Fabianski could lose his starting spot as West Ham want Alphonse Areola permanently
West Ham are “set to convert” the loan deal of Alphonse Areola into a permanent one, and it’s a sensible decision taken by the club.
According to The Athletic, it comes as a “no surprise”, which means internally talks may have progressed between the Hammers and Paris Saint-Germain over the deal.
The Frenchman wants to stay at the London club, and he will look to dislodge Lukasz Fabianski for the No 1 shirt next season.
Recently, Fabrizio Romano claimed that the Hammers are looking to hold talks with the player’s agent directly to secure a move.
The Irons have the option to buy the French goalkeeper £11million, or simply extend his loan by another year.
While The Athletic do not expand on their report, it gives the hint that the club are already working on signing him permanently rather than extending his loan deal.
Areola was superb during the Europa League campaign this season for the Hammers, and getting him on board looks like a smart decision.
The only big hindrance could be his wages. The Daily Mail reported earlier this month that he pockets around £120,000-per-week wages. The Hammers could negotiate on that to ask him to lower his wage demands.
Fabianski has been the first-choice goalkeeper at the club this season, and he has been ever-present in the Premier League.
The veteran goalkeeper has been brilliant throughout, but his position could be under threat if Areola is signed permanently.
If the Hammers agree to a deal with PSG, it will indicate that Areola will have a big role to play going forward.
He will love to challenge Fabianski for the first-choice position, and he deserves a chance.
Surely, Moyes won’t pay £11 million to sign a player who will only feature in a handful of cup games!
On the contrary, the Hammers boss could be tempted to use Areola in the Premier League, and keep Fabianski for the cup games, a role reversal.
The 29-year-old has got fantastic reflexes. He hardly makes any costly blunders, and he should be ready to play every week in the Premier League after settling down at the London club.
It would be the best move for all parties involved. There will be continuity at the club, but the only difference will be Areola will look to push Fabianski for the number one spot.
Once the goalkeeping situation is sorted, it will help the Hammers focus on other areas in the transfer market.
In other West Ham news, Martin Samuel has responded to the latest West Ham London Stadium developments dubbing it the “deal of the century”.
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