Soccer Football - Premier League - Cardiff City v Newcastle United- Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Britain - August 18, 2018 Cardiff City's Neil Etheridge celebrates after the match Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
According to Wales Online, West Ham are interested in making a move for Cardiff City goalkeeper Neil Etheridge this summer, with the Hammers reportedly looking to increase competition for places between the sticks.
Wales Online claims that Etheridge has attracted plenty of interest from the Premier League clubs after his awe-inspiring performances for the Bluebirds in their top-flight campaign which eventually ended in relegation to the Championship.
Along with on-loan star Victor Camarasa, the 29-year-old shot-stopper was one of the few shining lights of Cardiff’s otherwise disappointing Premier League campaign this term.
The Filippino international managed a total of 10 clean sheets in 38 league outings for Neil Warnock’s side and earned rave reviews for his consistently impressive performances between the sticks.
In fact, he was one of the main reasons why Cardiff were still alive in the relegation battle towards the dying stages of the past season, while Fulham and Huddersfield’s fate had already been sealed by that time.
Racking up 10 clean sheets is an incredible achievement for a goalkeeper in a relegation-threatened side and it is no surprise that Etheridge’s heroics for the Bluebirds have seen him linked with bigger clubs.
According to Whoscored, Etheridge registered a staggering 138 saves for Cardiff in the Premier League this past season, 95 of which came from inside the penalty area, including 3 from inside the six-yard box.
The 29-year-old averaged 3.6 saves per game and had a shot-saved percentage of 67, which is very good given that the Bluebirds were under the cosh for large chunks of the campaign.
Besides showcasing his incredible shot-stopping abilities from all ranges, Etheridge also impressed with his ball handling, decision-making, agility, positioning and anticipation. He barely put a foot wrong throughout the campaign and didn’t commit a single error which led to a goal, as per Sofascore stats.
To put things into perspective, West Ham have every reason to look at the Filippino international as a potential option to increase competition between the sticks.
Etheridge has shown in his debut season in the Premier League what he wonderful goalkeeper he is and the Hammers should consider a swoop for him, with Cardiff now back to the Championship.
Lukasz Fabianski has done a good job for the Hammers between the sticks this season following his move to east London from Swansea City last summer.
The 34-year-old is expected to continue in the No.1 role next term as well but long-standing Spanish stopper Adrian is set to leave the club on a free transfer this summer.
Adrian’s departure is like to render Manuel Pellegrini short of cover in the goalkeeping department and the acquisition of another quality shot-stopper in Neil Etheridge would solve plenty of problems for the Hammers.
The Filippino international might not be willing to play second-fiddle to Fabianski after doing so well this season but he still has plenty of time on his side and is definitely good enough to dislodge the 34-year-old Pole in the near future.
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That said, West Ham should not hesitate to splash the cash on the 29-year-old and bring him to the London Stadium this summer.