Bournemouth may just have overtaken West Ham in £9m race thanks to Alphonse Areola

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West Ham United’s dramatic 2-2 draw away at AFC Bournemouth in matchday 12 of the Premier League season was, among other things, a tale of two goalkeepers. Alphonse Areola and Djordje Petrovic.

A fabulous Frenchman at one end. And, at the other, the first big mistake of Petrovic’s still-embryonic Bournemouth career.

Alphonse Areola gave an ‘incredible’ masterclass of shot-stopping at the Vitality Stadium. In addition to his ten saves, including one truly remarkable reflex stop to deny Eli Junior Kroupi, Areola became the first West Ham goalkeeper to provide an assist since Juussi Jaaskelainen set up Mo Diame eleven years previously.

So, if there has been a more complete performance by any goalkeeper in England’s top flight this season, answers on a postcard please.

Djordje Petrovic will not look back on his weekend’s work with quite so much pride. Callum Wilson was ‘magnificent’ up top, rolling back the years with a pair of instinctive finishes in the opening 35 minutes. But while Petrovic may blame the conditions, a pitch made perilously slick by a torrential South Coast downpour, the £25 million signing from Chelsea did not cover himself in glory.

Wilson’s opener, a rasping snapshot from outside the area, slipped through the grasp of the Bournemouth number one.

It was fitting really that a battle between the Hammers and the Cherries was dominated by very different goalkeeping performances. Because, as Italian publication La Lazio Siamo Noi reported only two days earlier, West Ham United and AFC Bournemouth have both made enquiries about the availability of Lazio’s Greek international Christos Mandas.

Bournemouth may need Christos Mandas more than West Ham United

Christos Mandas could be available for a bargain £9 million in January, Corriere dello Sport report.

The Lazio glovesman is keen on a Premier League future, too. Pep Guardiola and Manchester City came calling last summer, while Wolves are long-time admirers.

Rome-based publication La Lazio Siamo Noi report that the clubs who have made their interest known in the build up to January, though, are the two clubs who went head-to-head at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

So if Areola and Petrovic were hoping to show their current employers why reinforcements are not needed in the goalkeeping department, it is fair to say the former responded far more impressively than the latter.

So much so that, if West Ham do pursue a deal for the 24-year-old Mandas, Mads Hermansen suddenly appears to be the man in danger rather than his experienced rival. Nuno immediately put his faith in Areola after replacing Graham Potter in September. Another fine performance from the former Real Madrid and PSG ‘keeper – a man revitalised, it seems, after a difficult 2024/25 – will not have Nuno rushing to make a change between the sticks.

Hammers News have already been told, by chief football correspondent Graeme Bailey, that West Ham may ‘cash in’ on Hermansen should the opportunity arrive as early as January. A number of Serie A clubs are reportedly taking an interest.

Finding a buyer, or a club willing to help the Hammers recoup much of that £18 million investment, may be easier said than done however.

Alphonse Areola reflects on his Premier League record-setting display

As for Bournemouth, their current number two is Will Dennis. A 25-year-old former Kilmarnock loanee who is yet to make a single appearance in England’s top flight.

With Dennis seemingly not a long-term candidate for the number one role and doubts about Petrovic rising among some sections of the Bournemouth fanbase, Saturday’s four-goal thriller both solidified Alphonse Areola’s place and maybe also pushed Christos Mandas a step closer to the Cherries.

“Personally, I’m happy with the performance I’ve put in today, and I tried to help the team as much as I could, but in another way, it’s frustrating,” said Areola, whose tally of ten saves was the most made by a Premier League goalkeeper in 2025/26.

“It’s frustrating because I think we started well. The first half was for us, and we managed to score two goals to be ahead. After that, it’s never easy to play here, and in the second half, they pushed, and they tried to win that game, but we managed to get the point today.

“We knew that they would be pushing and putting pressure on us, but we have to look back and see where we were in the last games.

“We’ve managed to win two, a draw today, and now we have to keep that dynamic and try to get as many points as we can.

“I think we’ve shown a good picture of what we’re doing, what we’re trying to do, to be all together, to fight for every single ball and try to win games. We have to keep that positivity and prepare for the next one.”