Could this free transfer become a West Ham legend?

It’s a good time to be Adrian San Miguel. He has worked hard in West Ham’s goal this season, and is garnering lots of attention and praise for his consistent hard work and the moment which must have be the highlight of his claret and blue career—his empathic glove-throwing-down penalty against Everton.

As of January 9^th, no other Premier League goalkeeper has made more saves than he has (not sure what that says about the rest of our team, but work with me here.) The man has been a hero at the back this season and sure, the boy likes to play around with the ball sometimes, and there was a part of me that could picture a “Hammers hero turns Villain” headline in Monday’s papers, but truthfully Adrian has been an exceptional driving force for West Ham’s rather pleasant season so far.

Adrian has been a tremendous acquisition for West Ham United. He displaced our former No.1, Jussi Jaaskelainen with ease and respect, and has worked hard to become a firm fan favourite at Upton Park. His saves have been absolutely immense in recent games (particularly our 2-0 loss against Chelsea on Boxing Day, which could have been so much worse), and after his spot kick heroics in the Everton FA Cup replay, respect for our Spanish keeper has gone viral.

He’s been praised by many big names in the game, with Jose Mourinho saying he was “marvelous” after the Chelsea game, and recently Spain’s national coach, Vincente del Bosque asked a room full of surprised journalists “‘Why does no-one ever ask me about Adrian the West Ham goalkeeper?” – a question which Adrian described as an honour, continuing to say that ‘It’s not just that he spoke about me but that he was the one who brought my name up. No-one asked him.’

It’s well-deserved recognition for a player who has been working tirelessly to keep West Ham perched at the top of the table – and fitting praise for a player who will hopefully be our No.1 (well, thirteen, but you know what I mean) for years to come at West Ham.

After all, Adrian isn’t just a brilliant goalkeeper. He also understands the mentality at West Ham, and comes across as conscious of and focused on themes of team spirit and respect for the fans. I’ve come to love watching Adrian celebrate the goals West Ham are scoring at the other end of the pitch as you can see how passionate and involved in the game he is.

It also seems like he loves the club – particularly if overuse of the bulging bicep emoticon is directly linked to happiness. The man seems happy, and as if he’s enjoying his time at West Ham – and really, who wouldn’t love a guaranteed first-team position at a team currently just four points off of a Champions League place?

We’re long overdue for a new legend, and should Adrian continue on the path he’s already heading down, he just may be in line for consideration.