Mads Hermansen has cemented his spot as Nuno Espirito Santo’s go-to goalkeeper during West Ham United’s Premier League run-in.
For now, though, it is not entirely certain that the Dane will be starting the 2026/27 campaign as the club’s number one, regardless of which division the Hammers find themselves in.
Hermansen is yet to convince everyone at the London Stadium, despite recording five clean sheets in nine Premier League matches since ousting Alphonse Areola. Mads Hermansen can make it six from 10 with another shutout at home to Everton on Saturday.
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The availability of Freiburg glovesman Noah Atubolu for a reported cut-price fee of £17 million, though, could provide a real test of West Ham United’s confidence in the former Leicester City keeper.
West Ham United face potential £17m Noah Atubolu dilemma
According to German publication Kicker, Atubolu is expected to leave Europa League semi-finalists Freiburg in the summer. The 23-year-old has just over 12 months left on his contract.
Atubolu recently joined up with a new agency too; Epic Sports reportedly informing the Bundesliga high-flyers that they are ‘working intensively’ on finding a new home in the coming months.
Due to his precarious contract situation, Kicker believe that a bid of £17 million could convince Freiburg to cash in. A number of replacements are already being considered by the Black Forest outfit.
Nuno Espirito Santo highlighted Mads Hermansen’s distribution when explaining the shock decision to drop Alphonse Areola before February’s 2-0 win at Burnley. Together with Axel Disasi, Hermansen has given West Ham a new way of playing.
The Hammers average higher possession stats these days and, as a result, tend to concede fewer shots on goal while spending less time camped inside their own half.
Penalty king Atubolu appears to prefer Premier League transfer
Atubolu, interestingly, ranks as one of the best in the Bundesliga when it comes to playing out from the back.
Capped 22 times by Germany at Under-21 level, Atubolu seemingly set a new record earlier this season too when becoming the first goalkeeper in Europe’s major leagues to save five successive penalty kicks.
Would YOU swap Hermansen for Bundesliga penalty king Noah Atubolu? 👑
Freiburg could let him go for £17m…
Furthermore, Bild believe that the Premier League is his preferred destination, despite interest from Italian giants AC Milan.
Hermansen’s reward for helping keep the Hammers in the top-flight, then, may be a battle for his jersey from the summer onwards.
Fabrizio Romano revealed West Ham’s interest in Atubolu towards the end of 2024. He has made considerable progress since then, while the Hammers may soon be looking to move on the aforementioned Areola.
Areola also has a contract running until 2027. He is one of the best-paid players in West Ham’s squad, and therefore a very well-remunerated benchwarmer.
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