A veteran of over 500 career appearances for Club and country, and little over 12 months shy of his 40th birthday, West Ham United goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański has seen his fair share of thrills and spills during 20 storied years in professional football.
Indeed, the former Poland international was 33 when he signed with the Hammers back in June 2018, by which time he had already accumulated an array of individual and team honours while serving back at home with Legia Warszawa and in the Premier League with Arsenal.
After an impressive four-year stint with Swansea City, Fabiański would go on to add a UEFA Europa Conference League winner’s medal to his trophy cabinet with the Hammers last season, towards the end of a sporting journey that began in his hometown of Słubice two decades ago.
After five seasons as West Ham’s Premier League first-choice, the 38-year-old has acted as top-flight backup to Alphonse Areola during the current campaign.
However, an injury suffered by the Frenchman in the recent defeat at Newcastle United gave Fabiański another opportunity to play and, by starting Tuesday’s draw with Tottenham Hotspur, move into tenth place on the Club’s all-time list of Premier League appearance makers.
With Areola expected to miss Saturday’s trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers with a groin problem, the No1 should play his 179th top-flight game for the Club at Molineux.
“I’m enjoying every game, and every opportunity that’s given to me,” he explained. “Things have obviously been a bit different for me this season, and I’ve had to adjust to that. I wouldn’t say there’s been much difference in terms of the playing side of things, because every game is a challenge, but I’ve had to keep myself ready and stay prepared to jump in when called upon.
“I’m always excited to play in any game, and for the majority of this season that’s been in the cups, so I’m definitely enjoying the return of the UEFA Europa League. The Club has enjoyed some really special nights in these competitions in recent years, so it’s exciting to play my part now.”
After playing central roles in West Ham’s sixth and seventh-place finishes in 2020/21 and 2021/22 respectively, Fabiański is hoping to make it a European qualification hat-trick in 2023/24.
“We’re battling to finish the season as strongly as possible,” he confirmed. “The start to the season was really good, and it was good to be able to replicate some of that form in the last few weeks after a bit of a dip after Christmas.
“We’re in a strong position to qualify for Europe again this season, which would be amazing.
“It’s been an incredible ride for the last two-and-a-half seasons, and I know none of us are ready to give it up yet. Hopefully we can continue to put smiles on our fans’ faces.”
