The 31-year-old has been rightfully called up to the France national squad once more in an effort to add to his five caps due to his performance at the London Stadium.
After leaving London with a well-earned point against Aston Villa prior to the international break, Areola confidently rejoined Didier Deschamps’ team.
Areola would have been devastated to learn that Brice Samba would start for France against Germany on Saturday, March 23. The Hammers goalkeeper, however, probably had the last laugh as he watched his team lose 2-0 at home to Kai Havertz after conceding twice in the first six seconds of the match. Of course, there’s a case to be made for the former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper to get the start, but Areola has been a constant for West Ham in one of the world’s most competitive leagues.
The 31-year-old can be specifically mentioned for winning a lot of West Ham’s points this season as David Moyes’ team pushes for a top-six finish, with a 73% successful save rate according to Sofascore.
That particular statistic, however, will be significantly skewed by Moyes’ defensive approach, since West Ham will see far less of the ball than Lens do in Ligue 1, forcing Areola to fling passes further up the field.
