Are West Ham’s European hopes pure fantasy?
- by Staff Writer #3
- Filed: Tuesday, 31st July 2018
The days following a World Cup can feel like an empty vacuum.
Embed from Getty ImagesThat feeling has been amplified this year after England’s euphoric run to the semi-final ultimately ended in disappointment. But rather than get down in the dumps, we can console ourselves that the Premier League season is just a few weeks away.
What’s more, there is plenty of optimism around the London Stadium as new West Ham United boss Manuel Pellegrini has already made his mark by giving the squad an overhaul. The first test will be a tough trip to Anfield to face Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
Is this just fantasy?
While the Hammers boss has been playing his own game of fantasy football, recruiting the likes of Ryan Fredericks, Issa Diop, Lukasz Fabianski, Jack Wilshere, Andriy Yarmolenko, Fabian Balbuena and Felipe Anderson, fans will also be on the lookout for players to draft into their own fantasy squads.
Each season fantasy football has become a ritual and there are more ways to play than ever. You can even pick a team using the letters of your name and enter it into the Premier League fantasy game to take on your mates. Whichever league you play in and no matter how seriously you take it, you will be on the lookout for this season’s bargain buy or top point scorer. But which three West Ham players should you put in your team?
Talented trio
Andriy Yarmolenko is available at a bargain price of £7m on the official Premier League game. The wide forward player scored 99 goals in 228 appearances for Dynamo Kyiv before switching to Borussia Dortmund last summer. He missed three months of his debut season in Germany with a foot injury but has now fully recovered and will be raring to go having made the switch to London.
Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski scored 157 fantasy points last season despite playing for relegated Swansea. Only David De Gea and Ederson outperformed the new Irons’ recruit. At just £4.5m, he could be one of the buys of the season.
Goal scoring midfielders are the Holy Grail for some fantasy football players and those looking for a potential bargain could do worse than consider Felipe Anderson. The Brazilian netted 25 times in 137 league appearances for Serie A club Lazio and contributed four goals and seven assists in 21 starts last term. At just £7m, he is definitely one for the shortlist.
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Europe the target
The quality of West Ham’s signings combined with the reputation of former Premier League winner Pellegrini has prompted many to predict the Chilean will guide them to a European place.
While it may be a little early for such bold predictions there is no reason Hammer’s fans should not feel optimistic about the season ahead. And with a few weeks left until the start of the season, the spending spree is set to continue with more than £100m expected to be invested in the squad.
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