Graham Potter’s priorities in the summer transfer window seemed strange at the time, signing first a left back and then a goal keeper. Whilst hindsight has undoubtedly proved the wisdom of bring in in El Hadji – Malick Diouf as a first signing, West Ham’s second ‘major’ signing, especially when the transfer budget was so limited, still seems especially puzzling.
Mads Hermansen was brought in from Leicester City at a cost of something over £15 million – exact amounts vary – but between £16 and £20 million depending upon who you read.
However the Dane had been in surgery at the end of the 2024-5 season and had played very little when Graham Potter threw him in at the deep end at the start of the Premier League season after using Alphonse Areola and Wes Foderingham throughout pre-season.
Goalkeeper was – arguably – chucked straight in at the deep end
Is Hermansen already finished as a Hammer?
The rest is history – poor Hermansen looked dreadful and he was dropped after three games with some pretty big goal keeping howlers. Now it seems, just three months later, West Ham are ready to dump the Dane : Hammersnews claiming an ‘exclusive’ with journo Graeme Bailey who they quote:
“Hermansen has struggled since coming in and was dropped early on,” [Said Bailey] And I am told West Ham would cash in on him in January if that is possible.
It would not shock me if they even loaned him out to get his confidence and form back, which would also help his valuation.”
Which would be a sad end to the possibly the shortest ever Hammers’ Premier League career: Would Hermansen’s career and confidence ever recover, I wonder. You’d hope so.
Maybe a loan is the answer for the remainder of the season, back into the Championship to get the 25 year old playing again. In any case that would certainly explain the motive behind West Ham recalling young stopper Fin Herrick in something of a panic with veteran Lucas Fabianski out with a bad back. If Nuno has green lighted the player’s departure then it seems he’s already made up his own mind on Hermansen’s future. Which’d be a shame. Many suggest there’s there’s a good keeper in there somewhere.
There must be a reason Fabianski was reinstated and Herrick was recalled from a very successful loan at Boreham Wood
And now Potter have become the boos at the Sweden National side with qualification matches for the next European champion qualification matches.
Another disaster on it’s way…
“many suggest there’s a good goalkeeper in there somewhere” … yeah, Leicester supporters who saw him in action before he got injured.
Potter’s mistake was to throw him withouth a pre season so soon after he’d come back from a long lay off.
Also signing a new keeper was not that much of a left field decision as the two we had were so unsuited to Potter’s possession based approach, particularly Areola who is incapable of kicking out or passing to a claret shirt – Hermandsen can do that, Areola still can’t.
Our new manager can ill afford to take a chance on the gut feelings of others. It is his job to make these kind of decisions. Shame or no shame.
He was the dogmatic keeper who could play out from the back. Problem was no preseason and behind the premier leagues slowest midfield that was overrun giving an already shaky defence nightmares. I do not think he’s inherently bad just badly utilised by what was a bad manager, he was done a disservice.
Keep him in place as number two for a while, his chance will come when he is fully prepared within a more solid set up and when it does I think he’ll be fine.