West Ham United goalkeeper Alphonse Areola has been a regular starter for us over the past 13 months.
Alphonse Areola was actually linked with a West Ham exit in the summer, with Saudi Pro League side Al lttihad apparently keen to sign him.
West Ham brought Alphonse Areola to the London Stadium from Paris Saint-Germain initially on a season-long loan in the summer of 2021.
His move was then made a permanent one a year later, for a fee believed to be worth around £8 million.
The former PSG ace’s fine form for the Hammers last season attracted the likes of Chelsea back in January, but he remained at the London Stadium in the end.
Areola is a vital player for West Ham, and we need him to be at his very best this season, if we are to achieve any kind of success.
And with that in mind, the latest rumour about the 31-year-old was not what we wanted to hear. However, there’s a clear discrepancy with the claim…
Alphonse Areola claim is utter nonsense
The Frenchman was forced to leave the field midway through the Hammers’ clash with Manchester City nine days ago.
And as a result, a rather bizarre claim is doing the rounds.
According to Premier Injuries, Areola is ‘currently being assessed’ ahead of the Fulham game, and has a 50/50 chance of playing.
Well, this simply cannot be true.
That’s because the 31-year-old was on the bench for France on Friday during their 3-1 defeat to Italy in Paris.
So there is absolutely no way he’d have been kitted up on the substitute’s bench for the French if he wasn’t 100% fit.
Alphonse Areola will definitely start against Fulham on Saturday, unless he suffers another injury between now and then of course.
Areola vital for West Ham
In 31 Premier League games for West Ham last term, Areola made 138 saves, 11 punches, 20 high claims, four catches, four sweeper clearances and saved two penalties (Premier League’s official website).
He has some of the very best reflexes in the English top flight, and now that he’s playing behind a proper back four this season, there’s no reason why he can’t rack up 10 clean sheets or more in the Premier League.
If I’m being super critical, I would like to see him command his penalty area with more authority.
He showed that particular weakness during our opening day defeat to Aston Villa, and it’s something that he really does need to improve.
Overall though, Alphonse Areola is one of the best in the business, and we’re lucky to have him at West Ham.
Having him between the sticks for the Fulham game will be a very big boost for us.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
