West Ham United’s future is in very safe hands, says goalkeeper coach Xavi Valero.
Not only can the Hammers rely on the experience, composure and ability of internationals Łukasz Fabiański and Alphonse Areola, but the Club’s Academy of Football has become a production line of young stoppers in recent years.
Promising 22-year-old Joseph Anang will fill the role of No3 goalkeeper, following the departure of Darren Randolph to AFC Bournemouth, having gained valuable experience of senior and European football with League of Ireland Premier Division side St Patrick’s Athletic.
His predecessor as No3, Nathan Trott, is making saves at Danish First Division leaders Vejle BK, where he is spending the 2022/23 season on loan.
Like Anang and Trott before him, Hungary U21 international Krisztián Hegyi completed his scholarship with the Academy of Football and is now developing as a young professional and captaining Mark Robson’s development team in Premier League 2 Division 1.
Jacob Knightbridge, an England U18 international, is spending his 2022/23 season on loan with Harrow Borough in Southern League Premier South, experiencing the rigours of senior football while still a teenager.
At youth-team level, 17-year-old Finlay Herrick and 16-year-old Dondre Abraham both made their England U17 debuts in a 6-0 friendly international win over Germany in Spain in January, and are working hard on their respective development at Chadwell Heath.
Spaniard Valero, who works daily with the first-team goalkeepers and oversees the stable of Academy glovemen, is pleased with where West Ham are at the position, and confirmed the Club’s long-term strategy at the position.
“It was always the idea to have in-house solutions and to develop our goalkeepers,” he began. “Joseph has been with us since he was 16, so for us to develop these young goalkeepers to be part of the first team like Joseph is now, and like Nathan Trott has been in the past as well, is very important.
“The fact that we are recalling Joseph now from Derby shows that we trust him to play that role, which is an important role, obviously. He’s not going to be like he was before, which was the No1 for the U21s and training with the first team, where he was fourth in the pecking order.
“Now, he's back as a first team player, and that shows two things – that we trust Joseph to play that role, and that there is a pathway for the young goalkeepers in the Academy to get to the first team. We showed that before with Nathan, who was third-choice for two years, and now, with Joseph playing that role, it is a positive for him and for us.”
Not your average Joe
After two seasons as No1 for West Ham’s development team, Anang had just turned 21 when he joined EFL League Two club Stevenage on loan in June 2021. There, he was introduced to the rigours of senior football, playing 18 times in the league, FA Cup, EFL Cup and EFL Trophy.
During his time in Hertfordshire, Anang helped the club defeat Championship side Luton Town in the EFL Cup first round by saving two penalties. It would not be the last time he became a shootout hero.
Anang was recalled from Stevenage in January 2022 before embarking on another loan adventure in the Republic of Ireland with Dublin-based St Patrick’s Athletic. He excelled, keeping 12 clean sheets and conceding just 29 goals in 30 appearances to help St Pat’s finish fourth in the league and, spectacularly, defeat NS Mura of Slovenia in the UEFA Europa Conference League second qualifying round.
From that high, he then felt the low of going to EFL League One club Derby County with the prospect of being the Rams’ No1, only for a broken arm suffered in training to prevent him making a single senior appearance for the Hammers’ Emirates FA Cup fourth-round opponents.
While that injury was certainly a setback, Valero believes Anang’s varied experiences have prepared him well for his promotion to West Ham’s first-team squad.
“He has played so many games in the last 18 months for Stevenage first, then St. Pat’s, and then he went to Derby, who signed him as their No1, but he was really unlucky,” Valero confirmed. “But he has got decent first-team experience now, playing games, and on top of that he’s been our No1 for the U21s for two seasons.
“Now he’s 22, he’s a grown-up man, he’s fully developed, he’s an excellent shot-stopper, his distribution is excellent, and he’s got the physicality to play the game at this level, so that’s why he’s back.”
For Anang, Valero says that, while he may have to wait for his first-team debut for West Ham, he needs to be ready for that opportunity to present itself at any moment, as it did for David Martin when he was drafted and helped West Ham earn a vital Premier League win at Chelsea in November 2019.
“It’s a tricky position because any third-choice goalkeeper might think the chances are really low to play a game, but then suddenly it happens – an injury, a sending-off and then you on the biggest stage in the world and playing in a Premier League game or in European competition,” he explained.
“You need to be patient and keep working hard on the one hand, but on the other you need to be really focused and ready to play, so what I tell every goalkeeper in that position is to train every day as if you are going to play the next game, as sometimes this happens and you will not be ready for the biggest opportunity in your life.”
Hungary for success
Moving down the age-groups, the next goalkeeper in line is 20-year-old Hegyi.
Born in Budapest, the 6’4 stopper joined West Ham as a scholar in the summer of 2019, having been personally scouted by Valero at Hungarian club Szombathelyi Haladás.
The youngster was immediately taken with the first-team squad on pre-season tour to Switzerland, before establishing himself as the Irons’ starter, first for the U18 and then, since the start of 2021/22, for the U21s. Now, he is captain of the development team and Valero is happy with his development as both a goalkeeper and a leader.
