Alphonse Areola could solve West Ham's goalkeeping issues (Getty Images)
According to Sky Sports, Premier League newcomers Fulham have signed Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Alphonse Areola on a season-long loan deal.
As per the report, the Cottagers have the option of making the 27-year-old World Cup winner’s transfer permanent once his loan deal expires.
Born in Paris, Alphonse Areola rose through the youth ranks of PSG and initially featured for the club’s reserve side before making his first-team debut during the 2012-13 season.
The Frenchman subsequently went through loan spells at Lens in Ligue 2, Bastia in Ligue 1, and Villarreal in La Liga over the next three seasons before establishing himself in a prominent role at his parent club.
Areola has had a stop-start career at the French capital, serving as the first-choice shot-stopper in extended spells while also playing second-fiddle to former players like Kevin Trapp and Gianluigi Buffon. The 27-year-old has registered 107 appearances for PSG in all competitions, keeping 53 clean sheets in the process. (h/t Transfermarkt)
The French international was loaned out to Real Madrid for the 2019-20 season. Areola served as the deputy to Thibaut Courtois, keeping 3 clean sheets in 9 appearances for the Spanish giants.
Marek Rodak was one of the surprise packages in the Championship last season as the Cottagers academy graduate played a key role in the club’s promotion-winning campaign via the playoffs.
The Slovakian international usurped the more experienced Marcus Bettinelli in Scott Parker’s pecking order and impressed with 15 clean sheets in 39 appearances across all competitions for the West London outfit last term, conceding just 42 goals in the process.
Rodak definitely deserves a shot at the Premier League after proving his credentials in the Championship.
However, Fulham needed to add another experienced shot-stopper to ensure healthy competition for places between the sticks, considering the obvious step up in quality from the second-tier to the top-flight. More so, considering that Marcus Bettinelli left the club to join Middlesbrough on loan.
And signing Areola is a step in the right direction for the club. The Frenchman boasts plenty of top-flight experience in France and Spain while also featuring in the Champions League.
He represents a far more experienced option as compared to Rodak. Thus, the 27-year-old’s arrival on loan at Craven Cottage should hand a massive boost to Fulham’s chances of survival in the PL.
Lack of a reliable presence between the sticks was partly responsible for Fulham’s collective defensive failure back in the 2018-19 season that eventually ended with the Cottagers suffering relegation from the top-flight.
They need to learn from their mistakes to avoid a similar fate this time around and signing Alphonse Areola on loan is a massive statement of intent towards that.