Alphonse Areola proves ‘simply awesome’ verdict true after topping Premier League rankings
Alphonse Areola’s excellent start to the Premier League season has been acknowledged as he tops WhoScored’s rankings as the league’s best goalkeeper after his start for West Ham.
Per FBRef, the Frenchman has made the third most saves in the Premier League with 31, while saving 78.6% of shots faced, proving his effectiveness for David Moyes’ side.
BBC Commentator Chris Latchem described the shot-stopper as “simply awesome” after his sensational display against Manchester City this season. While the Hammers lost that clash 3-1, Areloa made 10 saves alone, with all of City’s strikes too accurate to stop.
The 30-year-old has certainly proved Latchem’s verdict to be true after a succession of successful performances this season. The Hammers have made a flying start to the new campaign, and their goalkeeper has had a big hand in it.
Individual brilliance can go a long way in earning three points. The likes of James Ward-Prowse and Jarrod Bowen do this in a more obvious way for the Hammers.
Areloa may have flown under the radar of non-Hammers fanatics. The club have kept just one clean sheet this season and most of the narrative around the Irons has been regarding their excellent new additions. Not enough credit has been handed to Areola, but his quality has shone through after topping these rankings.
In key victories this season, West Ham have relied heavily on Areola to make vital saves and keep the scoreline in West Ham’s favour. In their 3-1 win against Chelsea, Areloa saved Enzo Fernandez’s spot kick at 1-1 to keep the tie in the Hammers’ hands. If Chelsea made it 2-1, they could have easily gone on to take all three points.
In their emphatic trip to Brighton, the goalkeeper prevented 0.95 goals scored, making nine saves, five of which were in the box, helping to keep the Seagulls down to just 1 goal despite them having 78% possession [SofaScore]. The Hammers will often play sides who will dominate possession and fire plenty of shots, but Areola’s repeat success and reliability have seen the Hammers through these phases of play.
West Ham are a side comfortable handling a high press and springing a counter-attack. To do this effectively, you must have a goalkeeper who is excellent at shot-stopping and good under pressure. Unlike the likes of Ederson and Alisson, Areola is called upon frequently, and he mostly meets the demands.
West Ham are blessed to have the Frenchman and he will have to keep on top of his game if the Hammers want to continue their good start.
In other West Ham news, Fabrizio Romano has claimed the Hammers are on the verge of agreeing a deal with an in-demand youngster.