West Ham: In just 2:48 Darren Randolph has me back on his side

The first signing of the January transfer window for West Ham sees former keeper Darren Randolph back in East London to a mixed reaction. His interview may change your mind, though.

You can’t fault Darren Randolph for wanting back into the Premier League. Having spent two years with Middlesbrough in the Championship, Randolph is playing below his level and his 2018/19 accolades prove this. Championship team of the season keeper and Middlesbrough player of the year – Randolph has a lot of gas left in the tank.

His international career has also blossomed in the wake of his move away from West Ham. Now with 32 senior caps under his belt, Randolph is a fixture in the first team in an unchallenged position and rightfully so. With Euro 2020 on the line with playoff matches ahead, Randolph is poised to get and stay healthy as soon as possible.

The deal rubbed supporters the wrong way simply because he is a recycled name and the economics behind the deal lean into the board-out opinion that the three people who run the team are cheap. Fair play and rightfully so, but is this Randolph’s problem?

In the above interview, you can see the passion Randolph has for football and the excitement he has for returning to West Ham. If nothing else, Randolph checks the box of signing players who actually want to play for the club, which has been a challenge in recent history.

With Lukasz Fabianski out, David Martin better suited as a third choice keeper, and Roberto likely terminated come the end of January, Darren Randolph slots in as the perfect 1A keeper. Realistically, the duo of Fabianski/Randolph (when both are fit) gives the Hammers one of the best keeper teams in the Premier League.

Don’t take out any anger or aggression on Randolph, he’s here to play football and win games. If there are issues to take with the move, look toward the board over anyone else. As for the Hammers new old keeper, watch the interview and see if you aren’t a Randolph fan, too!