West Ham star Alphonse Areola will discover his future fate this week after a dramatic twist to his situation at club level.
Rewind two months and some West Ham fans were seriously concerned they could be about to lose goalkeeper Areola.
The 6ft 5in Frenchman sealed a £10m permanent move to West Ham after shining on loan – particularly in the Europa League – as back-up to Lukasz Fabianski.
Many expected Areola to transition to West Ham’s number one this season. But David Moyes has steadfastly stuck with Fabianski – who has rarely put a glove wrong for the Hammers – 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.
West Ham star Alphonse Areola to discover future fate this week after dramatic twist to his situation
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.
Areola is in Didier Deschamps’ first France squad since Lloris’ retirement as they play Holland and Ireland in Euro 2024 qualifying.
It means West Ham star Areola is set to discover his future fate this week after a dramatic twist to his situation at club level.
Fabianski’s recent fractured cheekbone saw Areola suddenly claim the number one spot many felt he deserved.
The towering stopper replaced Fabianski in that 4-0 win over Forest last month and has played every minute of every game for West Ham since.
Whether that is enough for Areola to claim the number one spot he craves for France in these two big games remains to be seen.
If Deschamps entrusts him with the number one spot, it would give the West Ham man a massive confidence boost for the relegation run-in.
By now Areola probably already has an idea whether he will be number one based on training sessions this week.
But the rest of us will have to wait until Friday to find out. Good luck Phonse!
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