Julen Lopetegui must have suspected that the jig was nearly up when West Ham United somehow contrived to lose 3-1 at Leicester City during what was arguably the lowest of low points in the Spaniard’s London Stadium tenure.
Thirty-one shots from the visitors to Leicester’s eight. An ‘expected goals’ tally of 3.37 contrasting with 1.11 from Ruud van Nistelrooy’s outfit.
That West Ham United found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-1 scoreline owed much, then, to an ‘unbelievable’ goalkeeping performance from the man between the Foxes’ sticks.
A goalkeeper who, just this week, was confirmed by Hammers News to be on Graham Potter’s radar. The man who replaced Julen Lopetegui in the London Stadium dugout seemingly keen to sign the XG-defying glovesman whose inspired performance drilled another nail in the former Real Madrid boss’ coffin.
Hammers News understands that Leicester City’s Mads Hermansen is indeed a West Ham target. And to say the £35 million-rated former Denmark Under-21 international has already passed his Hammers audition would be quite the understatement.
Mads Hermansen was ‘unbelievable’ when Leicester beat West Ham United
To quote the aforementioned Van Nistelrooy, speaking after the first of just five wins he would savour in 27 games in charge of Leicester City, Mads Hermansen was nothing short of ‘unbelievable’ on that bizarre December evening.
While Lukasz Fabianski at the other end conceded three goals from an XG of just over one, it took a Niclas Fullkrug consolation with 93 minutes on the clock to rob Hermansen of his clean sheet.
By that point, the former Brondby youngster had already denied Jarrod Bowen with an instinctive close-range stop, reacting brilliantly as the ball flashed towards his near post through a crowded penalty area.
He also adjusted well to tip a deflected Mohammed Kudus effort over the bar too, but that cat-like Bowen denial was the highlight of a performance in which Hermansen made no fewer than seven stops.
“It’s always good to get some saves, especially when we win,” Hermansen beamed following one of the finest individual goalkeeping performances of the Premier League campaign. “That is the best feeling.”
“We created a lot of chances. We shot 31 times on their goal and were in the opposition’s box a lot of times, but we didn’t score,” a bemused Lopetegui would add, the mood very different in the visiting dressing room.
“Normally, when you do what we did, you are going to win the match. But we didn’t do that and it’s hard to explain.”
West Ham have been told Hermansen is an upgrade on Alphonse Areola
There is, of course, always a risk attached when signing a goalkeeper who shone behind an error-strewn backline. The mark of the very best shot-stoppers is usually whether they can provide a reliable last line of defence when opposition attacks are fewer and further between, displaying the confidence and concentration required.
Hermansen, having spent just one top-flight season with one of the poorest Premier League teams in recent memory, would still have a lot to prove and a lot of doubters to silence then if indeed he does find himself becoming West Ham’s new number one.
Former Denmark international Peter Kjaer has seen enough, though, to be convinced that Mads Hermansen would represent a big upgrade at West Ham.
“Their goalkeeping situation is not very good,” Kjaer told Tipsbladet before those Hermansen rumours emerged. “Fabianski is finished. [Alphonse] Areola is okay, but I don’t think he is skilled enough to be an extraordinary first-choice goalkeeper.
“It’s a nice place, located in London and it’s a club that wants a little more. It’s a nice shelf for him. It’s an upgrade and for a club that wants to be ambitious.”
In an ideal world, Graham Potter would prefer to sign a goalkeeper capable of building attacks from the very back. That is a key reason why the West Ham boss admirers Aaron Ramsdale of Southampton.
Hermansen is not immune to errors in possession of course – he was caught on the ball by Birmingham City’s Jay Stansfield during one particularly embarrassing moment in the Championship – but at just 24 he has plenty of time to hone those talents.
“[West Ham] have Graham Potter, who wants to play the ball out,” Kjaer adds. “And [Hermansen] is significantly better with his feet than Areola.”
Hammers News understands that West Ham, who are expected to hire Hermansen’s former Brondby tutor Casper Ankergren as their new goalkeeping coach, could approach Leicester City with an initial loan-to-buy offer.
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