Unworkable. Unsustainable. Even unfair. They are just a few of the words used this season to describe the Premier League’s most popular (only?) goalkeeping soap opera, still running in north London following the arrival of David Raya to compete with (usurp) Aaron Ramsdale for the Arsenal No1 shirt.
What has gone less noticed is that, across the capital, the east-enders have been managing a not dissimilar situation perfectly well for two-and-a-half seasons now.
In Lukasz FabiaÅski and Alphonse Areola, West Ham possess perhaps the second-best depth between the sticks in the entire division, but without the scrutiny that has at times appeared to make lesser players of both of the Arsenal contenders.
“That’s ultimately down to the manager dealing with the individuals,” Irons coach Billy McKinlay said on Tuesday, when asked how the club had kept two players happy on the books when both, clearly, are good enough to start week-in, week-out for many Premier League teams. “And it’s down to the players accepting that when they’re in the team and they’ve got the jersey, they’re the custodians of the shirt. The other one’s got to work hard, put them under pressure, support them and deal with it professionally.
“We’ve had that for a couple of seasons. Whoever’s playing is under pressure to play well and keep the jersey, and whoever’s not supports them in the right professional manner and is ready for their opportunity.”
True, Fabianski was not best pleased at learning that he would no longer be the Premier League first-choice on the eve of the new season, but the Pole has since knuckled down and now been rewarded with a one-year contract extension that will extend his Irons career beyond his 40th birthday, into the summer of 2025.
Areola, meanwhile, had to be patient in waiting for this season’s chance. Despite coming with major pedigree from his time at PSG and Real Madrid, the 30-year-old was forced to bide his time through two seasons as the nominal cup goalkeeper, for all the Hammers’s successive deep runs in Europe made that an easier pill to swallow.
“We’re fortunate with the level of goalkeepers we’ve got,” McKinlay added. “We’ve got two No1s.”
The reality of the position, however, dictates that there can be no such thing and for the first time since making that preseason call, David Moyes has a serious dilemma on his hands heading into Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup quarter-final against Liverpool.
Since Areola picked up a wrist injury in training a fortnight ago, Fabianski has played all four of West Ham’s matches, a run that included shipping five at Fulham but also the superb victory away at Tottenham and, most recently, successive clean sheets in convincing wins over Freiburg and Wolves.
Areola was back on the bench for the latter pair of those matches, with Fabianski the regular in Europe and then Moyes explaining after the Wolves contest that he was taking a cautious approach.
“I just wanted to make sure Areola didn’t come back a couple of days too early,” the Scot said. “It’s great, isn’t it, when your goalies are keeping clean sheets?”
So, what to do at Anfield? If Areola is to be immediately restored as the League first-choice, then, in theory, Fabianski ought to slot back in as cup ‘keeper. Moyes, though, is renowned as a reluctant tinkerer when striking on a winning formula and may want to the Frenchman to prove his form again even after a short absence.
There are other moving parts, too, including the questions of whether Areola is now fully fit and exactly how Moyes views the tie in terms of importance amid a hectic run.
Longer-term, there seems little doubt that Areola - clearly the investment with more upside as an international ‘keeper in his prime years who would be expensive to replace - will continue as No1. But in search of a famous Anfield win and a place in the last-four, Moyes has a coin-toss decision to make.
