West Ham United: Alphonse Areola should get World Cup chance as Chris Sutton scolds Hugo Lloris
West Ham United goalkeeper Alphonse Areola will have the chance to knock England out of the World Cup on Saturday (10 December) if he plays.
The 29-year-old has been forced to watch on from the bench so far with Tottenham Hotspur number one Hugo Lloris keeping the gloves in Didier Deschamps’ side.
But the French have not kept a clean sheet all tournament compared to the Three Lions’ three in four matches, largely thanks to Declan Rice’s fantastic marshalling of the back four.
Chris Sutton is keen to see Lloris dropped by the France side after disappointing with the gloves and that should open the door for Areola to shine on the biggest stage of them all.
“France haven’t kept a clean sheet at this World Cup and though they’re a team packed with talented players, I’m still not convinced by Hugo Lloris in goal,” Sutton wrote in his Daily Mail column.
In his five-year France career, Areola has just five caps to his name having been the perennial backup at the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020 (held in 2021 for COVID-19 reasons).
Deschamps may want to start changing up his side with Lloris clearly becoming too comfortable in the number one jersey and his performances are dipping as a result.
Should Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions beat the reigning world champions on Saturday, Areola can put himself forward as the answer to their defensive problems and give West Ham another top international in their armoury.
David Moyes may have to finally give up with Lukasz Fabianski at the London Stadium as a result which would be a huge benefit to the Hammers who have seen the Polish international drop his own performances this season.
For both club and country, he deserves a chance as the number one and Saturday could be the turning point if he gets the nod.