Looking past the 2020 summer transfer window, West Ham need to prepare for the future with their goalkeeping position and the club has a decision to make.
Lukasz Fabianski is heading into the final year of his contract this season after making the move from Swansea in 2018. At the end of his current deal, the Pole will be 36 and approaching the end of his career, arguably. Unless the Hammers offer Fabianski a new deal then they will be looking elsewhere.
Fabianski suffered a a serious hip injury earlier this season and upon his return, looked shaky. He has lost distance on his kicking, made a big error that cost the Hammers a point at Liverpool and looked decidedly shaky after lockdown too.
The Hammers should be making a decision this summer as to where they see the future between the sticks. Darren Randolph is a more than capable backup but is he going to be the number one after Fabianski leaves? Unlikely.
West Ham have some very talented youngsters on their books in goal. The likes of Nathan Trott, Krisztian Hegyi, Joseph Anang and Daniel Jinadu are all very highly rated but, again, could they be a number one anytime soon? Unlikely.
David Martin is the other senior goalkeeper on the books but the same questions will be asked of him and the answer will likely be the same.
So, that means the Hammers might have to look elsewhere and they will want to be doing that sooner rather than later so they don’t end up with another Roberto situation, lord help us all if that happens again.
Arsenal goalkeeper Emi Martinez has made a real name for himself after lockdown as the Gunners lost their number one stopper Bernd Leno to a horrendous knee injury that ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign.
After ten years of waiting for a chance as the Gunners number one, Martinez got it this season and was in inspired form as Mikelm Arteta’s side won the FA Cup.
He has made no secret of his desire to remain Arsenal’s number one but Leno returned to training the week before the Cup final and is likely to regain his place for the start of next season on August 12.
Football.London understands that Martinez wants assurances over his role in 2020/21 and Martinez himself came out and essentially fired an exit warning to the Gunners if he isn’t number one next season. Arsenal want to keep Martinez long-term but it isn't known if they seem him as a backup to Leno for the time being.
“I have shown the club that I can play for them and when I return next season I need to have more games," Martinez told Argentine radio station Continental. “That is the only way I will stay at Arsenal.
"My target is to consolidate my place with Arsenal and to reach the Argentinian national team as number one.
“I won’t stop until I get that and if I don’t play for Arsenal, then clearly I would move on.”
Martinez, as he said it himself, has shown he is a very capable goalkeeper at Premier League level and that is something West Ham could be on the lookout for in the very near future.
With Leno seemingly still the number one, the escalating situation at the Emirates with their goalkeepers is something that David Moyes might want to be keeping an eye on come the start of the season and who lines up in goal for Arsenal’s first game of the new season.
