West Ham United are monitoring the progress of goalkeeper Bartlomiej Dragowski, it has been claimed.
Dragowski has impressed the fans and pundits alike with consistent performances for Empoli this season.
According to Transfermarketweb, the Hammers are scouting the goalkeeper, who is currently on loan at Empoli from Fiorentina.
It is believed that he could be on the verge of a move away from Fiorentina in the summer, in search of first-team football, thus alerting West Ham.
Bartlomiej Dragowski can eventually replace Fabianski and is a smart option
West Ham’s current number one goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski has been the busiest custodian in the Premier League this season. He has made 137 saves with an average of whopping 3.7 saves per game – more than anyone else in the league.
However, at the age of 34, Fabianski is already in the final phase of his career. Therefore, he can’t be considered as a reliable long-term goalkeeping option for West Ham. In addition, second choice ‘keeper Adrian has also struggled to make an impression in the first-team, thus accentuating the need for a new goalkeeper this summer.
Dragowski, in that regard, could be an exciting option for the Hammer. The 21-year-old, who was considered as a goalkeeping prodigy during his time with Jagiellonia Bialystok in the Ekstraklasa, has been a revelation since joining Empoli on loan in January.
The Pole has averaged 4.6 saves per game at Empoli, 2.5 of which have come from inside the box. This is indicative of his excellent reflexes while his numbers are significantly higher than Fabianski, although the youngster has played in 14 matches this season.
Both Dragowski and Fabianski have a similar height, but the former has the tendency to come out of his line to clear out potential danger. This is almost a priceless trait for any modern goalkeeper and could be extremely useful given West Ham’s lack of solidity at the back.
Most importantly, however, Dragowski, at the age of 21, can be considered as a reliable long-term option for the Hammers. Although the Polish ‘keeper is relatively inexperienced in the highest level of football, he has shown tremendous promise so far in his career, making him a viable target for West Ham.
That said, the 21-year-old will need to improve on his passing and overall ball distribution if he is to thrive under Manuel Pellegrini’s tactical setup.
In addition, it’s also unlikely that he will be given the mantle of being the number one goalkeeper for West Ham right away, which might serve as a negative factor behind his potential move to the London Stadium this summer.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
