One word came up again and again when West Ham United were closing in on the £18 million signing of then-Leicester City goalkeeper Mads Hermansen during Graham Potter’s one and only summer at the helm.
Funnily enough, it is also a word which appeared time and again in relation to the Danish goalkeeper following Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United at the London Stadium.
Mads Hermansen was moments away from a third successive Premier League clean sheet. Whether or not you subscribe to the theory that Benjamin Sesko ‘robbed’ the Nuno Espirito Santo with his stunning equaliser deep into stoppage time, there was certainly very little West Ham United’s recently-recalled glovesman could have done about it.
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Until then, Hermansen was impressive, if somewhat un-challenged, as Axel Disasi and Konstantinos Mavropanos protected the goalkeeper like a pair of steel-clad knights in front of the castle gates.
Captain Jarrod Bowen praised Hermansen’s reflexes after he held back a Burnley horde at Turf Moor. Three days later, it was another part of his game which really caught the eye. A part of his game which encouraged West Ham to install him as their number one goalkeeping target during last summer’s transfer window.
West Ham fans praise Mads Hermansen after Manchester United draw
When arriving from Leicester in early-August, Hermansen highlighted his distribution as a key strength.
‘I like to participate in the build-up play,’ he said, ‘and I think I’m quite good at creating relationships between me and the defenders’.
Hammers News were also told that Hermansen’s ‘footwork’ was something the club really admired.
The possession-orientated Graham Potter and his former Brondby coach Casper Ankergren would be sacked soon after, however. The appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo – a more pragmatic coach with few qualms about ‘going long’ – appeared to weaken Hermansen’s position further as he spent five months on the bench.
At long last, Nuno gave Hermansen a chance to impress at Turf Moor last weekend. A chance he took with both hands. Now, with confidence flooding back and Hermansen notably growing in stature by the minute, Tuesday’s tense 1-1 draw provided the stage for the 24-year-old to showcase technical qualities Potter was so enraptured by.
To think, large sections of the West Ham fanbase wanted Alphonse Areola to return in Hermansen’s place against an in-form Man United.
Should the latter end up nailing down the number one jersey while providing the foundations for a ‘Great Escape’ to rival that of 2007, then you will not find a group of supporters happier to have been mistaken.
“It’s so refreshing seeing our goalkeeper play with the ball [with] the centre-backs. Lovely stuff from Hermansen the last two games,” one Talking Point user said on our official Facebook page.
“Hermansen distribution is a game changer for us. Disasi looks great and Mavrapanos has completely changed my view. Look like a new team.”
“Thought the keeper had a good game, to be honest. Hermansen’s distribution is much better than Areola’s.”
Describe Mads Hermansen’s West Ham return in ONE word! 🧤
Hermansen is ‘levels above’ Alphonse Areola with the ball at his feet
Hermansen averages 34 passes per game compared to Areola’s 27, while competing 58 per cent of them compared to Areola’s 46 per game. Up against teams who like to press high, Hermansen’s ability to play through the lines and into midfield should help the Hammers maintain possession rather than simply gifting it back to the opposition.
“Shout out for Hermansen last night. I thought he had a great game,” another fan writes. “No chance with the goal but made a couple of great saves towards the end, caught a couple of crosses and punched one clear of the area. His distribution was good too.”
“I might have been wrong about Disasi and Hermansen, which honestly makes me happy.”
“Will say it again; Hermansen is levels ahead of Areola in every department.”
“Hermansen did well with crosses and distribution, and let’s not pretend like that Sesko finish wasn’t quite literally unsaveable. Not even prime [Gianluigi] Buffon would get to that.”
“Hermansen was excellent. Great handling, no chance with the goal. We need to keep him as he is still very young for a keeper and will only get better. The coaches have done very well with him.”
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