Hirving Lozano in action for Napoli in the Serie A. (Getty Images)
According to Italian newspaper Cronache di Napoli (h/t Daily Mail), Napoli are considering a swap deal for Hirving Lozano with West Ham’s Felipe Anderson.
Both the attackers have failed to impress at their respective clubs since moving from their former clubs, forcing Napoli and West Ham to consider trading their players (h/t Daily Mail). Lozano joined Napoli from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven last summer for a sum of around £33m, but has been far from impressive.
The versatile attacker has made just 16 league appearances this season and has found the back of the net a mere two times, prompting manager Gennaro Gattuso to look for new faces ahead of next summer (h/t Daily Mail).
Meanwhile, West Ham are currently struggling for their survival in the top-flight. The Hammers are just two spots adrift of the relegation zone. Felipe Anderson has had a difficult season with the Hammers, scoring just once despite making 22 league appearances.
The 27-year-old had arrived in England for a sum of £42m in 2018 from Serie A side Lazio. However, he has not been able to live up to his hefty price tag.
Anderson enjoyed an impressive first season with West Ham but has failed to recapture that form in the current season. This has seen him fall down the pecking order of things under new boss David Moyes.
Moreover, the arrival of in-form man Jarrod Bowen from Hull City in January has put Anderson’s place in jeopardy. With Moyes constantly preferring to use Bowen and Spaniard Pablo Fornals across the wings, Anderson has seen himself increasingly limited to the benches.
With Anderson suffering a sudden dip in form following his eye-catching displays of nine goals and four assists in the season before, his chances of making it to the first-team setup now seem bleak. Despite having enough attackers at his disposal, Moyes should look to make new additions as most of them have failed to make an impact. And Lozano’s arrival would be a welcome sign.
Three of the Hammers’ five wingers – Andriy Yarmalenko, Michail Antonio and Robert Snodgrass are already in their thirties. Hence, West Ham clearly need some young blood to add more confidence to their struggling attack.
That said, 24-year-old Lozano seems like a perfect fit at the London Stadium. Apart from this one season in Italy, Lozano had been a huge hit in Netherlands, with the forward scoring 40 goals in his two seasons with PSV.
Scoring 17 goals in his maiden season with Eindhoven, he played a major role in their Eredivisie title triumph in 2017-18. He once again repeated the feat scoring as many goals the following season, earning himself a move to Napoli.
Lozano has found it difficult to adjust to settle down in Italy. Hence, a move away to a new place would help him start afresh.
Having proved his credentials already in Netherlands, there is no denying Lozano’s talent. Hence, a swap deal for the out-of-form Felipe Anderson would work out great for the Hammers, if Lozano is able to rediscover his form from PSV.
