The 4th Official
·28 July 2021
The 4th Official
·28 July 2021
RMC Sport has recently reported that West Ham United are in a strong position to land Paris Saint-Germain keeper Alphonse Areola this summer. It is believed that the Hammers are still negotiating with PSG over a potential move for the French custodian during this summer transfer window (via RMC Sport).
Areola had a solid loan spell at Fulham last season as he put in a series of impressive displays despite being relegated with them from the Premier League. The Paris-born sensation took part in 37 matches for the Cottagers in the previous campaign, conceding 48 goals and securing ten clean sheets in the process across multiple competitions.
The 28-year-old performed well to average 1.1 clearances and 4.4 long balls per game in the 2020-21 Premier League season. However, he was a bit untidy when distributing possession from the back, as evidenced by his pass completion rate of 68.7% in the top tier of English football (stats via whoscored).
The three-time France international has transformed himself into a decent keeper at the back, so it makes sense for the Hammers to engineer a move to bring him to the London Stadium. He is good enough to secure a regular starting spot in David Moyes’ first team.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Simon Dael/BPI/Shutterstock 11861427bh Alphonse Areola of Fulham warming up Arsenal v Fulham, Premier League, Football, The Emirates Stadium, London, UK – 18 Apr 2021 EDITORIAL USE ONLY No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or live services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Arsenal v Fulham, Premier League, Football, The Emirates Stadium, London, UK – 18 Apr 2021 EDITORIAL USE ONLY No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or live services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTXHUNxGRExMLTxCYPxROMxBULxUAExKSAxONLY Copyright: xSimonxDael/BPI/Shutterstockx 11861427bh
Areola has good reflexes that help him pull off some clever saves at the back when the opposition are looking to threaten his goal. He is a solid handler of the ball and can make a few quick dives to come to use his side’s rescue every now and then.
The French shot-stopper can even clear his lines when required which makes him a reliable presence in goal. However, Areola has to figure out a way to improve his accuracy when passing the ball to his teammates if he wants to succeed at West Ham next season. If the ex-Villarreal custodian’s recent loan spell at Fulham was anything to go by, he would be the right man for the Hammers because of his towering presence and shot-stopping ability.
Areola has what it takes to compete with Łukasz Fabiański for a regular starting spot at the London Stadium in the upcoming campaign. The Frenchman could even go on to become an ideal successor to Fabianski, who has just got a year left to run in his contract with the East London club.