West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic is reportedly looking for an efficient shot-stopper as the Hammers prepare for next season and Fleetwood Town goalkeeper Alex Cairns features on his target list in the upcoming transfer window.
The London side has had a season to forget so far, with nothing going according to their plans. It all started with the Croatian manager getting his summer shopping wrong, which was followed by an early exit from the Europa League. West Ham couldn’t even go past the qualification stages.
And while attacking front remained as good as non-existent for most of the first half of the season, defensive woes compounded on and on. With the injury list piling up, the biggest pressure was found on the goalkeepers. Hammers have already conceded 59 goals, eight more than what they conceded in the whole of last season.
Another big reason for such goal conceding was Bilic’s indecision with his first-choice keeper. The manager never gave enough time for either of his goalies to settle behind a nervy defence. While Adrian has conceded 20 goals in 12 games, Darren Randolph has conceded 39 in 22 games. However, it seems that third-choice Raphael Spiegel has offered little threat to the duo’s place in the side and Bilic would want to change it.
The 24-year-old Fleetwood goalkeeper has had a brilliant season with the League One side this season, with the Trawlermen looking to get promoted. Cairns has kept eye-catching 15 clean sheets in 29 games and is one of the main reasons Fleetwood are sitting in the third position. His performances have earned him enough to be an understudy under Bilic.
An academy product of Leeds United, Cairns had a loan stint with Stalybridge Celtic FC before he was released by Leeds in 2015. He had spent two professional seasons with his mother club, where he failed to create any impression whatsoever. He came on in a game against Blackwood that Leeds lost 5-0. He had conceded two of them.
He had short stints with Chesterfield and Rotherham before Fleetwood got him in 2016. Here too he didn’t get a first team chance since October. And he didn’t miss the opportunity this time. He has played 28 times since then creating quite an impression and that has brought him the deserved recognition.
Leeds United might also get back to him after this, but a Premier League call-up will be too luring to refuse and Cairns might get his competition cut short.
