West Ham United goalkeeper Alphonse Areola could be feeling concerned about his future if the club’s links to Dean Henderson are true.
Indeed, The Sun have recently claimed that David Moyes and co could end up chasing a summer loan move for the Manchester United goalkeeper, who is apparently not wanted by the Red Devils in the short term.
The Hammers are also thought to be chasing West Bromwich Albion’s Sam Johnstone, though Henderson remains an ‘option’.
With that in mind, current shot-stopper Areola – who is only on loan for the season – may be concerned about his prospects of staying with the Hammers.
Areola’s situation
Last summer, the 29-year-old joined the Irons on an initial season-long loan deal from Paris Saint-Germain, with the option to make the transfer permanent.
In that time, Areola hasn’t been able to make himself the club’s first-choice option, but has proven his quality by playing in all but one game of the Hammers’ impressive Europa League campaign up to now.
For the rest of the time, though, he has mostly had to play second fiddle to Lukasz Fabianski. What’s more, the Pole’s contract is set to expire in the summer, but it looks as though the club will extend it, so the 37-year-old looks set to remain at the club another year.
With that in mind, Moyes is clearly content enough with Fabianski, but doubt still lingers over Areola. If the manager decides he wants someone capable of coming in and taking the No 1 shirt instead of just playing deputy in the cup competitions, he may go for Henderson.
Should West Ham try and loan Dean Henderson next season?
Yes
No
Henderson compared
When using FBREF to compare the two players across the span of their club careers, Areola concedes more goals per 90 on average, his shot save percentage is marginally worse, and he’s not as got a great record when it comes to saving penalties. Both men have saved three, but Henderson has only faced eight, compared to Areola’s 22.
However, the Frenchman does have a slightly better clean sheet record, and his pass completion rate of 80.3% is far better than Henderson’s, which is at 51.9%.
The pair are also close when it comes to successfully stopping crosses that come into their box, though the Englishman ranks slightly higher.
TIF Verdict…
All in all, it doesn’t feel as if there is a huge difference between the goalkeepers. On top of that, Moyes already knows Areola and should have been fairly impressed by his displays in the Europa League – which have helped West Ham make the semi-finals.
Despite that, there is no guarantee Areola will be signed permanently. If Moyes wants to save money in the transfer market, he may opt to go for another loan and bring in Henderson – who also provides a younger option by four years.
With plenty still to be decided, Areola may have to truly prove himself in Europe as his current club seek glory. If he can’t, he could be seeking a fresh start somewhere else next season with Henderson stealing his spot.
In other news: ‘We might be able to go and raid them’ – Ex now reveals exciting new West Ham target