West Ham United have an exciting squad this season and Manuel Pellegrini is now determined to lock one of his star player, Manuel Lanzini, to a new contract according to latest reports.
Sky Sports claim that The Hammers are set to offer Lanzini a new long term contract, to try and extend his stay at the club beyond 2022.
The report also reveals that the club have an option of extending his current deal, that expires at the end of the season, by a couple of years but Pellegrini wants Lanzini to be a part of the club for years to come.
Lanzini This Season
He missed a major chunk of the previous season with an injury he picked up before the World Cup, making just eight league starts.
However, he was fully fit for this pre-season and impressed the manager, standing out as the best player for The Hammers in most of those games.
Lanzini showed great consistency, scoring goals against Fulham, Hertha Berlin and Athletic Bilbao in consecutive games, cementing a place in the starting XI for Pellegrini from the beginning of this campaign.
He played the full 90 minutes in both games against Manchester City and Brighton, starting in an attacking midfield role and shouldering the responsibility of creating chances for his side.
The 26-year old set up Javier Hernandez’s goal at Falmer Stadium which earned his side a point and it does not come as a surprise that Pellegrini is desperate to retain his services for the next few years.
Lanzini will enter his prime as a footballer in the next couple of years and having him as the creative force in the middle of the park will certainly make West Ham a stronger outfit.
Does He Deserve A New Deal?
Lanzini only came back from that injury in February this year and still managed to have an impact on the squad late in the season.
Before the start of last season, he was one of the first names on the team sheet for the club, where he registered 19 goals and ten assists in a struggling West Ham side.
He is easily one of the most creative players for the club and his attributes make Pellegrini’s system more effective.
The former River Plate man has now gathered loads of experience and could attract interest from around England if he can show some consistency this season.
Offering him a new deal this early in the season could not only help West Ham retain his services but will also help improve Lanzini’s confidence in what could be a testing Premier League campaign for the club.
So extending his deal is a no brainer for The Hammers.