West Ham United shipped a whopping 74 objectives within the Premier League final season, and goalkeeper Alphonse Areola acquired reward for being one of many higher performers within the rearguard.
They’re on target to document equally egregious numbers this time period. This time, the France worldwide is without doubt one of the predominant culprits. His stats paint a horrifying image.
Areola’s objectives prevented quantity sits at an abysmal -4.56, by far the worst amongst goalkeepers within the Premier League. This superior metric quantifies a goalkeeper’s capacity to cease pictures heading in the right direction, and Areola’s unfavorable rating suggests he’s letting in additional objectives than anticipated.
Past the stats, watching him with the bare eye, it’s exhausting to flee how shaky he has regarded between the sticks. In opposition to Tottenham Hotspur, he was instantly liable for two objectives. There’s a obvious want for an improve within the goalkeeping division at .
Whereas Lukasz Fabianski isn’t good both, his age-defying reflexes throughout West Ham’s latest wins converse volumes, and he ought to retain the beginning berth for now. The 39-year-old Pole might not possess Areola’s uncooked athleticism, however his positioning and shot-stopping appear a greater match for Julen Lopetegui’s possession-based fashion.
Fabianski’s heroics in opposition to Nottingham Forest additional solidified his declare for the beginning spot.
Past shot-stopping, Areola is uncomfortable enjoying out from the again, creating tactical complications. Lopetegui’s system calls for assured ball distribution from the goalkeeper, a talent Areola lacks.
His indecisiveness within the Spurs match, the place he repeatedly opted for dangerous lengthy balls as an alternative of quick passes to defenders, uncovered the staff.
Let’s not neglect Fabianski’s expertise. He served as West Ham’s dependable primary for years, keeping off competitors. His present contract expires on the finish of the season, however his latest performances warrant an extension.
West Ham can’t afford to gamble on Areola regaining kind. With an important season unfolding, they want a goalkeeper who can constantly encourage confidence. The time for decisive motion is now. Upgrading the goalkeeping place must be a high precedence for the membership’s hierarchy.
There are a couple of thrilling choices out there. Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher has lengthy been considered the very best quantity two goalkeeper on the planet, and lots of really feel he deserves to begin at one other membership. The Hammers can snap him up with Giorgi Mamardashvili becoming a member of subsequent summer season.
Good big Marcin Bulka has additionally been turning heads in France. The previous Chelsea man has saved round 83% of the pictures he has confronted this season.
In the meantime, . The Irons may nab him for reasonable.