Forum | Non-Football Related

After making the decision not to renew Fabianski’s contract at the end of the season, it’s the first time in a long while that the Hammers are in search of a new goalkeeper.

The club has had the consistent pairing of Fabianski and Areola for numerous years, but now new targets need to be identified. It appears to be that a name which has been circulating for a while is Southampton’s Aaron Ramsdale, whom they signed for a club record fee last summer transfer window.

He has since been relegated, adding another relegation to his career path and starting to establish a record that many don’t want. However, on the other side of the pond, the club have also been interested in both the Chelsea goalkeepers who have been made for sale this summer.

Robert Sanchez and Djordje Petrovic are the two goalkeepers of conversation, conveniently both of whom have been involved in a swap deal talk with Mohammed Kudus, but the club rejected these advancements due to the Hammers wanting cash only. Of the two players, Djordje Petrovic is the one who is more likely, after being left out of Chelsea’s club World Cup squad, as well as the club simply preferring his profile over Sanchez, who had a concerning campaign with the Blues last season.

Apart from the Premier League, Freiburg goalie Noah Atubolu was spoken about and mentioned when identifying targets, but the club recognise that to convince him a move away from European football will be a big ask, as well as fending off AC Milan, who also hold significant interest.

Potter and Macaulay have identified that for next season, alongside many others, we do need a goalkeeper and that seeing Areola as a number one next season is highly unlikely, and at this moment in time, Petrovic is the number one goalkeeper target that the Hammers will push for.

West Ham confirmed that Jean-Clair Todibo would be made a permanent deal in the region of £33,000,000 from OGC Nice after the obligation clause of the East London side to not be relegated was fulfilled… just about.

The Hammers last summer fended off interest from numerous other clubs, one of which was Italian giants Juventus.

Since joining West Ham, the Frenchman has received mixed reviews from his 2024/25 campaign. A combination of injuries alongside two different managers, one of whom he had a falling out with, has caused him to have a bumpy season and definitely not the best of his career so far.

But despite what many would call an ‘average’ season for Todibo, Graham Potter has put the Frenchman up for sale, and the club are willing to hear out offers despite the player just being made permanent.

In light of this news, the two clubs that have already shared an interest in Jean-Clair Todibo are Newcastle and Manchester United.

Manchester United have kept their eyes on Todibo for a very long time, with the club being denied the opportunity to sign him from OGC Nice due to the Jim Ratcliffe sharehold in the French side. The fee that Manchester United are willing to pay is unknown, but with their recent spending and cherry picking of other Premier League clubs as well as the longstanding interest, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if an offer for Todibo soon came.

Newcastle’s interest is minimal due to their focus on many other central defenders, but Todibo was a name that came up when discussing their potential targets.

However, it is important to note that the club are NOT willing to sell Todibo for a loss and he will remain at West Ham unless someone is willing to spend more than the £33 million he was acquired for.

After a two-year wait, it has finally been announced that the Lucas Paqueta hearing has concluded. The case this week has finally been concluded after both sides presented their evidence and reasoning.

However, the unfortunate news for West Ham and Lucas Paqueta himself is that the verdict will be announced in 4-8 weeks, not only does this pre-long the already suffering for Lucas himself, but it also means the club aren’t able to prepare for Paqueta’s departure, if this was through a ban or a sale of the player.

Regardless of the outcome, it is utterly disgraceful how the FA have conducted this investigation, considering that the FA have claimed this is a “slam dunk” and that Paqueta will be found guilty, they’ve taken an awfully long time to prove that.

Close sources to Paqueta’s team have suggested that they are “more than confident” regarding the outcome and are positive that he won’t be found guilty. If this is the case, no one would be surprised to see Paqueta and West Ham take action against the FA due to the potential money that was lost over the agreed transfer to Manchester City, as well as the mental struggles and strains Paqueta has sustained throughout this period of time.

With the case overall, it will be an either or; it won’t be that Paqueta might be found guilty on some charges and not on others, it’s an ‘all or nothing’. This could be beneficial to the Hammers if all the news were to be positive.

It’s a waiting game, just like the transfers have been this season, but the implications of the outcome could be significant. The club are said to be “urgently” trying to get the verdict forwarded so the club can have a clearer idea with the transfer window.