Arsenal star Declan Rice reacts to Alphonse Areola message to West Ham fans
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has responded to a message from former teammate Alphonse Areola after West Ham beat Leicester.
The 32-year-old goalkeeper celebrated his birthday in style, keeping a clean sheet for the Hammers in a 2-0 win over Leicester.
Tomas Soucek opened the scoring for the Irons in the 21st minute, reacting quickest to a loose ball in the box before poking home.
Jarrod Bowen thought he had doubled West Ham’s lead, only for the strike to be awarded as an own-goal, with Jannik Vestergaard getting the last tough before it went in.
Areola lost his West Ham place earlier in the season after a poor run of form, but has since regained it from Lukasz Fabianski.
The Hammers were without Lucas Paqueta who could be set for a “life ban” from the sport, as his hearing with The FA takes place next month.
West Ham‘s comfortable 2-0 win sees them stay within touching distance of Man United, with both clubs sat on 33 points.
Alphonse Areola thanks West Ham fans after difficult season
Following Julen Lopetegui’s sacking, Graham Potter joined West Ham, and their form since has been a mixed bag.
Whilst in no danger of being relegated, mainly due to the lack of quality below them, the Hammers have failed to pick up a ‘new manager bounce’ and are 15th in the Premier League.
| 2024/25 Premier League stats | Areola |
| Appearances | 16 |
| Clean sheets | 3 |
| Goals conceeded | 27 |
| Saves (percentage) | 48 (64%) |
| Errors leading to goal | 1 |
However, the win over Leicester will be good for team morale, as the Irons look to finish strongly in what has been a poor season.
Following the win, Areola posted a series of photos of himself in action on Instagram, captioned: “Thanks for all the love, see you all soon!”
Arsenal star and former teammate, Rice, showed his support for the French goalkeeper by liking the post.
Declan Rice fails to add to trophy cabinet since leaving West Ham
Football Insider Verdict
When Rice joined Arsenal, the midfielder was expected to add trophies to an already stellar resume.
Having won the Conference League with the East London club, the England international was making a step-up to join a Premier League and Champions League contender.
However, two seasons later, and the Gunners are heading for a second placed finish in the league, just like they did in Rice’s first season, and it seems unlikely that the midfielder will win anything this year, something West Ham fans have enjoyed mightily.