Predicting who will be West Ham’s starting keeper by seasons end

Distribution and Shot Stopping

Last season, both keepers couldn’t have been more different. Fabianski distributed over 200 goal kicks that traveled 40+ yards. His success rate beat Alphonse’s by over 12%. You can count that success to who Fabs was kicking too as well; it doesn’t hurt to have Michail Antonio on your side. However, Areola was superior in the short game, never missing a pass out of 221 attempts.

As a keeper, your most important role is stopping the ball. This area of play has seen both keepers excel, but Areola really takes the prize in this category as well. West Ham’s loanee made 114 saves from 156 shots faced last year. That’s an average percentage of 73.1%. His new counterpart, Fabianski, saved just 96 of the 134 shots on target, saving an average of 69.4% of shots faced. Taking both the ability to stop the ball and get it back out accurately is what David Moyes enjoys. With that, we give a slight nod to Alphonse Areola in this category.

Command and Set Piece Ability

Lukasz Fabianski has been a magician for West Ham in penalty situations. Last season alone, he stopped two of his six chances, besting Alphonse Areola, who was unable to stop any of his six chances. Fabs has saved almost 30% of his penalties faced throughout their careers, whereas Areola has only saved a penalty one time out of 15 chances.

Predicting who will be West Ham’s starting keeper by seasons end

Looking at the command piece of this section, Areola has a slight advantage. Aerially, he stands about 6’5 compared to Fabianski’s 6’3 (nothing to slouch at). Both keepers have historically been amazing at crosses into the box. However, Fabs has looked a little more uncomfortable over the past year or so, whereas Areola has put himself in perfect positions and looked a lot better. All in all, you can’t really split the two when looking at their command of the box, so we have to go with set-piece skills and give the victory to Lukasz Fabianski in this category.

Consistency and Fitness

Even though both of these keepers have struggled at their times with “bigger” clubs, they both have been consistent when needed in recent years. Yes, both have made crucial errors at times, but according to Fbref.com, not too many. Last year, Fabianski made just one mistake leading to a goal (18 in his career), and Areola made two mistakes leading to goals.

So, neither take the nod when it comes to consistency, but they separate themselves when it comes to fitness. Both keepers have been regular starters for their respective clubs over the past five years, but the aforementioned injuries have hurt Fabianski. Since the 2019/20 season, he has missed 20 matches with groin, hip, and/or arm problems. Age and miles are certainly an issue because, in that same timeframe, Areola has missed just one match. Sadly for the West Ham veteran, Alphonse Areola takes this category as well.

In the end…

If you have been keeping track, both keepers kept good ball distribution, while Areola has become a much better shot-stopper. Fabianski has a better set-piece ability, while both command the box very well. Both have been consistent, but Areola’s fitness level is much better. It might not be today or next week, but Alphonse Areola will be the Gaffer’s new man between the sticks by the season’s end. Sadly for many, it’s time for a change-up, and Areola is the man to do it.