Apart from James Collins, the West Ham fans do not have a greater relationship than with Spanish goalkeeper Adrian. He is beloved by the club and always looks happy to be part of the club. However, his position as number one at the club is in jeopardy, as the Hammers are rumoured to be after Joe Hart.
Adrian had a mixed season last year; he showed his positives and negatives, from the calamity against Stoke at home to the cat-like reflexes against Spurs. But his inconsistencies are too frequent. He is one of the best shot-stoppers in the division but he is too erratic. However, his reported replacement has had his fair share of gaffes.
The Spaniard deserved to be dropped last season, and I welcomed Darren Randolph to challenge Adrian, but the Irishman did not show enough promise at all. He was abysmal by the end of his time in goal, and Adrian rightly retained the jersey. But despite all of Adrian’s good qualities, I feel his bad qualities outweigh them.
Joe Hart is a better keeper, no one can deny that. However, he is far from perfect, as Euro 2016 showed that. But I would feel more comfortable and confident with the England keeper in the net. There may be fans who completely disagree but I feel Hart’s experience is vital for us, and someone of his quality should be respected. He was treated harshly by Man City to be replaced by Claudio Bravo, who has not done any better.
Hart’s command of area is a vital reason for why I feel we need to look at him. He is streets ahead of Adrian in that department. He will push us up a level, and I think he could earn us a few extra points a season. I may be proved wrong if Hart does sign, but I feel this is the step up in class the club needs. Every year improvements need to be made by replacing first team players for better ones, and Hart is one of those players.
