Mads Hermansenbelieves West Ham United’s ambitions align perfectly with his own and hopes he and the Hammers will prove to be the perfect footballing fit.
The 25-year-old was an eagerly anticipated signing from Leicester City on the back of a fantastic pair of seasons at King Power Stadium which unsurprisingly drew significant interest from multiple clubs, including the Irons, but Hermansen himself says it was an easy decision, because joining the Club was something he envisaged long before he signed on Saturday.
Born in Odense in July 2000, Hermansen began his craft at local side Næsby Boldklub as a schoolboy, before moving to Brøndby’s Academy at the age of 15 in 2015.
Progressing through the ranks, our new No1 made his senior Brøndby debut in 2020 before becoming first-team starter under the guidance of current Lead First-Team Goalkeeper Coach Casper Ankergren in 2021/22 and was rewarded with the club’s Player of the Year Award in 2022, and made 70 appearances across two-plus seasons, including eleven in UEFA competitions.
Such performances while still in his teens made it clear that Hermansen was destined for a great career, and the next step followed shortly after when he joined EFL Championship side Leicester City in July 2023.
That was shown to be true as, at Leicester in 2023/24, Hermansen’s performances between the sticks - which saw the Foxes concede the fewest goals in the Championship (41 in their 46 games) and Hermansen made 113 saves from the 154 shots he faced during that campaign - helped take his team to the Premier League and earned him a place in the 2023/24 Championship Team of the Season.
Hermansen, who has played for Denmark at every age group from under-16s, has been on the bench for the senior side on 26 occasions but has yet to earn his first cap, and insists a move to east London was the natural step to fulfil his ambition of playing for his country.
To watch our new tall, imposing figure play football, you would think he would have the confident swagger off the pitch that he displays on it.
But that could not be further from the truth.
Without a football in his gloves or at his feet, he is a quiet and reserved person, with a determination and motivation to do his best for himself and his family, who he made sure to bring to Rush Green on his signing day.
And speaking in his first interview with West Ham TV, you immediately sense Hermansen’s drive and determination to be a success, and he says he will do everything he can to help the Club achieve its goals…
Welcome to West Ham United, Mads. How does it feel to be a Hammer?
“Thank you, it feels very good. I'm very happy, I'm very proud to be here, and I can't wait to get started.”
There has been plenty of interest in you this summer, so why did you choose to join us?
“I felt a long time ago that West Ham and I could be a good match. I can definitely see myself playing in the way the team wants to, so it felt natural all the way, so West Ham was a pretty easy choice.”
You become just the fourth Danish men’s player to represent West Ham United - following Frederik Alves, Lars Jacobsen and Marc Rieper. That must be incredibly special for you?
“It’s very special. One of my good friends, Frederik Alves, who I played with at Brøndby, was the last one to be here, so I heard a lot of great things about the Club. I can't wait.”