Declan Rice and James Trafford react to ‘amazing’ Alphonse Areola message
Alphonse Areola sent a message away from West Ham United as uncertainty grows over his future in East London.
West Ham have a rebuild on their hands this summer after a forgettable season to say the least at the London Stadium, as they spent the entire campaign in lower mid-table before an eventual finish of 14th.
Graham Potter‘s side have already said goodbye to veterans like Lukasz Fabianski, Vladimir Coufal, Danny Ings and Aaron Cresswell, but it remains to be seen who will come the other way for the Hammers.
After an outlay of over £130million last summer and a further £32.8m committed on Jean-Clair Todibo’s permanent move from Nice, West Ham may sell in order to buy and fund a necessary summer rebuild.
Areola sends ‘thank you’ message away from West Ham
Potter certainly won’t have the nine-figure budget afforded to Julen Lopetegui last summer, but West Ham are aware they’ll have to spend big to replace the likes of Fabianski, Coufal and Ings in particular.
Areola’s position as Potter’s number one is far from secure though, and several West Ham fans want to see an upgrade brought in this summer after some high-profile errors from the Frenchman last season.
Absent from the France squad since October 2024, Areola‘s off-season break has instead taken him to watch horse racing at Royal Ascot, and he shared a message on Instagram (19 June) from the grounds.
In a post liked by former Irons star Declan Rice and fellow goalkeeper James Trafford, Areola said: “What an amazing afternoon at the Ascot Racecourse. Thank you Selfridges and Ciara McAndrew for the invitation.”
West Ham on the hunt for potential Areola replacements
Football Insider Verdict
Football Insider revealed last month that West Ham are keen to “upgrade” on Areola by spending £25m to sign Aaron Ramsdale from Southampton, with Potter yet to be convinced by the 32-year-old so far.
Ramsdale is far from the only Saints player the Irons are keen on this summer, but signing as up to four players from one of the worst Premier League teams ever wouldn’t go down well with West Ham fans.
Trafford, meanwhile, has been linked with a move away from Burnley this summer, but the Hammers are unfortunately not in the race to sign the promising England starlet with Newcastle by far his most likely destination.