West Ham United sign Alphonse Areola on loan from PSG
Sky Sports confirm that West Ham United have completed the signing of PSG goalkeeper, Alphonse Areola, on loan for this season with an option to buy. He arrives in England after already being named Fulham’s player of the year last season, when he was playing on loan for the Cottagers. He has won league titles in France as well as Spain, and was also in the squad for France’s 2018 FIFA World Cup win.
The Frenchman has spent his entire professional career on PSG’s books. However, he has been the subject of several loan moves in that time and has played for SC Bastia, Lens, Villarreal, Real Madrid, Fulham, and now, West Ham United. But is this a signing that David Moyes really needed this season? Let us find out more.
West Ham needed a goalkeeper such as Alphonse Areola
The current goalkeeper situation at West Ham wasn’t really the most ideal before Areola’s arrival. The club houses three goalkeepers over the age of 34. Lukasz Fabianski (36) and Darren Randolph (34) were their two senior goalkeepers last season while David Martin (35) is also on the club’s books. But It was clear Fabianski was the club’s first-choice option last season.
And that has been the case for three seasons now. But he will be 37 by the time the new season concludes, and footballers are generally in the twilight of their careers by that time. Randolph, on the other hand, would be a bit rusty after not seeing regular action for a while now. The Irishman has made just 5 league appearances in his last two seasons combined.
Martin, on the other hand, is arguably completely out of the first-team picture. The former Liverpool stopper didn’t play a single minute under David Moyes last season. The Hammers have actually seen a number of decent goalkeepers leave their ranks in recent times.
Roberto departed for Spain last year while Adrian was signed by Liverpool in 2019. In light of that, it was about time Moyes brought in a quality keeper with experience on the big stages. Areola would certainly bring down the average age of West Ham’s goalkeeper department. At 28, he would be at the peak of his powers and can be a dependable starter for Moyes ahead of the ageing Fabianski.
Areola has backing from Moyes
What better way to understand a team’s intention of bringing in a player than to hear the manager give his own views on it? The Scotsman believes Areola will add competition to his goalkeeping department ahead of the new season and while his interview sounded diplomatic, one could tell he intends on giving important gametime to Areola this season.
“Alphonse is an experienced and talented goalkeeper who has played at the highest level and performed very well in the Premier League last season… We have been aware of his qualities for a long time and we have no doubt he will be another player and character who will enhance our squad. “
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The fact that it is a loan deal has given West Ham a considerable saving on any potential transfer fee right now. With an option to buy included in his contract, Moyes has effectively gotten himself a season-long addition of Areola while he can search for a long-term option to succeed West Ham’s clearly ageing goalkeeping line-up.
