Mads Hermansen is not giving up on his West Ham United career after just four Premier League appearances, but reports suggesting that a replacement may be in the pipeline will not make his life any easier.
While Lucas Paqueta will miss that trip to Bournemouth through suspension, while Freddie Potts and Konstantinos Mavropanos face a race against time to be involved, one player almost guaranteed a place in Nuno Espirito Santo’s XI these days is Alphonse Areola.
Despite a late clanger against Burnley last time out, Areola will start an eighth successive Premier League match on the South Coast.
In stark contrast, only a handful of appearances into his West Ham United career, it appears that Mads Hermansen’s future is already in some doubt. The £18 million summer signing has not featured even once since Nuno replaced Graham Potter two months ago.
Hammers News have also been told that West Ham ‘would cash in’ on Hermansen as early as January. Provided, of course, that someone is willing to pay the money needed.
Now, in a further blow to the 25-year-old Dane, reports in Italy say that an enquiry has been lodged for Lazio goalkeeper Christos Mandas.
West Ham United make a move for Lazio goalkeeper Christos Mandas
According to La Lazio Siamo Noi – an unsurprisingly Biancocelesti-focused publication – West Ham and
Bournemouth have approached the Serie A giants. So too have league rivals Fiorentina, with David de Gea now 35.
Lazio were placed under a transfer ban last summer and, the report adds, they will have to raise funds in January.
Corriere dello Sport add that Mandas, who has played alongside Konstantinos Mavropanos in the Greek national team, may be available for a knockdown fee of £9 million.
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Of all the sellable assets at Lazio’s disposal, 24-year-old Mandas is presumably one they would be happier to let go. The former OFI Crete goalkeeper has not played a single minute of Serie A football so far in Maurizio Sarri’s second spell.
Lazio’s veteran, chain-smoking coach tends to prefer Ivan Provedel between the sticks these days.
“Now he is second choice, but has already proved he can stand in for [Ivan] Provedel. We will certainly need to discuss [his future],” agent Diego Tavano said last year when Mandas’ future was also under question.
“He is very reactive as a goalkeeper. He sees this sport as an obsession and wants to become one of the best in the world. He is also good with his feet and gets involved in playing out from the back.”
“He’s proving to be an excellent goalkeeper,” the beautifully-named former Juventus ace Michelangelo Rampulla told Tuttomercatoweb after one particularly impressive Mandas stop in the Rome derby.
“A save like that in the derby is a goalkeeper’s job, and I hope he can live up to those expectations.”
Mads Hermansen explains how Casper Ankergren exit affected him
Some West Ham fans are holding out hope for James Trafford – the Manchester City glovesman has also slipped down the pecking order, behind Gianluigi Donnarumma – but Mandas is a more affordable, potentially attainable acquisition in the January transfer window.
And presuming those reports are true, this will do nothing to calm the speculation surrounding Hermansen.
Earlier this week, in conversation with Danish publication Campo, Mads Hermansen opened up on his difficult start. He was forced to say an early goodbye to both Graham Potter and former goalkeeping coach Casper Ankergren in September, meaning he has lost two of his biggest backers at the London Stadium.
“I worked with him [Ankergren] at Brondby, so of course we already had a relationship,” Hermansen explains, having spent two years alongside the ex- Leeds and Brighton ace at the Danish giants.
“We have always agreed a lot about the goalkeeping game and how we train and play matches. So it was clear that I was looking forward to working with him for a longer period of time and continuing to improve my skills. But unfortunately, things went the way they did.”
“We have, of course, a new coaching team, which I also think is really talented,” he adds, reflecting on the arrival of Rui Barbosa, a long-time ally of Nuno’s.
“I am also happy to work with them.”
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