West Ham United is reportedly finalizing a deal to sign former Fulham and PSG goalkeeper Alphonse Areola on loan, according to a report from Foot Mercato.
In the mix of everything else that David Moyes needs to deepen at West Ham is the goalkeeping position. The Hammer’s top two keepers, Lukasz Fabianski and Darren Randolph, are both on the way wrong side of 30 and not getting any younger. There is youth at this position, but the readiness of that hope is still unknown.
This has become a real worry for West Ham fans near and far, but it appears that David Moyes and Co are working on fixing that issue as we speak. Foot Mecrato, a French publication, reported that West Ham is in the process of closing up a deal that would see the Areola move to the London Stadium on a season-long loan with a potential to buy.
Areola, also being courted by Chelsea and others, is valued at around £20 million. If the Hammers sign him, and if they decide to buy him permanently, that fee would change a bit, I would imagine. The PSG rockstar has been solid, and the fact that he is even linked with another loan move is a great thought.
West Ham are potentially seeking a loan to buy option for Alphonse Areola
Last season, the 28-year-old playing 36 matches while on loan at Fulham. During that spell, he recorded nine clean sheets and 114 saves. Even though Fulham went down, it would’ve been a lot worse if they didn’t have the Frenchman in between the posts.
Since 2012, Areola has recorded 87 clean sheets and boasted roughly a 73% save percentage. He was blanking the opposition on average about 40% of the time, something the Hammers need dearly going into this Europa League push.
Whether these rumors are true and GSB gets the move across the table is another thing, but this move would show hope and promise for the future. Right now, things are slow, and nothing is happening around a club that has a real shot to progress into Europe. This move needs to happen, and happen before anyone else get get a deal finalized.