It is so important, as we all know, to have a steady, consistent goalkeeper between the sticks. Someone who is reliable and gives the manager, players and fans confidence. When Lukasz Fabianski was signed from Swansea City in 2018 for a £7 million fee, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t convinced. However, on reflection, his time at West Ham has been very successful.
This is not an exact science but goalkeepers generally become better with age and experience, and Fabianski is no different in that respect. I was never overly impressed with his time at Arsenal and I’m assuming most Arsenal fans would agree. Maybe it was a step too high for him and of course he was younger then. It is also important to note that he was never really a number one at Arsenal.
His time at Swansea City probably helped him to gain confidence in his own ability and he would also be the main goalkeeper at that club. I guess it was no surprise that after becoming Swansea’s Player of the Season in the 2017-2018 season and with Swansea being relegated, that Premier League clubs would come calling. West Ham did and he signed.
Finding Stability After the Joe Hart Era
There was no doubt that West Ham needed a new goalkeeper. Adrian, who I really liked, was not really seen as the future anymore and Joe Hart did not have a successful time in goal for West Ham, playing in the infamous 3-0 defeat at the London Stadium v Burnley.
Let’s be honest, Fabianski has definitely been what was needed at West Ham. With him in goal, we have had stability and it is important to note that when there have been times when he has been injured, we have struggled to replace him. We won’t dwell too much on the disastrous performances of Roberto. The point is that we missed Fabianski.
Alphonse Areola: From Cup Hero to Number One
Signing a number two goalkeeper was therefore imperative and that we did, in an initial loan deal that saw Alphonse Areola join West Ham. I did not know too much about him but I was impressed with what I saw as he was our cup goalkeeper, playing in the successful Europa League and Europa Conference League campaigns.
He will therefore always be remembered as being the goalkeeper who helped West Ham to lift their first trophy in 43 years in Prague in June 2023. I did wonder why he was satisfied with being our number two, as in my opinion, he would have walked into most sides as their main goalkeeper.
Maybe he was just biding his time as he eventually took over from Fabianski at the start of the 2023-2024 season under David Moyes, which continued into Julen Lopetegui’s reign. I did agree that it was time for him to be the number one at West Ham. But maybe it had not been as successful as expected.
The Goalkeeper Dilemma Under Graham Potter
Shipping a lot of goals, albeit not all his fault, towards the end of Moyes’ tenure and at the beginning of Lopetegui’s reign saw him demoted once again in favour of Fabianski. This I did agree with as I felt the defence needed Fabianski’s experience. At the moment, Areola does appear to be Graham Potter’s first choice and the defence is looking more solid, but I do wonder if he will be the main man next season.
In my opinion, I think he has to be as we desperately need a consistent solid base in that defence. Changing a goalkeeper again in the summer could undo some of the good work that Potter has already done with the defence, which would be a concern.
Lessons from the Past: Julian Dicks and Henri Lansbury
What I will say is that both Fabianski and Areola have provided consistency in the goalkeeper position as we have not always had a reliable number two to come into the team. One memory of mine was in the Harry Redknapp era when the legend Julian Dicks took over in goal at Goodison Park when Ludek Miklosko (my favourite West Ham goalkeeper) was sent off.
There was no reserve goalkeeper on the bench. Only two goals conceded, including the resulting penalty, was not a bad return for Dicksy to be fair. Henri Lansbury tried his hand at goalkeeping at Blackpool away under Allardyce also. My point being is that Fabianski and Areola have made a great number one and number two, creating reliability and stability.
Looking to the Future Between the Sticks
I do feel that someone does need to be waiting in the wings in the near future as Fabianski is not getting any younger. Is that buying a number one to then demote Areola again or signing a solid number two for the cup competitions? Only time will tell. With Graham Potter now building his own team come the summer, most players, based on performances this season, are playing for their futures and Areola is no different in that respect.
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