29-year-old Alphonse Areola has made only 14 appearances in all competitions this season for the Hammers since joining West Ham from PSG on a loan deal, but he is already one of the fans favourite after already managing seven clean sheets this season.
The Frenchman dropped another class performance last night in Europa League when he helped West Ham eliminate Spanish outfit Sevilla in a thriller extra-time match at London Stadium.
But according to reliable RMC Sport journalist Salim Baungally who told Foot Mercato, his future is up in the air as Areola is seeking more playing time in order to convince France manager Didier Deschamps he is good enough to unsettle Hugo Lloris as the starting keeper for Les Bleus.
Baungally said: “No one knows if he’s going to stay yet, but West Ham like him a lot. Fabianski is in front of him, but Aréola will eventually start ahead of him. The goal is to have a goalkeeper for years to come.”
West Ham fans will surely want for the Frenchman to stay as Lukasz Fabianski is approaching closing stages of his career and they believe Areola is good enough to start for the Hammers next season.
West Ham want him to stay! He will be our No.1 for sure and like other players in the squad are being recognised to play for their country at international level.
As a long-time West Ham supporter and season ticket holder, I have seen many great goalkeepers, not-so-great ones – and one or two who were absolute DISASTERS for the Hammers. But Areola is excellent – he may only have had ONE Premier League game for the club, but he’s featured in all the Cup games played so far this season, and he’s shown he is a top quality man to have between the sticks. It would be criminally irresponsible if West Ham don’t make a serious effort to sign him permanently this summer.