Let’s be honest; there aren’t many of us who expected Manuel Lanzini to have such a positive influence on our performances this season, particularly so soon.
But ‘The Jewel’ has surprised us all with a string of impressive performances that haven’t just raised our eyebrows, but the rest of the Premier League’s as well.
The former Argentina U20 international arrived on loan as an unknown, but is now the talk of the town, one of the first names on Slaven Bilic’s team sheets each week.
The club have made it no secret that they’re giving serious consideration to the ‘first option to buy’ clause in Lanzini’s loan deal at the end of the season, and everyone wants them to go all out and ensure it’s done.
Our attacking threat has been a breath of fresh air, spearheaded by Dimitri Payet who is the creator of almost everything. But Lanzini is his luxurious deputy, another tricky and creative player who has played a crucial role in our rise to third in the Premier League. He really is a joy to watch, a proper Jewel.
And the stats below, provided by WhoScored.com, provide further proof that we really should be looking to bring him to east London on a permanent basis. At this rate he’ll have a number of teams keeping a close eye on his situation at the club, so we need to get the youngster signed on a long term contract as soon as possible.
After 10 Premier League games (he’s only appeared in eight), Lanzini is the highest ranked dribbler at the club (2.5 per game) and has a higher pass accuracy than any of his teammates (87.6%).
Not bad, eh?
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