Alphonse Areola is the centre of a new West Ham issue that will leave David Sullivan feeling the pressure.
With Tim Steidten gone, David Sullivan is West Ham’s de facto technical director once more.
That’s how things will remain this summer according to the club themselves.
West Ham ruled out appointing a Steidten replacement in a Hammers News exclusive a month ago.
The spokesman for the club’s owners revealed West Ham are seeing how they get on with what they have, describing the structure as a ‘happy ship’ at the moment.
That means Sullivan will have his input on transfers and ultimately be the one in charge of getting deals done.
New head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay will be heading up talent identification alongside Graham Potter.
Anyone following news coming out of West Ham over the last few months will know the club have been bracing fans for PSR difficulties.
Money will be tight according to the owners with sales a necessity in order to make signings.
And plenty of those will be needed on the evidence of this season.
West Ham’s midfield needs to be completely overhauled and at least two new strikers are required.
That won’t come cheap and the Hammers also want a new full-back who can play both sides as well as a new centre-back.
West Ham could end the season as the worst team in the Premier League besides the bottom three.
So the club literally cannot afford any more regression next term.
Now a curve ball means another big issue for the rebuild.
Because a brutal Alphonse Areola claim has handed Sullivan a fresh West Ham headache he didn’t need.
Areola looked set to be the club’s undisputed number one when he signed permanently from PSG for £10m on a cool £120k per week.
The plan was he would take over the number one spot from Lukasz Fabianski in a role reversal from his first season spent on loan in east London.
But he has been in and out of West Ham’s team since signing permanently.
West Ham thought they had solved their number one goalkeeper spot for years to come by signing Areola.
The Frenchman has been wildly inconsistent, though.
He has had more stops in Save of the Month competitions than any other Premier League goalkeeper.
But it is other elements of Areola’s game that has impacted the Hammers.
Against Bournemouth Areola made a costly mistake for the equalising goal.
Now even an analyst who works for West Ham’s own in-house media team feels the club need to spend on a new goalkeeper or two this summer.
Hammers fan Jack Elderton is an editor for Analytics United – who compile analysis and previews for West Ham’s website.
After his error against the Cherries, Elderton says Areola is a ‘glaring weak spot’.
“Areola is such a glaring weak spot in the West Ham team,” Elderton said.
“Terrible against crosses, woeful in build-up and the worst shot-stopper in the league this season.
“Yet another huge individual mistake today. Not sure why he continues to start ahead of Fabianski.”
He went on to say Fabianski has been better than Areola this season, with the ex Poland star facing 22.3 PSxG and conceding 20 compared to Areola facing 23.5 and conceding 30.
“Shows where we’re at with our GKs right now,” Elderton added.
West Ham have a number of top young academy goalkeepers coming through.
But generally goalkeepers are not ready to be regular Premier League starters until their mid-20s.
Areola, Fabianski and back-up stopper Wes Foderingham have a combined age of 106.
So while it may be the last thing Sullivan wants to hear, West Ham need to go out and sign a top young goalkeeper.
The good news is the Hammers have been linked with Burnley’s James Trafford.
The bad news being that Burnley are now top of the Championship and look set for promotion back to the Premier League.
Areola himself has been linked with a move away from West Ham recently.
Spanish side Espanyol reportedly want Areola.
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