Guess Who’s Back? Alphonse Areola Joins West Ham (Permanently, This Time)
Alphonse Areola’s time as PSG’s ‘on-assignment’ goalkeeper is over: he joined West Ham in a transfer worth up to £10.5m on Monday (27 June).
Although his debut for the champions of France made waves in 2013, he failed to lock down a place in the Parisian club’s starting eleven and spent more time on loan than at the Parc des Princes.
Regardless, the 29-year-old departs Ligue 1 with an enhanced reputation and plenty of silverware, including the 2018 World Cup with France.
David Moyes, approaching his 4th season in charge at the London Stadium, hailed the Frenchman’s return and hinted that he could play a bigger role in 2022-23.
“Alphonse made a huge contribution to the Club during his loan spell last season. His performances backed up why we see him as a top goalkeeper,” Moyes told whufc.com.
“He brings proven quality and experience at the highest level, both on the domestic and international scene. We’re delighted he’s with us permanently and look forward to welcoming him back for pre-season.”
When asked if his long-term goal was to become the Scotsman’s first choice in net, Areola added: “When you sign for a club, you obviously want to play. The gaffer will do the job: he will choose and our job is just to train hard every day as much as we can and just give our best to give the gaffer a good choice.
“I am here to compete, to help the team and, as I said to my family, the most important thing for me is that the team works well and after that, individual feats will follow. If we’re all like this and aim for something big for the team, individually you’ll be happy as well and you’ll have what you want.”
It was inevitable that Areola, who backstopped the Hammers’ run to the Europa League semi-finals, would join permanently: the terms of his loan deal were too good to turn down.
While the cost of his transfer will rise, the East London club paid only £7.75m upfront — a steal.
Financial considerations aside, the timing was right for Moyes to restructure his union of goalkeepers. While Lukasz Fabianski has been a brilliant servant since swapping Swansea for Stratford, he turns 38 next season and has lost a step in recent years.
The 37-year-old’s decline is reflected in his statistical output, with his post-shot xG (PSxG) — a measure of shot-stopping performance — dipping from +11.4 in 2018-19 to +4 in 2021-22.
Even so, West Ham’s goalkeeping department ranks as one of the deepest in the division, with Areola and Fabianski backed up by third-in-command Darren Randolph.
“We really enjoy our training sessions,” the Frenchman said of working under goalie specialist Xavi Valero. “From day one, I really felt that they were happy to work with me. I was happy to work with them and it's not done; now it’s for many years.
“We’re working very well with Xavi and trying to give our best on the pitch during the training sessions to help the team.”
Most importantly, the Paris-born goalie is a quality addition to West Ham’s squad and provides a long-term solution in net.
Areola’s size is a factor: his 6’5” frame helps him reach shots that beat shorter goalkeepers. When combined with fast footwork and solid technique, the Frenchman’s wingspan vaults him into elite company.
Last season, Areola’s shot-stopping performance was narrowly outperformed by Fabianski (+3.6 v +4 PSxG). However, most of the Frenchman’s appearances came in the Europa League, an altogether different proposition to his teammate’s Premier League deployment.
Excluding a three-match run with PSG in 2019-20, Areola has outperformed PSxG throughout his career. Impressive.
(I’ll keep tapping the sign: small sample sizes aren’t useful, especially for goalkeepers on top-tier squads.)
He also has the knack for pulling off world-class saves, including this season-altering stop in the second leg of West Ham’s round of sixteen tie versus Sevilla:
Also of note: Areola’s distribution is a cut above what Fabianski has produced in claret and blue — with the Pole’s passing becoming increasingly wayward last season.
Areola, by contrast, was developed with ball-playing in mind and is much more comfortable with the ball at his feet as a result. Although the Frenchman isn’t an out-and-out sweeper, his skill set lends itself well to operating behind Moyes’ mid-block defence.
Cross claiming isn’t a strong point for any of West Ham’s goalkeepers. Fabianski was dubbed “Flap-ianski” due to his aerial weakness during his time with Arsenal, while Randolph is at his best when stopping shots.
Areola doesn’t relish collecting crosses either. Despite his size advantage, he is often reluctant to challenge for high balls — an area of weakness rival coaches targeted in the Europa League.
The Paris-born goalie faced 114 crosses last season, collecting four — a measly 3.4 percent claim rate. By contrast, Fabianski grabbed 4.1 percent.
(For context, Nick Pope stopped 9.6 percent of the crosses he faced — ranking him in the 86th percentile of big five league goalkeepers.)
His ability on the field aside, Areola is a solid fit in the East End. West Ham’s contingent of Francophone players is growing, with Moroccan defender Nayef Aguerd also arriving this summer.
Related: Welcome to West Ham, Nayef Aguerd
“It’s good to have this French community in the club: we’re staying together but we're just sharing lots of times with all our teammates and enjoying every moment with everyone and we're just here to try to bring that good vibe, I'd say, just having fun and enjoying our time here.”
All in all, then, Areola is as close to being the perfect signing as possible. He’s a known quantity, was signed below market value, and is still only 29.
West Ham have started the transfer window on the front foot. It’s spooky season.
All statistics via fbref.com.
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