Formed by Hammers supporters Jack Elderton and Callum Goodall to offer their fellow fans in-depth but accessible analysis of their team and its players, Analytics United provide content for the Club's official website, app, Official Programme and social media channels.
For their latest column, Analytics United use performance analysis and data to examine the contribution Wes Foderingham will make to West Ham United...
West Ham United have announced the signing of Wes Foderingham on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract at Sheffield United. The 33-year-old goalkeeper arrives with a wealth of experience and will provide valuable support in the goalkeeping department.
Since starting out in the Academies of Fulham and Crystal Palace, Foderingham has spent his senior career plying his trade at various clubs as he worked his way up from non-league to the Premier League, much like his new teammates, Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen.
Loan spells with Bromley, Boreham Wood, and Histon provided Foderingham with crucial early senior experience, ultimately leading to him making his Football League debut for the then League Two outfit Swindon Town in 2011. In his four seasons with the Robins, he established himself as a reliable presence in goal, helped the team achieve promotion to League One in his first season, and earned himself the Golden Glove award in the process.
Continuing this trend, Foderingham went on to join Rangers in 2015, where he once again played a pivotal role in securing promotion in his first season, this time to the Scottish Premiership. Fast forward to 2020, and Foderingham moved to Sheffield United where, after two impressive seasons in the Championship, he contributed to yet another promotion campaign and completed his ascent back to the Premier League.
Now, Sheffield United’s defensive struggles last season have already been well-documented, with the team conceding 85.4 expected goals against (xGA), the second-worst tally in the Premier League. They also conceded the most shots per 90 of any team (14.6), placing significant pressure on their goalkeeper, Foderingham in 30 of their 38 matches, and culminating in their relegation to the Championship.
Despite this challenging environment though, Foderingham was still able to demonstrate his shot-stopping capabilities throughout the season, including particularly impressive goalkeeping performances in away defeats against Everton and Manchester United - he conceded four in the game at Old Trafford, but saved nine of the 13 shots on target he faced (76.9%). His ability was formally recognised in December when he won the Premier League Save of the Month Award for a stunning reflex stop that denied Liverpool’s Mo Salah from close range.
Tremendous goalkeeping 👏 pic.twitter.com/6ZEiinQhQ5
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 12, 2024
One key metric that helps to highlight the difficulty of Foderingham's task last season is ‘post-shot expected goals per shot on target’ (PSxG/SoT), a measure that accounts for the quality of the finish rather than just the quality of the chance – in short, a measure of the difficulty of the save.
In this metric, he ranked in the 86th percentile with a value of 0.33, confirming that he faced some of the most difficult shots of any Premier League goalkeeper. This is despite the fact that the Blades only gave up the tenth-highest quality chances (0.135 xG per shot), suggesting that he was unfortunate to come up against high-quality finishing, but was equally let down by a defence that often left him exposed and failed to make these chances more difficult for strikers.
By contrast, Foderingham's performances in the Championship were markedly different. During the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons, Sheffield United boasted one of the best defences in the division, with xGA figures of 53.43 (fifth best) and 46.48 (second best) respectively. With a solid defence in front of him, Foderingham thrived, outperforming his post-shot expected goals (PSxG) tally in both seasons. In the 2021/22 season, he ranked in the 93rd percentile for goals prevented per 90 (PSxG-GA) with a value of +0.21, suggesting he single-handedly prevented a goal every five games.
His confidence was also reflected in his ability to claim crosses, achieving an 8.5% success rate (92nd percentile) in 2021/22 and 8.3% (79th percentile) in 2022/23, compared to just 6% (33rd percentile) last season. This contrast highlights how a goalkeeper’s confidence (or lack thereof) in their defence can significantly affect their assertiveness and overall performance.
While it’s true that these advanced metrics help to inform player analysis in the modern game, it’s important to recognise that these numbers only tell part of the story. Crucially, they often fail to capture the intangible qualities, such as resilience and leadership, that are essential for success at the highest level, arguably even more so for goalkeepers and defenders.
Foderingham's resilience has been a defining feature of his career. Having started last season as Sheffield United’s first-choice goalkeeper, he faced a tough period following the sacking of manager Paul Heckingbottom and the subsequent arrival of new goalkeeper Ivo Grbić in January. Instead of succumbing to this pressure, he successfully fought to regain his spot, prompting public praise from the manager who had initially dropped him, Chris Wilder.
Given that West Ham have just said goodbye to Angelo Ogbonna, a long-serving, incredibly experienced, and well-loved member of the squad, Foderingham’s arrival makes a lot of sense. There’s a lot to be said for someone who has worked their way up the football pyramid, and such a mentality can only be a positive addition to the dressing room. Underpinning all of this is the fact that he has shown, even in the difficult environment that he was in last season, that he can be a more-than-capable option between the sticks when needed. David Martin, anyone?
*The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of Analytics United and do not necessarily reflect the views opinions of West Ham United.