In an emotional announcement today on social media, West Ham confirmed that among the players released at the expiry of their deals was fan favourite and long-term club servant Manuel Lanzini.
He arrived in 2015 to little fanfare, but the man they nicknamed “the Jewel”, sparkled brightly in the East End of London, proving far more valuable than the 12 million euros West Ham paid for his services. A diminutive Argentine playmaker, Lanzini was a somewhat left-field purchase in what was to be West Ham’s final season at the Boleyn Ground, arriving from the footballing backwaters of UAE club Al Jazira – but leaves a hero.
While his technical ability was never in doubt, with a skinny frame and standing at 1.67 metres, questions were immediately asked on arrival of the Argentine’s ability to transition to the Premier League’s physical demands. From his first season onwards in England, the former River Plate youth star dispelled those notions, combining with that summer’s other notable purchase, Dimitri Payet, to produce scintillating attacking football. Lanzini’s remarkably deft footwork, turn of pace, and ability to hold his own in a tackle, meant he was a perfect foil for Payet. The duo dovetailed seamlessly in attack to catapult The Hammers up the table that season, best exampled in West Ham’s 3-0 win at Anfield over Liverpool, coincidentally Lanzini’s starting debut.
Even after the enigmatic Frenchman’s departure, Lanzini proved to be a mercurial threat in his own right, so much so that he was voted players’ Player of the Season in 2017 and runner up for Hammer of the Year. But for a devastating ACL injury on international duty, he was even pencilled in to play for Argentina at the 2018 World Cup.
Iconic moments will live long in West Ham fans’ memory
While post-ACL injury Lanzini was never quite the same player of old who’d been linked to moves with the likes of Liverpool, his knack of scoring other wordly and important goals means his is a name that will be well-remembered in East London. Crystal Palace in particular brought out the best in Lanzini, who was on the receiving end of West Ham’s goal of the season from “La Joya” in 2022.
But perhaps his most iconic moment in claret and blue, which will cement his legacy as a club legend, is his 94th minute wonder goal against Spurs in 2020. Down 3-0 with less than 10 minutes to play against their bitter London rivals, West Ham began an unlikely comeback which was capped off with Lanzini’s brilliant outside-of-the-box strike to equalise with the final kick of the game.
Latterly, “the Jewel” shone less and less in claret and blue, as injuries and competition from the club’s more expensive recent purchases limited him to a bit-part bench role. While his last season was largely anonymous, he capped his time at West Ham with a final goal at home against Leeds, and a Conference League winner’s medal.