Having to ‘sell before they could buy’ certainly hamstrung Graham Potter and Kyle Macaulay in their recruitment drive this summer. Only when Mohammed Kudus was shipped out controversially to Tottenham were the brakes taken off, and the club then able to go and spend. Sadly there was a ten man rebuild required with a three man budget – so the club were ‘negotiating hard for every penny’.
On the face of it, the Potter-led acquisition of Mads Hermansen looked good business. £15 million – ish – plus add-ons was far less than the alternatives – Southampton’s Aaron Ramsdale had a £20m-plus price tag – and now that the details of Hermansen’s purchase have been revealed by footballleagueworld.co.uk, it turns out that the acquisition of the Dane was particularly advantageous to the Hammers cash flow:
“It’s reported by Leicestershire Live that the Hammers’ annual installments amount to £3.78 million, with four payments running until 2028.”
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However the payments and price paid will pale into insignificance without the goal keeper delivering on his undoubted promise. Two dreadful opening games saw him dropped: Perhaps through a Potter misjudgement about his match-preparedness after just one game since April, the Dane floundered.
Alphonse Areola fared little better in the League Cup loss that followed so Hermansen was hastily re-installed for the Forest fixture.
mads Hermansen needs to wn over West Ham fans
Understandably against Nottingham Forest, having seen his several vulnerabilities, the opposition flooded the penalty area and crowded him for crosses. Largely thanks to a more resolute defensive performance, the Dane’s goal survived intact.
The irony of being nominated for the Premier League save of the month in the same game in which Hermansen let in three goals will not be lost on an unconvinced fan base.
More clean sheets and winning over the doubters who say he can’t deal with crosses could take a few more decent performances and a solidity that is still lacking: And only then will the £15 million start to look like decent value for money.