West Ham United have suffered this season after a period of relative success, as their consecutive finishes in European spots are being drowned out by this campaign’s relegation battle.
David Moyes had built a solid foundation with which his workmanlike team could compete with most, and as such, they were good value for their sixth and seventh-placed spots in the last two years.
However, now just one point from safety, it is clear something has gone fundamentally wrong.
Many would trace their failures back to last summer when they oversaw a huge outlay on many players who are yet to pull their weight. The Hammers shattered their club record fee and spent big on a new striker, both of whom have struggled to acclimatise to English football.
Despite all this, one of the more under-the-radar deals from that transfer window was acquiring Alphonse Areola.
Having spent last year on loan, he signed permanently from Paris Saint-Germain for a nominal fee of just £7.75m. Despite not featuring all that much thus far, his move still represents phenomenal value.
How much is Areola worth now?
That is mainly due to how his reported price has since rocketed, which makes the deal even sweeter.
Poised to be their successor to Łukasz Fabiański, the 29-year-old has featured just twice this league campaign but was selected for France’s World Cup squad to back up their captain.
Despite this, as of last month, FootballTransfers mark his expected transfer value at €19.5m (£17.2m), which marks a sensational 122% rise in just seven months.
Whilst his chances have been limited in east London, if his performances at Fulham are anything to go by, the future is bright with him as their number one.
During the 2020/21 campaign in which the Cottagers fell to relegation, he maintained a 6.94 average rating that was underpinned by a 71% save percentage, of which he made 3.2 saves per game, via Sofascore.
This fleet-footedness paired with his immense physicality gives him all the traits to be a success in the Premier League, with former professional goalkeeper Ben Foster dubbing him an “absolute specimen” with regard to his physique.
Should he finally be given a run in the team to recapture that form, he could not only prove instrumental in their relegation fight but increase his growing value even more.