It’s difficult to figure out exactly why West Ham United want Pau Lopez.
The Spain international goalkeeper has made more blunders than Joey Essex on Mastermind since moving to Italy in summer 2019, coming under fire following a host of high-profile mistakes – including one that ended Roma’s Coppa Italia hopes in January.
Alisson Becker left big boots to fill in the Giallorossi goal and Lopez hasn’t come close to escaping the Brazilian’s giant shadow.
“He cannot be trusted. We need a good (goalkeeper), simply,” former Roma ace Franco Superchi said recently.
Either way, West Ham do want Lopez.
ForzaRoma reports the Hammers made a £20 million bid a few months ago and it’s no secret David Moyes is prioritising a shot-stopper to compete with veteran Lukasz Fabianski at the London Stadium.
But West Ham suddenly find themselves needing a favour from an old rival – a certain Jose Mourinho.
With the former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea boss ready to return to management with Roma, Lopez’s uncertain future has just become that bit more, well, uncertain.
According to Calciomercato, the Italian giants had drawn up a list of potential replacements for the one-time Spurs loanee.
The departure of Paulo Fonseca – and sudden arrival of Mourinho in his place – will either hand Lopez a fresh start or represent the final nail in his Roma coffin.
And it’s hard to imagine Mourinho – a man not afraid to throw his players under the bus – putting an arm around Lopez and overlooking the kind of blunder that has become Pau’s unfortunate trademark at the Stadio Olimpico.
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