Manuel Lanzini followed up an encouraging first season with West Ham United by emerging from the shadow of Dimitri Payet during the second half of the 2016/17 campaign.
The Argentine international totalled six goals and three assists in 2015/16, tallying 100 points in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), but was limited to just three goals during the first half of last season before the departure of Payet in January.
He produced a further five goals and three assists to end with 133 points, finishing level with fellow midfielder Robert Snodgrass as the Hammers’ top points scorer in FPL.
Now established as the main playmaker in Slaven Bilic’s side, Lanzini looks primed to kick on once again this season and become increasingly relevant as a Fantasy asset.
- After starting last season priced at 6.5 in FPL, Lanzini’s 133 points may hand him a price hike to 7.0 or, at most, 7.5. With Swansea City’s Gylfi Sigurdsson and Everton’s Ross Barkley likely to be more expensive than the Argentine, he could easily emerge as one of the leading mid-price options.
- The absence of Payet is key to how we view Lanzini. The 24-year-old fired in 43 shots following the Frenchman’s departure from Gameweek 21 onwards, ranking him joint-seventh among FPL midfielders along with Tottenham Hotspur duo Dele Alli and Son Heung-min. He also placed eighth for key passes (36) over that period, with only two midfielders – Spurs’ Christian Eriksen and Barkley – surpassing him on both counts.
- Those impressive numbers are reflected in a significant increase in Lanzini’s goal involvement from 2015/16 to last season. That shot up from 17.8% in his debut season to 30.3%, highlighting his growing influence for the Hammers.
- Set-piece duties are now a key factor behind Lanzini’s appeal. He took just three free-kicks and three corners between Gameweeks 1 and 20 while Payet was still at the club. But from Gameweek 21 onwards, he was charged with 14 free-kicks and 41 corners – considerably more than any other team-mate. While Robert Snodgrass, Mark Noble and, to a lesser extent, Michail Antonio provide competition for duties, Lanzini should continue to be the main man. Penalties could also be a factor next season. Noble remains the Hammers’ designated taker, but his starting role came under question as he continued to suffer from a “long-standing” abdominal problem. Lanzini stepped up in Noble’s absence to convert two spot-kicks.
- During the second half of the season, Lanzini illustrated his ability to produce explosive returns. He registered nine FPL points or more just once up to Gameweek 20, but managed the feat six times from Gameweek 21 onwards. That saw his points per match average jump from 3 up to Gameweek 20 to 4.55 between Gameweeks 21 and 38, with that upturn perhaps an indication of what’s to come this season should Bilic hand him more responsibility.
- While rotation is set to be a real concern regarding many of the leading midfielders in FPL, Lanzini looks unlikely to suffer from the same issue. The Hammers aren’t involved in any European football, while Bilic doesn’t have a vast array of options available to him. Lanzini completed 90 minutes in each of the last 14 matches and appears to be one of the first names on the teamsheet.
- While West Ham start the season with three away matches (mun, sot, new), their schedule over the first 10 Gameweeks is rated as the second most favourable according to our Fixture Ticker. They only face two of last season’s top 10 over that period and have plum home fixtures against Huddersfield Town, Swansea and Brighton and Hove Albion. The fixture list certainly suggests that investment in Lanzini could pay off, with the midfielder likely to be a differential for early adopters.
