West Ham United were able to improve across the field in the summer with Felipe Anderson and Issa Diop taking Manuel Pellegrini’s to a level above and beyond the side he inherited.
For Hammers legend Phil Parkes, though, the impact Lukasz Fabianski has brought to East London cannot go unnoticed, as the Poland international has supplied an old-fashioned approach to the modern game.
Speaking to the club’s official website, the 1981 Hammer of the Year looked back to his playing days to compare how he went from being deemed too old to delivering the 1980 FA Cup to the Hammers fanbase, and that our current number one plays in a similar way.
Since making his debut away to Liverpool, Fabianski has looked solid in between the sticks and the number of vital saves the 48-cap international has pulled off have been outstanding.
“Lukasz is 33, which is no age for a goalkeeper and he should be in his prime right now,” Parkes said. “For a goalkeeper, there’s no reason, apart from injuries, that you shouldn’t still be at the top of your form at 36.
“One of the things I most like about Lukasz is that he comes for crosses, unlike a lot of modern-day goalkeepers. In fact, from what I’ve seen, not many ‘keepers in the Premier League come off their line at all.
“He’s also keen to catch the ball when he can and again that’s different to a lot of ‘keepers these days, who punch most of the time. In a way, that’s a bit old-fashioned but, for me, it’s much better if you are confident of your catching ability.
“I was really pleased when West Ham signed Lukasz because, although I didn’t see too much of him when he was at Arsenal, I watched him a lot at Swansea where he was outstanding.”
