Speaking on the latest edition of The West Ham Way podcast, ExWHUemployee has spoken of his desire for West Ham to go all out to bring Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope to the club this summer.
West Ham find themselves in fifth place of the Premier League table and only two points behind their city rivals Chelsea, who occupy the last place for Champions League qualification as it stands.
However, ExWHUemployee believes there is still room for David Moyes to improve the squad as he looked ahead to the summer transfer window.
The West Ham insider was discussing possible replacements for their current goalkeeper, Lukasz Fabianski, who only has one more season left on his contract at the London Stadium.
The Polish goalkeeper has made 27 appearances in the Premier League this season for Moyes and in those games, he has managed to keep nine clean sheets whilst conceding 33 goals (via Transfermarkt).
He said: “I mean, obviously, ideally, I think I’d go with [Dean] Henderson because he’s slightly younger from knowledge. But I think realistically, [Nick] Pope is probably the more realistic option out of them. And what I would do is put everything in that basket to try and get him.”
Will West Ham finish in a Champions League spot this season?
Yes
Moyes
Nick Pope has played a game more in the Premier League than Fabianski but has conceded one less goal than the 35-year-old West Ham goalkeeper and managed to keep the same number of clean sheets, despite playing in a side that is still flirting with relegation.
TIF Thoughts on Pope’s future…
The £13.5m-rated Pope is now a consistent feature in the England setup and is attracting interest from some of the Premier League’s bigger sides like Tottenham Hotspur ahead of this summer’s transfer window.
Reports suggest Burnley will hold out for in excess of £30m for the goalkeeper this summer, which is likely to put many sides off. Fabianski is now 35 years old so the Hammers will presumably be looking for a long-term replacement for the goalkeeper who signed a one-year extension this month – Pope could certainly be that option.