This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
It has been suggested by The Northern Echo that Middlesbrough will not sell former Hammer Darren Randolph to West Ham on the cheap.
The Hammers are said to have identified their former player as the top target to come into the club as Lukasz Fabianski’s understudy.
However, if Middlesbrough are expecting a substantial fee for the Republic of Ireland international, then this could be seen as a pointless move for the club.
With Roberto out of the London Stadium goal, calamitous errors have been significantly reduced while David Martin has been filling in for Lukasz Fabianski.
Whether or not the Spaniard is let go in January, it can be suggested that Martin has shown he can act as the team’s back-up goalkeeper, especially after the impact he had on his Hammers debut, both in keeping a clean sheet against Chelsea and his actions after the final whistle.
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In addition, Fabianski is supposedly aiming for a Boxing Day return to action, which would mean that even if Randolph did come in as the main back-up option, he would be sitting on the bench due to the Poland international’s presence.
Looking ahead to next season, there is Nathan Trott, who has been averaging 4.3 saves per game between the sticks while on loan at AFC Wimbledon this term.
It can be argued that the 21-year-old could be utilised as the number 2 goalkeeper option at London Stadium if required. A cost-effective method, he’d surely be a better option than investing in someone like Randolph.
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All of this makes it pretty difficult to make a case for West Ham going out and spending money on the Boro keeper.
In other news, Martin has been speaking about the values he feels West Ham should be playing with.