“We signed him when he was 16 and he played for two years in the U18s and now he’s in his second season with the U21s and is also the captain of the team,” he observed. “He’s the No1 goalkeeper for Hungary U21s and at the moment I think he’s the brightest prospect in the country to be the long-term No1 for the senior team.
“We will see what the future brings, but he’s in a very good position and is also training with the first team 90 per cent of the days. Right now, he’s fourth in the pecking order. This is the fifth season he’s been with us and he’s playing regularly, he’s a top-quality goalkeeper and we really think he can make it in professional football.
“This is the biggest step for him, so he needs to keep developing, keep improving and learn from his mistakes, because the margins are different, and the demands and scrutiny are higher.
“For Krisztián, the thing that catches the eye of people who see him is how well equipped he is mentally. He has a top mentality to play the game and to match the emotional demands of the game. He is very mature and is ready, so he just needs to keep building his capabilities and physicality, but he has all the tools needed to play at the highest level.”
Danish development
While Anang and Hegyi are both working with Valero on a daily basis at Rush Green, Trott is in Denmark, where he has established himself as the starter for First Division leaders and Danish Cup quarter-finalists Vejle BK.
Signed on the recommendation of West Ham legend Clyde Best from the island of Bermuda, the 24-year-old has amassed experience on loan in the EFL and French second-tier, and made his Irons debut in an FA Cup third-round win over Doncaster Rovers at London Stadium in January 2021.
“We have a different goalkeeper in Nathan,” Valero explained. “He’s been on loan to AFC Wimbledon and Nancy in France and played over 30 games for both clubs.
“Then he's been third choice for the first team for three seasons, so he's been contributing to the first team for a long time, then we sent him on loan and he’s been developing his game with these experiences.
“He has a different profile, which I like. Nathan is extraordinary with his feet and he could play as an outfield player sometimes. He’s fast, he's agile and he's an excellent shot-stopper, so he's a very modern goalkeeper who ticks all the boxes for any kind of team looking for this kind of goalkeeper. He’s very proactive and involved with the team playing with a high line, is excellent with his distribution and can make a save in a key moment.
“So, we have three different profiles and the three of them playing an important role for West Ham.”
Teenage kicks
Another young goalkeeper currently out on loan is Knightbridge, who is spending the season with Southern League club Harrow Borough.
The 19-year-old was West Ham’s No1 at U18 level last season, playing 24 times. Now, though, he is too old to play youth-team football and, with Hegyi established for the U21s, the Club have found valuable regular first-team football for him at a good level elsewhere.
“This is to keep everyone fresh and motivated, so you have Nathan playing, we have Joseph now back to us as our third choice and Krisztián training with us with the first team, and now we have Jacob on loan to Harrow Borough,” Valero explained.
“He is on loan, but the good thing is that he's training with us every day and he just goes and plays with his team on the weekend, so we keep him with us under control and we can keep developing him and he’s getting all the match experience. This is the best option for us and for his development.
“The plan is for him to come back to us when Krisztián leaves his position and Jacob will become No1 for the U21s. For Krisztián, two years in the U21s is enough, then the next step is the first-team squad or to go on loan and play, and Jacob is in pole position.
“He’s also been training with England U19s this month as one of the four best goalkeepers in the country at his age, so he’s in a good position and we need to make the next step next season.”
Academy aces
You may not have heard the names Finlay Herrick or Dondre Abraham before, but Valero is hoping that, should everything go to plan, each will continue their development at the Academy of Football before turning professional and enjoying successful careers.
The two young stoppers are likely years away from a senior debut, but Valero’s holistic approach to the Club’s goalkeepers means he is already keeping a keen eye on their development.
“Finley and Dondre are both in the England U17 squad,” he observed. “Finley is already part of our U18 squad and Dondre more or less the same age and both are very bright prospects.
“These two and Jacob have been with us since a very young age so they are West Ham through and through and have been on their football pathway with us, working with our Academy Head of Goalkeeping Billy Lepine and his coaches. It’s very satisfying also to see them playing and training with their national teams.
“We also have Mason Terry who is our U18s goalkeeper, he’s doing well and they’re flying at the moment. He’s training with the U21s and he’s pushing hard and we hope he will also get called by England.”
In safe hands
Whether you are 16 like Dondre Abraham, 22 like Joseph Anang, 29 like Alphonse Areola or 37 like Łukasz Fabiański, Valero says the basics of goalkeeping remain the same.
“The main thing is the principles you apply in training,” he explained. “All these years we have been working together with the Academy, we have been trying to apply the same principles in terms of how to recruit and develop goalkeepers, then when making decisions over the next step for each of them.
“We have new goalkeeper coaches at the Academy for the U18s and U16s, working under Billy, and they will apply these principles and for us it is satisfying to see our young goalkeepers developing well for Club and country.
“As for our two experienced goalkeepers, Łukasz has been a model of consistency and reliability for many years and he can produce top-class saves at key moments of games when needed, which is what you want from a goalkeeper. He’s been excellent for us. Alphonse gives us two No1s in our squad. He’s been brilliant for us as well when called into action.
“Everyone is doing well, so we are proud of that. We are in safe hands with our goalkeepers and feel good.”
