If West Ham doesn’t sign Sam Johnstone, what’s next for the Hammers?

As the West Ham transfer window moves on, it was thought that signing a new keeper would be a top priority. However, with new info emerging, the storyline may change.

On Sunday, the reputable Claret and Hugh posted that David Moyes and West Ham would no longer be tracking the transfer of Sam Johnstone. Last month the Green Street Hammers published an article talking about the current status of the keepers and where to go from here. Johnstone was vital to the next generation of pole defenders, but now, things look different.

David Moyes has a real dilemma on his hands, as the state of the keepers is right up there with the club getting some needed help with the strikers. His trusty steed, Lukasz Fabianski, is now 36-years-old and hasn’t been able to stay healthy for a full season since 2018/19. Darren Randolph is a veteran backup, but honestly, just average.

In theory, the Hammers have enough to go forward, but only if they don’t have intentions of succeeding in all competitions. Suppose they use Fabs as the week in and week out EPL keeper, which leaves Randolph covering the Europa and Cup completions. That statement right there simply isn’t good enough and honestly unacceptable, but alas, it’s where we currently sit.

If West Ham doesn’t sign Sam Johnstone, what’s next for the Hammers?

As a West Ham fan, you commonly will look to the Academy and see what’s next. For the Hammers, it comes threefold. First, the known names of Nathan Trott and Joseph Anang top the list, but then in the lower ranks, the Hungarian Krisztián Hegyi has made waves as well. Second, both Trott and Anang have made the senior teams bench, but only Trott has recently played for the seniors.

As stated a few paragraphs above, with Randolph not being trusted for Europa or Cup matches, we probably shouldn’t be ready to trust either of these potential suitors. However, this topic is a double-edged sword, either way, you look at it. Not buying a keeper will free up cash elsewhere. Relying on age and inexperience could work, but it may also fall flat on its face. Either way, the outcomes are so diluted that no one can even fathom to predict.

So what’s next? What’s next is either going to be that David Moyes changes his mind last minute and adds help to the back, or he wages the biggest season of his and West Ham’s history solely on age or lack thereof. Trott, Anang, and Hegyi are so “green” that it’s anyone’s guess as to how they could perform.

This season for the U18’s, Krisztián Hegyi played 16 matches while conceding 37 goals. Joseph Anang played for the Hammer’s PL2 side and looked solid at times. He played 21 times, let in 40 goals, but kept three clean sheets. The 22-year-old Trott played a bit all over the place, but in total, he played seven times, conceding nine while keeping the net clean three times.

One of his three clean sheets came during an FA Cup match against Doncaster Rovers, where he relieved Fabianski towards the end of the match. Statistically and experimentally, Trott has excelled with Anang and Hegyi placing behind him in respective order. Therefore, one could give the most hopeful and optimistic answer when asked what’s next is Nathan Trott.

This journalist argued a few seasons ago that he was ready and that the Hammers didn’t need help. The jury is still out on that decision, as the incumbent, Roberto almost sent the Irons into the Championship. Trott’s potential would be fine in Cup matches, or even Europa may be true, but is it worth the risk for both his career and the clubs? Come on, Moyes, get someone in!