West Ham United goalkeeper Alphonse Areola admits it is personally a good time for him to stake a claim for club and country after spending much of the past two seasons on the bench for the Hammers and the French national team.
Areola has been in the France squad for each of the last two World Cup finals but has made just five caps for his country to date, despite being involved in 63 matchday squads since winning his first call-up for his country in October 2015.
However, with Tottenham Hotspur captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris recently from national team duties, there is a chance for Areola to stake his claim for France ahead of their 2024 European Championship qualifying matches against the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland.
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That window of opportunity coincides with one he is currently getting at West Ham having won just his second Premier League start in the best part of two seasons in last weekend’s 4-0 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion, with first-choice stopper Lukasz Fabianski currently sidelined with a fractured eye-socket and cheekbone injury.
While Areola does not wish harm on anyone including teammate Fabianski, he has said it is a big opportunity for him for both club and country.
“It’s quite a good timing but obviously I don’t want anyone having bad luck or a bad injury, I’m not like that,” said Areola.
“For me obviously personally, it’s quite a good timing to have more minutes and to try to get to the national team.”
Next up for the Hammers is a meeting with Aston Villa at the London Stadium in the Premier League.
While Areola has made 34 appearances for the Hammers, the game with the Villans is set to see him make his full home league debut since joining West Ham, initially on loan, from Paris Saint-Germain at the start of last season.
It is quick turnaround for the Hammers, who land back in London on Friday after beating Cypriot side AEK Larnaca in the first leg of their Europa Conference League round of 16 tie 2-0 on Thursday night.
"We’re just going to recover right now, that’s the most important thing,” the goalkeeper explained to football.london. “Tomorrow, fly back to London, it will be a long flight.
“Looking forward to that game and just be ready for it. We have to win and get more points to be a bit more safe.”
In the game, striker Michail Antonio scored both goals at the end of the first half, the second of which was a stunning effort from 20 yards out, a curling effort that sealed a first leg win for the Hammers.
With Antonio struggling for minutes this season, his brace saw him move top of the club’s scoring ranks in all competitions with nine goals, one ahead of winger Jarrod Bowen.
Asked if Antonio had scored many goals like that against Areola in training, the Frenchman joked that Antonio has tried, but added that it was an excellent finish and that he was pleased for him.
“He’s trying,” Areola joked. “From the back, it was an unbelievable goal.
“I am very happy for everyone, him especially because he had less minutes in the last few games and just showed that he’s ready for the battle to help the team, so that’s good for everyone to show that we just want to lift the positivity for the team.”
That two-goal cushion puts West Ham in the driving seat to seal a place in the quarter-finals of a European competition for a second straight season.
Areola was pleased with the result in Cyprus and has praised the defensive resolve shown, hoping that the Hammers can take confidence from it into their clash against Villa this weekend.
“In European games, the first and second leg, it’s important to keep a clean sheet to arrive in our stadium to be strong and try to score and not concede,” added Areola.
“It was good tonight to not concede and to keep that clean sheet is obviously good for us, the defenders and as well, for the team. We have to keep that momentum and that positive energy.”
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