Star Alphonse Areola has been told his days in the national team squad are numbered unless there’s a big change at West Ham.
This is a big week for West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.
The 6ft 5in Hammers star will discover his future fate with the French national team following the retirement of Hugo Lloris.
Many expected Areola to transition to West Ham’s number one this season.
But David Moyes has steadfastly stuck with Lukasz Fabianski – who has rarely put a glove wrong for the West Ham – as first choice despite calls from some for Areola to replace him.
Areola’s lack of action meant he ended up being third choice goalkeeper for France at the World Cup in Qatar.
The number one spot for Les Bleus has since opened up following the international retirement of Spurs star Hugo Lloris.
And when reports claimed Lorient wanted to sign Areola in January, there were claims from L’Equipe that the player was seriously interested in leaving West Ham on loan in order to salvage his international career with France.
The West Ham man is in Didier Deschamps’ first France squad since Lloris’ retirement as they play Holland and Ireland in Euro 2024 qualifying.
But star Areola has been told his days in national team squad are numbered unless there’s a big change at West Ham.
The official Ligue 1 website has published a feature on who will succeed Lloris as France number one.
The report states AC Milan’s Mike Maignon will be the new number one. And it warns Areola that unless he usurps Fabianski as West Ham number one full-time, then he is likely to drop out of the squad altogether.
“Mike Maignan will be France’s number one goalkeeper for their upcoming UEFA EURO 2024 qualifiers against the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland, coach Didier Deschamps confirmed on Monday,” the Ligue 1 website states.
“But will AC Milan’s former LOSC Lille man be the long-term successor to Hugo Lloris?
“It’s Maignan’s mantle to hold, but should his performances slip, so will it, and there’s fierce competition ready to snatch it up…
“His (Areola) experience of major international tournaments (albeit from the bench) and longevity in the squad will count in Deschamps’ thinking with the France coach proven to be loyal to those who have played and succeeded for him in the past. You can see that in the fact Areola was named in the squad for this round of games.
“That’s because the former Paris Saint-Germain and Lens man has a significant problem: he is not first-choice at his club with Lukasz Fabianski the man between the posts at West Ham United. Only a recent injury to the Poland international has given Areola a chance to play — prior to late February, he had featured in just over 100 minutes of the Hammers’ English Premier League season. Without that, would he have been included? It seems unlikely.
“Unless he can establish himself as first-choice at his club, his days even as a back-up goalkeeper for Les Bleus seem numbered.”
The report cites increased competition from Brice Samba, Alban Lafont, Leeds’ Illan Meslier and others as reason for Areola to be worried.
With Fabianski likely to be available for West Ham after the international break, it will be intriguing to see whether Moyes uses it as an opportunity to complete the Hammers’ goalkeeper succession plan.
If the Scot does then he may also simultaneously save Areola’s future in the France setup. If he reverts back to Fabianski then he may be left with a very unhappy player who wants to leave.
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