West Ham Online

Should he be dropped after today's clown performance?

onsideman wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026, 11:47

Rossal wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026, 08:08
Not one mention of the Caicedo save either which was world class 

It was a very good save, no doubt, but world class?

I'd wager there was a save of that quality in most premier league games this weekend. It's the keeper's job

Rossal wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026, 08:08
Not one mention of the Caicedo save either which was world class 

Sorry, but I don't agree on the scouting. He had a decent pedigree, certainly a better pedigree than Fabianski who'd barely played until he went to Swansea aged 29. Areola wasn't always back up - he had one full season as 1st choice No 1 at PSG - as well as at Bastia, Villareal and Fulham. The season before he joined us on loan he was actually Fulham's player of the season, so I don't have an issue with the scouting as such, and bringing him in on loan with an option to buy was a good idea.

The key thing is that we had him for a whole year, in training and in cup matches, and he clearly showed that he wasn't good enough to oust Fabianski, who was by then showing his age and needing a proper replacement. So why buy him? Wages were too high for a backup. 

Jean-Luc Paul Goddard" wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026, 08:00

eusebiovic wrote: ↑01 Feb 2026, 15:12

Another lazy bit of non-scouting from our crack recruitment team. He was signed by PSG when they were interested in shelling out obscene money for anything that moved. They have since changed tack and end up finally winning the champions league. Funny that.

Nah. Areola was a PSG youth player. They didn't pay a penny for him. We're the only club that's ever bought him.

Seeing as we had him on loan for the first year you can't really blame our scouting either. Pretty obvious from his European games in that first season that he was mediocre and nowhere near as good as Fabianski. Reasonable transfer fee but on much too high wages for a backup keeper. We should have never taken up the option to buy.

Think Mavro was more at fault for the first goal. 

Not one mention of the Caicedo save either which was world class 

eusebiovic wrote: ↑01 Feb 2026, 15:12

Another lazy bit of non-scouting from our crack recruitment team. He was signed by PSG when they were interested in shelling out obscene money for anything that moved. They have since changed tack and end up finally winning the champions league. Funny that.

Let's face it he's never been much good. A few top saves every once in a while isn't enough. Shame Fab got old, was way better than this side show.

threesixty wrote: ↑01 Feb 2026, 16:02

eusebiovic wrote: ↑01 Feb 2026, 15:12

iphammer wrote: ↑31 Jan 2026, 22:50 Should he be dropped after today's clown performance?

Another lazy bit of non-scouting from our crack recruitment team. He was signed by PSG when they were interested in shelling out obscene money for anything that moved. They have since changed tack and end up finally winning the champions league. Funny that.

Areola is a good shot stopper on his day but then again so are about 1001 other goalkeepers.

125k a week? Very poor value for the overall return he's given us.

 

But he was also French no. 2 at one point I think. It wasn’t just PSG that rated him. Deschamps did too. 

also for the 1st goal seems like the concensus is he should have gone for it instead of waiting for the header. But I think it was quite far off his line a there were 2 of our defenders flanking their striker. I’m not sure if that’s areolas ball. People would have laughed had he missed that. They would have said what is he doing so far off his line? Can’t win really. 

eusebiovic wrote: ↑01 Feb 2026, 15:12

iphammer wrote: ↑31 Jan 2026, 22:50 Should he be dropped after today's clown performance?

Another lazy bit of non-scouting from our crack recruitment team. He was signed by PSG when they were interested in shelling out obscene money for anything that moved. They have since changed tack and end up finally winning the champions league. Funny that.

Areola is a good shot stopper on his day but then again so are about 1001 other goalkeepers.

125k a week? Very poor value for the overall return he's given us.

 

Wouldn’t get in any other Premier league team - says it all

iphammer wrote: ↑31 Jan 2026, 22:50 Should he be dropped after today's clown performance?

First goal down to him if you can't come out and catch the ball at least come out and punch it, instead he was playing with the nets when the header went in.

GBHammer63 wrote: ↑01 Feb 2026, 10:33

Far Cough UKunt" wrote: ↑01 Feb 2026, 10:27 Maybe our goalkeeper of a manager is coaching him to do all that plus punching the ball away instead of catching the cսnt?

Got to agree, he’s 6’5”, got the advantage of using his hands in the box which should give him probably a 2foot advantage over a striker, as a keeper he’s protected more than a striker and still he struggles to command the area, someone pointed out earlier that they thought his strengths outweighed his weaknesses but for me it’s the other way round.

Never been a fan, to be honest, I'd stick Fabianski in at this point. Never a fan of keepers who make the Hollywood saves, but fail at the basics. All PL level keepers can make unbelievable saves, you want someone who can organise a defence and catch the fucking ball.

Far Cough UKunt" wrote: ↑01 Feb 2026, 10:27 Maybe our goalkeeper of a manager is coaching him to do all that plus punching the ball away instead of catching the cսnt?

Maybe our goalkeeper of a manager is coaching him to do all that plus punching the ball away instead of catching the cսnt?

That's what makes football a source of such debate

For the first goal in my view he could easily have come and claimed the cross by Fofana. He was rooted to his goal line

Dont see Areola being at fault for any of the goals really. Maybe the second one,  but then he's expecting a header on his inside not a looping cross/header back across the goal. Each goal he's had to gamble as to where to be because the ball could have gone anywhere. And with the quality Chelsea have they just put it in places beyond anything he could really do about it.

He also saved a great shot from Cacideo. 
 

I wouldn't lay the blame for the Spurs or Sunderland goals at his door, but his indecision cost us one and probably two goals yesterday.

It was identified as a weakness by the previous manager but we spent £20m and failed

If rumours are to be believed the current manager is also looking to add someone 

In each of the last four games, the opposition have scored headed goals from crosses from the right directed at the far post. We have been poor at defending that area. Centre backs have been drawn towards the centre of the goal and full-backs have been slow or reluctant to fill the gap. Personally, I haven't seen it as mainly a keeper issue.

bell wrote: ↑01 Feb 2026, 08:53 So many bigger issues to address first 

We could play with two keepers and we still wouldn’t keep a clean sheet.

The lack of desire to attack the ball from our defence is shocking.
 

So many bigger issues to address first 

For me good keeper, pluses definitely out way negatives. His weakness as said is corners,  struggles to get on them and his punches are unconvincing. His saves are excellent, stopped many an expected goal.

Nick QQQ2" wrote: ↑01 Feb 2026, 05:04 Good shot stopper, kicking has massively improved but awful from anything above waste height into the box.  For such a big bloke he’s weak when he comes for crosses