Lucas Digne reacts to ‘focused’ Alphonse Areola ahead of West Ham vs Liverpool
Aston Villa ace Lucas Digne reacted to a message from West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola ahead of their clash with Liverpool.
The Reds are fresh off of having suffered the ignominy of a 3-2 defeat against Fulham, but Mohamed Salah’s new contract will likely revitalise the side.
Areola has once again had to share playing time with Lukasz Fabianski this season, but he seems likely to start against Liverpool, having been the first-choice in the last nine Premier League games.
West Ham find themselves in the awkward position of being safe from relegation but without the possibility of qualifying for Europe.
Graham Potter will be keen for his team to perform, even if there are few consequences tied to the result, given his side have so far failed to impress under his stewardship.
Alphonse Areola shares training ground update pre-Liverpool
As his side prepares to face off against the league leaders, Areola shared a few snaps from West Ham’s training to Instagram, captioned: “Focused”.
The post was then liked by the 32-year-old’s France teammate, Digne, showing support for his national teammate.
West Ham face risk of losing Jarrod Bowen if disappointing results continue
Football Insider Verdict
Mick Brown told Football Insider exclusively that Jarrod Bowen may be willing to join Liverpool this summer, due to a desire to win trophies and feature at the highest level.
Losing the 28-year-old would be devastating, not only to West Ham as a team, but also to their fanbase, who adore the former Hull City man.
Scorer of arguably the greatest goal in their history, Bowen is currently on the fringes of the England squad, and will likely want to do everything he can to improve his chances of being at the 2026 World Cup.
| 2024/25 Premier League stats | Bowen |
| Appearances | 27 |
| Starts | 27 |
| Goals | 8 |
| Assists | 5 |
| Minutes | 2,370 |
While losing Declan Rice to Arsenal in 2023 was a major blow, Bowen has a strong emotional attachment to the team, and his absence would be sorely felt.
Having recruited heavily in the summer of 2024, West Ham have failed to improve, and the concern will be that the right-winger may worry that he has achieved all he can with the Irons.