Jeff Stelling makes astonishing Lukasz Fabianski claim at West Ham United live on talkSPORT
Jeff Stelling has been in awe of Lukasz Fabianski’s “astonishing” performances for West Ham United this season.
The 39-year-old has started the last two matches for the Hammers in place of Alphonse Areola and helped keep the scoreline more respectable than it could have been in the 3-0 loss against Nottingham Forest on Saturday [2 November].
Fabianski left the City Ground with his head held high despite what the scoreline suggests, and Stelling and Ally McCoist ran out of superlatives to describe the goalkeeper’s performance live on talkSPORT [4 November, 8:56am] after two “out of this world” saves.
McCoist said: “I don’t know if you saw the highlights, but Fabianski made two saves that were absolutely out of this world. Honestly. It could have been worse [for West Ham], two of those saves were remarkable.”
Stelling replied: “He’s 39. It’s astonishing he’s producing this level of form since replacing [Alphone] Areola in goal.”
Alphonse Areola faces a long road back at West Ham United
Areola has been a capable performer in the Premier League at West Ham but has shocked supporters this season with his apparent decline under Lopetegui.
The Spaniard made the bold decision to drop the Frenchman from his side for the 2-1 win against Manchester United, a well-executed decision as Fabianski played a vital role in the victory at the London Stadium.
Fabianski was under the cosh throughout the entirety of the first half on the day, but his performance ensured Jarrod Bowen’s 92nd-minute penalty secured the three points.
However, the Poland international was not as fortunate against Nottingham Forest as the three centre-backs in front of the goalkeeper failed to stop the free-scoring Chris Wood, yet still showed why he should remain the first option in goal moving forward.
While Fabianski is entering the final years of his career, the 39-year-old looks set to be the first choice goalkeeper in East London until the end of the season, leaving Areola with a rather uncertain future.
With a tough trip to Everton on Saturday [9 November], the Irons will once again be expected to thwart an onslaught of attack from the hosts and, as things stand, Fabianski is more reliable than Areola and should be trusted to start at Goodison Park.
In other West Ham news, Mohammed Kudus could face an extra game ban at the Hammers.
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