Why West Ham should plot a January swoop for Thomas Strakosha

According to a report from Daily Mail, West Ham are likely to sign a new goalkeeper in January amid concerns over Roberto Jimenez.

Roberto, 33, had an awful game against Burnley, scoring an own goal and making an error that led to a goal. The 3-0 defeat at Turf Moor is concerning, as the Spaniard has to fill in for the injured Lukasz Fabianski at least until the New Year.

West Ham need to sign a new goalkeeper but it is a situation they created for themselves over the summer. When Adrian decided to leave the club at the end of his contract, they went for two largely unwanted veterans in Roberto and David Martin as back-ups to Fabianski.

With Fabianski out until the New Year and Roberto constantly making errors, David Martin might be called upon after the international break.

Nevertheless, the East Londoners would be better off finding a shot-stopper in the early 20s, who can not only challenge Fabianski but possibly become first-choice in a couple of years.

Back in June, Italian outlet Il Messaggero (h/t Football London) had claimed that West Ham were one of the three Premier League clubs interested in Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha.

Thomas Strakosha, 24, has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in Serie A. He played 44 times for the Italian club last season, keeping 13 clean sheets, including one in the Copa Italia final as he helped his team to lift the silverware despite suffering from an Achilles problem.

With the Albanian currently doing well for Lazio, West Ham must reignite their interest in him during the winter window. Fabianksi was superb for the Hammers this past season, arguably the club’s best player.

He remains at the top of his game and had started the 2019/20 campaign well, unfortunately, the Pole suffered a torn hip muscle last month. And as Fabianski is 34, Pellegrini needs to start planning for his long-term replacement from now onward.

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Strakosha could be the ideal long-term replacement for Fabianski. The Albania international is a reliable goalkeeper and given that he is only 24, he can only get better in the coming years.

The Greek-born star has not only excelled in the Serie A but he has held his own more often than not against higher-level opposition in recent years.

Verdict

Having proven his quality between the sticks in Lazio colours, West Ham must go all out to sign Strakosha in January.