By Simon Leyland
Following a report from the venerable Gonzo yesterday on CandH regarding Areola`s possible departure, yet another goalkeeper has appeared on the Hammer`s radar.
Spanish media outlet Diario AS have claimed that Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili is of interest to West Ham United this summer as club scouts have travelled to watch him play several times this season.
Our favourite Polish international, Lukasz Fabianski, is rapidly approaching pipe and slippers time and won’t be at the London Stadium much longer which means the Hammers must have a contingency plan in place to replace him, and the 22-year-old Georgian goalkeeper is perhaps the perfect and more attractive option.
Mamardashvili has been in fine form in La Liga this season. Despite Valencia currently “doing a West Ham” in La Liga, the lanky goal stopper has done his utmost to try and keep the club in the top flight, having already made 84 saves in the league this season, just four more than Fabianski’s tally (80) as according to our favourite anoraks at Opta.
However, you will all remember the similar hype surrounding Alphonse Areola when he first arrived.
Areola is a very good goalkeeper and I would like him to remain with us, lets hope this is just the rumour and speculation mill doing what it does when 2 + 2 = 5.
By the same token, no one can honestly say, hand on heart that Fabianski has been anything other than a very good number one goalkeeper for us.
Those are the breaks and if Fabianski does get another year’s extension, I would expect to see the roles reversed with Areola, whoever our next manager will be.
I don’t see much wrong with Areola other than a lack of continuity game time to hone his skills. If he wants lo go we have created that scenario by short sighted management