If Nuno Espirito Santo wanted to see Mads Hermansen put himself in the frame to be West Ham United’s long-term number one, his recent performances could hardly have stood the young Dane in better stead.
On Wednesday night at Craven Cottage, Hermansen saved the Hammers’ skin with a ‘brilliant’ stop; heroically denying Josh King heading into stoppage time. That nervy 1-0 win in West London also means Hermansen has four clean sheets in seven games.
As many as Alphonse Areola has in 38 Premier League outings since December 2024.
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Mads Hermansen of West Ham United celebrates after teammate Tomas Soucek (not pictured) scores his team's first goal during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Manchester United at London Stadium on February 10, 2026 in London, England.
But the primary reason why Nuno Espirito Santo recalled Mads Hermansen – and this is confirmd by the head coach himself – was because the Dane’s distribution gives West Ham United an all-new dimension in possession.
The stats show that, since his re-call in the 2-0 win at Burnley last month, Hermansen has completed 74.8 per cent of his attempted passes.
A tally only bettered by Liverpool’s Alisson Becker [78.9 per cent] and Gianluigi Donnarumma of Manchester City [80.2 per cent].
West Ham United’s Mads Hermansen has the Premier League’s third best pass rate
El Hadji Malick Diouf celebrates victory with teammate Mads Hermansen after Fulham v West Ham United - Premier League
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
It goes without saying really, but Donnarumma and Alisson is very good company for a young goalkeeper to keep.
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Especially one who, until the last few weeks, would have been ranked up there among the worst pound-for-pound signings in West Ham’s modern history. £20 million for a shot-stopper who lost his place after just four matches? Hermansen’s sudden resurgence is not only good news for him then – and his World Cup hopes – but also for a Hammers’ side whose recruitment department are often the subject of scrutiny.
In addition to that superb reflex stop in the 90th minute, Hermansen attempted 34 passes against Fulham and completed 71 per cent of them. That was actually a reduction on his recent average, yet Wednesday was another night in which the 25-year-old’s composure on the ball helped draw the opposition in and beat the press.
That 74.8 per cent pass accuracy is higher, interestingly, than Bart Verbruggen of Brighton. One of the goalkeepers most renowned in England’s top flight for his ball-playing talents.
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Hammers are a much more effective side in possession with Hermansen
You can’t concede goals if the opponents don’t have the ball.
West Ham allow fewer shots with Hermansen in net than they do with Alphonse Areola, for whom distribution is not a strong point. Unsurprisingly, their possession average has also increased.
They enjoyed 50 per cent at Anfield a week ago, even in a 5-2 defeat.
Alongside a certain January acquisition – Axel Disasi’s long passing stood out at Fulham – the Hammers’ transition towards a more possession-focused, varied build-up has largely been enabled by a change between the sticks.
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