It has been a good few weeks for West Ham United goalkeepers, from Alphonse Areola in Nuno Espirito Santo’s first-team to a couple of highly-rated youngsters going from strength to strength behind the scenes.
Well, a good few weeks for most of West Ham United’s goalkeepers, that is.
Mads Hermansen appears to be fighting for his future already. Not only are the Hammers prepared to listen to offers as early as January – only a few months after his £18 million arrival from Leicester City – Lazio’s Christos Mandas has reportedly been identified as a potential replacement.
Hermansen will not be getting his starting spot back any time soon, either.
Alphonse Areola was ‘incredible’ at Bournemouth last weekend. No goalkeeper has made more than his ten saves in a single Premier League match this term.
The Frenchman’s shot-stopping masterclass is also the reason why the Hammers go into Sunday’s clash with Liverpool outside of the relegation zone.
Behind the scenes in East London, meanwhile, Finlay Herrick was rewarded with a first-ever England Under-21 call-up. Krisztian Hegyi, the club’s other reserve-team glovesman, can look back on the last few weeks with a great deal of satisfaction himself.
Photo by Martin Rose – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
West Ham United may have a decision to make with Krisztian Hegyi
Krisztian Hegyi was in inspired form against Wolves a few weeks back, saving a point for his teammates with a string of stellar saves.
The Hungarian was ‘outstanding’ in Truro on Tuesday night too.
During another heroic display between the sticks, even the home fans applauded West Ham’s ‘stunning’ shot-stopper. Hegyi’s brilliance laid the foundations for George Earthy, Callum Marshall and Mohamadou Kante to secure a 3-0 victory far more difficult than the scoreline suggests.
You would never believe that he only recently returned from a seven-month injury absence.
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“I came back after a long absence. I feel good, fortunately,” Hegyi told Hungarian publication Haon earlier this month. “Those seven months seemed like a lot of time. There were, of course, more difficult moments.
“The wound opened up a few times. Unfortunately, a second operation was required.
“I’ve been preparing in the gym since the beginning of June. I’ve been preparing on the field since August. After the surgery, I had a positive attitude towards things. I had to experience this, I had to come out of it stronger.
“Seven months may seem like a long time for a thigh injury, but they told me at the beginning that I could be out for a longer period of time!”
Former Debrecen loanee Hegyi opens the door to a return to Hungary
West Ham have been handing out contracts like Halloween candy on a trick or treat night of late. The aforementioned Mohamadou Kante signed a new deal until 2031. Josh Landers, Ezra Mayers, Preston Fearon and Airidas Golambeckis were also rewarded for their progress.
As for Hegyi, though, his future is less certain.
Having turned 23 in September, the goalkeeper will soon to be too old for Under-21 football. What’s more, his contract has only a year-and-a-half left to run.
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“We decided to put some of the Academy boys in the first-team environment on a daily basis. They are options, and it’s good for them to increase the levels of competitiveness in training sessions.
“We are building, and I really think that West Ham need to have these players around, because there are so many good prospects there.
“We’ve had Airidas [Golambeckis] and Finlay [Herrick] involved, and Ezra [Mayers] and Mo [Kante] here. We have videos of games and training sessions, and it’s something we look at very carefully.”
West Ham, then, have a decision awaiting them. Do they believe Hegyi has what it takes to compete for a first-team spot? Can he overhaul Herrick, a regular fixture in Nuno Espirito Santo’s training sessions these days?
In the year of his 24th birthday, Hegyi will be looking for answers of his own.
That aforementioned injury brought a premature end to his loan spell at Debrecen VSC last season, and Hegyi hopes he will be invited back to the seven-time Hungarian champions in 2026.
“I felt great in Debrecen,” he added. “At the beginning I was a little scared, but everyone was nice. I also got to know how much the DVSC fans liked me. This is the most important thing for a new club.
“I am very grateful to them. I still receive messages from the fans in Debrecen to this day.”
Hegyi remains in talks with the coaching staff at the Nagyerdei Stadion. He admits that ‘the plan’ is to leave West Ham on loan once again in the New Year.
Twelve months from now, though, he will be approaching free-agent status. Another temporary deal would merely kick the proverbial can down the road.
“The plan is to continue on loan during the January transfer window,” Hegyi said. “We communicated with DVSC all the way. Of course the coaches also asked about my situation, which is why I say I felt good.
“It would be an honour if I were asked to come [back to] Debrecen, but it’s only November. I need to play as much as possible first.”
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