Tony Cottee was pleading with West Ham United to sign an upgrade on Alphonse Areola and, with Mads Hermansen on his way from Leicester City, the Premier League outfit appear only too happy to oblige.
Speaking earlier this week, legendary Hammers striker Cottee expressed his concerns about Alphonse Areola heading into the 2025/26 campaign.
The former Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain glovesman had endured a season full of mistakes. And, just like against Nottingham Forest in May, he would gift Manchester United a goal during the pre-season tour of the USA; His poor distribution again coming to the fore.
Unsurprisingly, given what Graham Potter tends to demand from the man between the sticks, Mads Hermansen’s ‘footwork’ is partly why West Ham prioritised him over a host of other potential reinforcements.
While the Leicester City fans hit out at the £18 million price-tag – feeling that their 24-year-old Dane should have gone for a whole lot more with three years left on his contract – West Ham United, and Tony Cottee for that matter, are just happy they can draw a line under a long-running transfer saga.
Tony Cottee delighted as West Ham United close in on Leicester City goalkeeper Mads Hermansen
A deal was finally struck with the Foxes on Thursday.
And Cottee, who scored 146 goals in a claret and blue kit during two spells at Upton Park, feels Hermansen ticks the boxes required as he prepares to potentially inherit the number one jersey vacated by Lukasz Fabianski in July.
“Excellent signing for the Hammers,” Cottee writes on X. “Hermansen [is] the goalkeeper we have needed for quite a while now!
“Hoping for a few more signings.”
Hammers News can confirm, via a source close to the club’s board, that West Ham must sell a few fringe players before they can realistically step up their pursuit of more, big-money targets.
Cottee wants a midfielder too as West Ham eye Jacob Ramsey and Mateus Fernandes
Aston Villa value Jacob Ramsey at around £50 million, while Mateus Fernandes of Southampton won’t come cheap either, although the all-action former Sporting Lisbon playmaker does appear to be the ball-carrying, athletic central midfielder Potter is looking for.
“There are some real positives for West Ham but some concerns for me as well,” Cottee told talkSPORT a day before a fee was agreed with Leicester for Hermansen. “They need a bit of athleticism in midfield.
“I think they’ve got some good footballers. West Ham always have good footballers, but they need players who can get around a little bit. I think, in modern football, you need that athleticism.
“[James] Ward-Prowse, a technically top footballer. [Guido] Rodriguez, [Tomas] Soucek… There’s just not that dynamic midfield player and I think that’s their big problem.
“The goalkeeper as well, I think they’ve got to solve the goalkeeper problem. I’m not sure about Areola, you know, I haven’t been for a few years. So they need to solve that problem.
“And if you get the midfield player in there, I don’t think West Ham are too far away.”
Reports from France claim that West Ham are in talks to sign Idrissa Gueye from Ligue 1 newcomers Metz as well. The 18-year-old Senegal international scored six goals in 13 starts after moving to France last January, while comparisons have been drawn with a young Olivier Giroud.
Hammers News can confirm that head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay instructed West Ham to scout Gueye during a friendly clash between Metz and RC Lens last month, though it remains to be seen if this is indeed a deal the Londoners will look to get over the line in the next few weeks.
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