West Ham need to cancel pending transfer NOW for permanent solution

The first signing of the transfer window has been on hold, but Darren Randolph‘s re-joining to West Ham seems imminent. The situation has changed, however, and the Hammers need to abandon this move now.

Don’t look now, but West Ham are in search of a new goalkeeper! Yes, Lukasz Fabianski‘s injury scans haven’t returned just yet but the same hip that was effected and required surgery in September was being pointed to by the player and physio team, and that suggests a longterm re-aggravation of the recently remedied hip issue.

Before this injury, Darren Randolph was being courted to come back to East London. The Irish International goalkeeper wanted the return and has spent much of the week back with the club, trying to find a way around failed medicals. The Middlesbrough keeper has the same injury Fabianski and David Martin have/had and is believed to be fit by the end of the month.

This is why the deal needs to be canceled now. David Martin also has the injury and has shown, while a great story and usable in a pinch, he isn’t a starting Premier League goalkeeper. Randolph won’t be able to start against Everton, Martin should, and Fabianski will be in the infirmary. The financials make sense, as Middlesbrough owe West Ham on Randolph’s original fee and Ashley Fletcher‘s fee, but the survival of the team is more important.

I’ve previously ranked the top three goalkeeper targets for West Ham, including Darren Randolph, which can be seen here. The names Neil Etheridge, Asmir Begovic and new addition to the list Jack Butland should all be viewed as options for the club – now and moving forward.

Literally and figuratively, the window of opportunity for West Ham to be remedied of this keeper crisis is upon us now. The January transfer window is open with 20 days left to make an impact. David Moyes did state that the team would bring in a “bundle” of new players, and they’ll need to upgrade on one target for sure.

Darren Randolph is a sensible choice to challenge for a starting position and push for first-team football. The injury issue is a deal-breaker now. With a fit Fabianski and Martin on the bench, the deal made financial sense and logistical sense, but that cushion of space is now gone. The Hammers need a starting goalkeeper, and quickly.