West Ham secured their place in next season’s Premier League after an impressive 1-0 victory over Tottenham at the London Stadium on Friday night.
Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs knew that a win in East London would ramp up the pressure on leaders Chelsea ahead of their clash with Middlesbrough on Monday, yet a Manuel Lanzini goal earned the Hammers a deserved three points on Friday.
And the result means that Slaven Bilic’s men will be playing Premier League football next season after moving eight points clear of the bottom three with just two games of the season remaining.
Subsequently, Hammers boss Bilic, under pressure after a tricky campaign at the London Stadium, will likely be thinking about who he can bring in during the summer to make sure that West Ham are higher up the Premier League table next time round.
And one man they have been linked with in recent days is Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, whose heroics this season haven’t been able to keep the Black Cats in the top-flight.
David Moyes’ men saw their decade-long spell in the Premier League come to an end when they lost 1-0 at home to Bournemouth on April 29, although blame cannot be apportioned to shot-stopper Pickford, who has at times been outstanding for the North East giants this season.
In fact, his excellent form between the sticks for the Premier League’s basement side has attracted much interest from around the country, and West Ham are one of the sides reportedly keeping tabs on the England Under-21 star ahead of a potential move this summer.
And it’s a deal that should be near the top of Bilic’s priorities, as Pickford has all the qualities to go on and become the Hammers number one for many years to come.
There’s little doubt that, in a season of little cheer on Wearside, the performances of the young goalkeeper have brought some delight to those Sunderland supporters.
The 23-year-old has been brilliant for the Black Cats in several games this season, both in those they have won, like against Hull on Saturday, and indeed in those they have lost, like against Tottenham back in September and Watford last month.
Ultimately, their goals against tally would be significantly higher were it not for Pickford’s excellent shot-stopping ability and reflexes, but as can be seen below, for a 23-year-old goalkeeper, he also has great command of his area.
Stats provided by Squawka.com
Pickford has completed significantly more punches than both of West Ham’s goalkeepers Darren Randolph and Adrian, and he trumps both of them in terms of catches as well, 89 to Randolph’s 58 and Adrian’s 50.
Yes he has played more games than the other two, but it demonstrates a maturity and willingness to take the pressure off his defenders, and also trust and faith in his own ability to do so.
Clearly, Pickford has earned many rave reviews for his displays this term, but the same cannot really be said of West Ham’s Randolph and Adrian.
Both have been guilty of making high-profile errors at important times for the Hammers – Adrian at the start of the season against West Brom and Stoke, and Randolph in recent weeks against Hull, Arsenal, and Sunderland.
As it stands, Adrian has the gloves but with his contract up at the end of the season, it seems unlikely that he’ll stay at West Ham, and with Randolph having had an indifferent campaign, the number one jersey is there for a goalkeeper to claim straight away.
And Pickford should be that man.
He has proven his capabilities at the top level this term, and that he is not overawed by it all, and evidently has a bright future in the game, both at club and international level.
It’s important for him that, if he does indeed leave Sunderland, that he’s playing regularly for his next club, which West Ham will be able to offer him.
Thus, it’s a deal that makes sense for both the player and the club, and so must be done in the summer.