Better than Wilson: West Ham agree personal terms with "unreal" £35m star
da 888casino： Could a few new signings lift the mood of West Ham United supporters?
da fezbet： So far, Hammers fans have not been too pleased with their side’s summer business, most notably selling star attacker Mohammed Kudus to fierce London rivals Tottenham for a reported fee of £55m.
Meantime, having won only five of 19 matches in charge following his appointment in January, Graham Potter immediately begins the new season as a man under pressure.
On the pitch in pre-season, his team were beaten 2-1 by Manchester United in their Premier League Summer Series opener in East Rutherford, before defeating Everton 2-1 in Chicago on Wednesday; Lucas Paquetá and Niclas Füllkrug were on target in Illinois.
So, ahead of the conclusion of their US tour on Sunday, taking on Bournemouth at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, will West Ham supporters have another new signing to be excited about?
West Ham searching for new signings
This weekend, West Ham unveiled their third new signing of the summer, announcing the arrival of Callum Wilson on a free transfer from Newcastle.
The 33-year-old England international has scored more career goals against the Irons than any other club, which might have been part of the attraction.
Club Callum Wilson has scored 6+ goals against
Opposition
Appearances
Goals
West Ham United
16
12
Everton
11
8
Burnley
12
7
Huddersfield Town
6
7
Brighton & Hove Albion
14
6
Southampton
14
6
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt
So, having bolstered their attacking options, will they now turn their attention to the other end of the pitch?
Well, according to a report by The Sun, West Ham have agreed personal terms with goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, amid interest from Manchester United, Nottingham Forest, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Burnley.
The outlet adds that the clubs are keen to get a deal over the line as quickly as possible, and this latest update has given them an advantage over their rivals in the race to sign the shot-stopper.
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Elsewhere, Ben Jacobs of Give Me Sport notes that Leicester City value their goalkeeper at £35m, but have already signed a potential replacement, following Asmir Begović’s arrival from Everton, seemingly preparing for his departure.
Dharmesh Sheth and Rob Dorsett of Sky Sports News add that West Ham’s new goalkeeper coach Casper Ankergren is pushing to make the move happen, having previously worked with Hermansen at Brøndby, so could the Dane soon swap the East Midlands for East London?
How Mads Hermansen would improve West Ham
It is little surprise that West Ham are in the market for a new goalkeeper this summer.
40-year-old Łukasz Fabiański has been released as a free agent, while neither he nor Alphonse Areola, who remains at the club, were particularly impressive last season, as the table below documents.
West Ham’s goalkeepers 2024/25 Premier League statistics
Statistics
Alphonse Areola
PL rank
Łukasz Fabiański
PL rank
Minutes
2,260
18th
1,160
22nd
Saves
77
15th
50
21st
Save %
64.3%
20th
74.6%
2nd
Goals conceded per 90
1.63
6th
1.63
7th
Clean sheet %
20%
13th
15.4%
17th
Post shot xG – goals conceded
-2.6
36th
+1.6
12th
% of crosses prevented
3.8%
21st
4.5%
18th
Punches
10
17th
9
19th
High claims
15
19th
9
24th
Average SofaScore rating
6.87
34th
7.08
18th
Statistics courtesy of FBref.com and SofaScore
As the table emphasises, neither of West Ham’s two goalkeepers stood out last season, with the now-departed Fabiański actually ranked higher for a few key metrics.
So, would Hermansen represent a clear upgrade?
Well, his most eye-catching performance of last season came against Arsenal in September, making 13 saves, the most by any goalkeeper in a Premier League fixture since David de Gea, also against Arsenal, in December 2017, as noted by James Benge of CBS.
After this match, analyst Ben Mattinson praised his “unreal performance”, while Rob Tanner of the Athletic labeled him a ‘a safe pair of hands’ who is also capable of ‘contributing hugely with the ball at his feet’.
So, let’s assess his own Premier League statistics from last season.
Mads Hermansen 2024/25 Premier League statistics
Statistics
Hermansen
PL rank
Minutes
2,385
16th
Goals conceded
58
3rd
Saves
99
7th
Save %
64.5%
18th
Clean sheet %
3.7%
21st
Post-shot xG – goals conceded
+1.4
15th
% of crosses prevented
6.2%
11th
Punches
20
7th
High claims
24
11th
Average SofaScore rating
6.95
26th
Statistics courtesy of FBref.com and SofaScore
While many of Hermansen’s statistics last season may not all leap off the page, it is worth noting that he was playing for an absolutely hopeless Leicester side, with his post-shot xG – goals conceded figure of +1.4 the most interesting number, underlining his excellent shot-stopping ability.
So, why would the Dane be a better signing than Wilson?
Well, the veteran striker accumulated a mere 458 minutes on the pitch last season due to various injury issues, so while his quality isn’t in question, Wilson has never been reliable in terms of fitness and availability.
He also isn’t guaranteed to start, given that Füllkrug and talisman Jarrod Bowen have seemingly formed a decent partnership during pre-season.
Hermansen, on the other hand, would surely arrive as the undisputed number one from day one, given Areola’s decline, and would represent a massive upgrade on what Potter already has at his disposal.
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