West Ham seal club-record swoop for Felipe Anderson

West Ham have completed the club-record transfer of Felipe Anderson on a four-year contract from Lazio.

The 25-year-old becomes new manager Manuel Pellegrini’s seventh signing of a productive off-season following the arrivals of Ryan Fredericks, Lukasz Fabianski, Issa Diop, Jack Wilshere, Andriy Yarmolenko and Fabian Balbuena.

He joins for a reported £35million in what has been hailed as a “very big statement” of the Hammers’ intent for the upcoming Premier League season.

Capped once by Brazil, the former Santos forward spent five seasons at Lazio, scoring 34 goals in 177 appearances.

We’ve got #ThatFelipeFeeling ! pic.twitter.com/QbaxJI3ZP5

— West Ham United (@WestHamUtd) July 15, 2018

“Felipe was a main target of the manager so we are delighted we’ve been able to bring him to the club,” Hammers joint-chairman David Sullivan said.

“We’re very pleased with the business we’ve done so far and I hope the supporters are just as excited as we are about the squad we are building here at West Ham. 

“The deal sees us significantly break our transfer record and we feel it’s a real statement of intent.”

Having completed his medical on Friday, Felipe Anderson immediately set his sights on becoming a fan favourite at London Stadium.

“I feel really happy and fulfilled to join West Ham United,” the playmaker said.

“West Ham is a club with a lot of tradition, lots of great players have played here, like Bobby Moore, Carlos Tevez and [Paulo] Di Canio.

“They were great players and idols here, and 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.”