West Ham slumped to a 2–0 defeat against Liverpool at the weekend, with goals from Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo condemning Nuno Espírito Santo’s side to their first loss in four league games.
It could have been a far heavier beating were it not for Alphonse Areola, who produced several outstanding saves to keep the scoreline respectable and prevent further damage to the club’s already fragile goal difference.
And now, the man brought in to compete with Areola — despite only arriving in the summer — may already be heading for the exit.
Hermansen Could Leave West Ham
The final major decision Graham Potter made before his dismissal was to drop Alphonse Areola and install summer signing Mads Hermansen as West Ham’s No.1. Nuno Espírito Santo has since reversed that choice — and doubled down on it.
Hermansen, who arrived from relegated Leicester City in a deal worth close to £20 million, has endured a brutal start to life in east London.
The Danish goalkeeper conceded 11 of the 27 goals West Ham shipped during the early weeks of the campaign, and after just four Premier League appearances, he was replaced by Areola, who has kept the gloves ever since.
Despite Areola losing four of his first five matches back in the side, his form has improved significantly, and he has become one of West Ham’s few reliable performers in recent weeks.
That resurgence has left Hermansen stranded on the bench, unable to claw back his place for club or country, where he still sits behind Kasper Schmeichel.
According to Clinton Morrison, the situation could soon come to a head.
Speaking on BBC 5 Live during the defeat to Liverpool, Morrison said, per GIVEMESPORT: “Alphonse Areola has made the jersey his own. West Ham brought in Mads Hermansen and paid a lot of money, and now it looks like he could be on the way as he’s not playing any football.”
He added: Areola deserves to be number one — big saves last week to earn them a draw and he’s made two crucial saves already.”
With January looming and Hermansen’s pathway blocked, a winter exit now feels increasingly realistic. For a goalkeeper who arrived with high expectations and a hefty price tag, it would be a remarkably swift — and disappointing — end to his spell at the London Stadium.
