Alphonse Areola ‘finished at West Ham’ as bid made to seal Charles transfer at London Stadium
West Ham have made a bid to sign goalkeeper Pierce Charles from Sheffield Wednesday.
The Hammers are keen to add another option between the sticks for Graham Potter this summer following the signing of Mads Hermansen, who arrived for £20million from Leicester City.
Alphonse Areola was the first option at The London Stadium last season, but the Frenchman could now leave after failing to impress in pre-season.
West Ham had looked set to sign Brazilian shot-stopper John Victor, but a deal with Botafogo broke down after a breakthrough in the deal for Hermansen.
West Ham make £1m-plus bid for Pierce Charles
Areola arrived on a permanent deal from Paris Saint-Germain in 2022, but the goalkeeper has failed to establish himself as the number one.
Veteran Lukasz Fabianski was often the starting option for West Ham, and even ousted his teammate during one period of last season.
The Pole has now left The London Stadium, but Areola’s position in goal remains insecure following the appointment of Potter.
The former Chelsea boss is keen to instil tactics that involve playing out from the back, and Areola has suffered as a result.
| Alphonse Areola | Premier League 2024/25 |
| Appearances | 26 |
| Errors leading to goals | 3 |
| Clean sheets | 5 |
The 32-year-old has already made several mistakes on the ball in pre-season, and could now be eliminated from Potter’s plans.
Hermansen is expected to start the Premier League opener against Sunderland, and West Ham are now looking to supply him with a deputy.
Charles is among the options, and according to Mike McGrath on 14 August, the Hammers have made a bid worth more than £1m for the 20-year-old.
But, for now, the deal is off after Sheffield Wednesday failed to respond to the Premier League club, despite the crisis behind the scenes there.
Pierce Charles is a promising talent
Charles made his breakthrough at the end of last season, appearing in Wednesday’s final eight Championship fixtures.
The 20-year-old is already a regular for the Northern Ireland international team, and starred on Wednesday, 13 August.
- First team debut: 26 January 2024
- Championship debut: 29 March 2025
- International debut: 10 December 2024
The goalkeeper made two penalty saves as the Owls made their way past Bolton and into the second round of the Carabao Cup, despite their critical ownership situation.
Charles would represent a coup for West Ham, with the talent representing a huge potential future value, and this could be one to revisit before the window shuts.
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