West Ham hold Aaron Escandell advantage in ‘significant’ transfer update
West Ham United appear to hold the advantage in the race to sign goalkeeper Aaron Escandell from Real Oviedo.
The Hammers splashed out £20million last summer to bring in Mads Hermansen, but it is only recently he has started to justify that price tag.
Hermansen has kept two clean sheets in his past three outings, with Alphonse Areola – first choice until recently – also keeping a shutout in the FA Cup win against Burton Albion.
However, it appears West Ham are still in the market for a new goalkeeper, with Escandell very much on their radar.
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West Ham set sights on summer deal for Aaron Escandell
As per Cuore Toro, who specialise in Torino news, West Ham hold an advantage in the race to sign Escandell due to the financial riches of the Premier League.
Torino like the look of Escandell and have already held initial talks with Oviedo over a potential low-cost deal.
However, West Ham have also set their sights on the 30-year-old and have the money to strike a deal should they wish.
However, the report does add that a “significant” offer will be required to land Escandell as Oviedo are not under pressure to sell.
This is despite the Spanish club being rooted to the foot of LaLiga and now looking certain to head to the second division.
How does Escandell compare to Mads Hermansen and Alphonse Areola?
Escandell has spent his entire career to date in his Spanish homeland, having also played for Malaga’s B team, Granada, Cartagena and Las Palmas.
He has kept six clean sheets in 24 LaLiga outings this campaign and has conceded at a rate of 1.63 per game, as highlighted by the Sofascore graphic below.
That compares to three clean sheets in seven Premier League games for Hermansen and zero clean sheets in 20 for Areola.
The pair have conceded 1.71 and 1.85 per game this term respectively, so Escandell once again comes out on top in that department.
Impressively, Escandell has also saved two penalties out of five faced this campaign, although he has made a couple of errors leading to a goal.
The figures certainly paint a promising picture, but Hermansen will very much hope he can do enough over the coming weeks to prove another number one is not required.
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