No Willy for West Ham; Who’s next for a backup keeper?

West Ham’s first choice backup keeper, Willy Caballero, has been snatched up, re-signing with Chelsea. No Willy for the Hammers means the search continues for a backup keeper.

It was always a threat that Willy Caballero would re-sign with Chelsea in this window. His contract was up and as it stands, the Blues are in a transfer ban so focusing on re-signing their own players became their plan. Caballero joins Giroud and Luiz as Chelsea players to sign new deals at their club. As it stands, West Ham lose out.

Now for West Ham, they have to move on to their contingency plan for a backup keeper. A good place to start is with the Premier League relegated teams.

Jonas Lossl – Huddersfield Town

First up is my first choice for West Ham. Jonas Lossl was a stand out for newly promoted Huddersfield Town in 2017/18. The 30-year old keeper regressed this year, but how much of Huddersfield’s awful season can be laid on him?

ExWHUemployee has tipped his hand stating the club are assessing Lossl as an option to back Fabianski for next season. Lossl, according to Transfermarkt.com, has Lossl as a pending free agent so term on contract could be determined by West Ham and their contract offer.

In the future, Lossl could be the senior support for Nathan Trott once he is ready for first-team action if Fabianski leaves the club after his current deal, as well.

Marcus Bettinelli – Fulham

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The English keeper saw very limited action this season, but Bettinelli was battered in goal for relegated Fulham last season. In 8 matches played, Bettinelli kept zero clean sheets and conceded 22 goals in all competitions. While these aren’t numbers to get excited about, his age and nationality may just seal the deal.

English and 26-years-old; that’s a double check for what West Ham need. Youth is the movement for the Hammers transfer plans and getting that England player quota up is also a need. Bettinelli is certainly better than his record lets on, but is it a gamble worth taking? He’s under contract until 2021, as well.

Neil Etheridge – Cardiff City

Far and away the best keeper to be relegated this season, Neil Etheridge from Cardiff City did all he could to keep his team afloat. The 29-year-old keeper is going to garner some attention this off-season due to how great he played this season but Pellegrini would be wise to invest a few quid in his transfer to seal the deal.

He’s young enough to have a future with the team, he’s good enough to challenge Fabianski, and he’s proven in the Premier League. Currently on a contract until 2021, Etheridge needs to be scooped up ASAP if Pellegrini wants to acquire his services.

I wrote this piece with Lossl circled as my favorite to be picked up by Pellegrini and West Ham but have since convinced myself otherwise. The Hammers’ success this season was heavily contingent on Lukasz Fabianski’s unbelievable form. Should he pick up a knock or have a downturn in form next season the next step of the team is up in the air.

Investing solid money in a backup keeper may be a strong move by Pellegrini to safeguard next season. I understand Nathan Trott is the next-best-thing for West Ham keepers but he is anything but proven and his ascension is a gamble in itself. From boring to important, Pellegrini has an interesting decision on their hands with the backup goalkeeper.