in summer 2016, with the Irons paying a reported £10.8million to sign him. The attacking midfielder, who can also operate out wide on the left, has made 210 appearances for West Ham since then. He has registered 30 goals and 27 assists in that time.
Lanzini was a regular in the West Ham first team last season. He played 45 matches in all competitions, helping Moyes’ side finish seventh in the Premier League and reach the Europa League semi-final.
However, the Argentine’s place in the team came under threat following the capture of Lucas Paqueta from Lyon. West Ham broke their transfer record by parting with £51m to land the Brazilian playmaker.
When joining the east London club, Paqueta said: “I’m extremely happy to be here. I hope it’s the beginning of an enjoyable journey. I hope my time here is successful.
“Last season, West Ham had a very good season. And I hope they continue to enjoy more and more good seasons in my time at the club.”
Paqueta’s influence on West Ham is gradually growing as he gets used to life in London and Moyes’ setup. Lanzini’s influence, in contrast, is waning.
The 29-year-old has been left on the bench during West Ham’s last four league matches. And he is yet to feature for a full 90 minutes in the league this campaign.
West Ham ‘ready to sell’ Manuel Lanzini
Moyes doesn’t seem to need Lanzini anymore and his future at West Ham is now uncertain. According to online source Football Insider, club chiefs are ‘ready to sell’ him.
Thanks to now having Paqueta, West Ham can cut ties with Lanzini and potentially bring in some money from his sale.
Lanzini’s West Ham deal expires next summer, so it won’t be a huge fee if they sell in January. However, they will still get a decent amount for him.
West Ham originally told Lanzini that he was free to leave before the summer transfer deadline. He couldn’t find a new team before September 1, but is likely to move on in January. Lanzini will have resultantly told his agent to help him find a new team.
The report states Moyes ‘doesn’t regard Lanzini as a key man anymore’, so he will not put up a fight about keeping the player.
The report doesn’t mention any potential suitors. Back in July, newspapers in Turkey put Super Lig outfit Besiktas on his trail.
They believe they can persuade him to join by offering a good wage. However, they cannot give him the chance to play in Europe after finishing sixth in the Turkish top flight last season.
Lanzini will be sad about having to leave the Premier League. However, he would rather get regular game time elsewhere than stay at West Ham and warm the bench in most matches.
Manuel Lanzini has been a reliable player for West Ham, always showing plenty of passion and occasionally chipping in with some brilliant moments. But Paqueta has a higher ceiling and should be able to contribute more goals than his predecessor.
Meanwhile, Moyes took aim at the more established members of his squad after claiming they let him down against Everton, and two pundits zeroed in on who he was referring to.
