West Ham new signing says he followed Di Canio, Tevez and Mascherano at the club

Despite facing a tough start in the Premier League, Brazilian midfielder Felipe Anderson is happy to be at West Ham United.

The player has recently completed a €38m from Lazio, and is pretty excited to prove himself in English football this season after finally getting the move he wanted.

Speaking to ESPN Brasil this week, Felipe Anderson talked about the pressure of being West Ham’s most expensive signing ever.

“Every player likes it. Because it shows confidence in your football”, Felipe Anderson told ESPN Brasil. “Trust in your work. This gives you even more confidence to be able to work and do what you know. I hope to use this whole confidence to show my work in the best possible way on the pitch.”

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Asked about West Ham and the Premier League, the player claims to have followed the London side for a long time prior to making the move: “I followed Tevez, I followed Mascherano, I followed… there was Di Canio who played a long time ago here. And I always followed the English league a lot. A lot. And as soon as I had the opportunity to come here, I did not think twice.”

Felipe Anderson left his youth club Santos to join Lazio in 2013. He stayed in Italy for five years, and claims to have learned a lot from his lengthy spell in Italian football.

“I am more involved in the games. I use my speed more. I use my features more.”

“In Italy I learned not to expect the ball in my feet. I go get it, move the whole time to not give point of reference to the opponent. So I think I’ve changed my playing style, although speed is still the key feature.”