Alphonse Areola was absolutely sensational for West Ham United against Brighton yesterday evening.
David Moyes brought Alphonse Areola to West Ham on a season-long loan from Paris Saint-Germain way back in the summer of 2021.
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The Hammers boss then made his deal a permanent one last summer for around £8 million (The Athletic).
The 30-year-old had to be very patient though, and was used only as the cup goalkeeper over the last two seasons. However, Moyes admitted that Areola is now his number one stopper a couple of weeks back.
And after yesterday’s performance from the Frenchman it’s easy to see why he’s between the sticks for us in the Premier League now…
Alphonse Areola repaid his £8 million fee with terrific performance for West Ham against Brighton
The World Cup winner was absolutely sensational for the Hammers yesterday, and arguably did enough to actually earn us all three points.
Areola made a succession of stunning stops in the second-half, relying on his world-class reflexes to keep Brighton at bay. The best of the bunch was a save from Evan Ferguson at point-blank range.
Had the Brighton forward scored, it would have made it 3-2 with five minutes still to play, and who knows what would have happened then.
He’s now second on the list for most saves made by goalkeepers in the Premier League this season, with 16 from three games so far (Premier League website).
Alphonse Areola has received plenty of criticism from some West Ham fans for his performances since moving to the London Stadium. However, it’s so hard for a goalkeeper to come into the team every few weeks and perform to their very best levels.
I think we’ll see the best of the Frenchman this season, with a consistent run of Premier League games under his belt. Areola’s performance yesterday will give him the confidence that he needs to go on and be a big player for West Ham over the next six or seven years.
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