West Ham United goalkeeper Roberto has been described as a ‘disaster’ by the national newspaper journalist Richard Jolly.
The Spaniard has been the Hammers’ number one choice between the sticks since Lukasz Fabianski went down injured against Bournemouth in late September, but Jolly certainly isn’t a fan.
“The midfielder [Pabllo] Fornals has been disappointing, the goalkeeper Roberto a disaster,” he wrote on the Daily Telegraph website. “West Ham may be unfortunate that Lukasz Fabianski’s thigh injury will sideline him for at least another six weeks yet they had one of the best reserve goalkeepers in the division, in Adrian, who has since excelled for Liverpool, and now possess perhaps the worst, in Roberto.
“The Spaniard has conceded 15 goals in his last six starts and five from set-pieces in two games alone. Until Fabianski returns, Pellegrini would be better off with the third choice, David Martin, son of the 1980s Hammers talisman Alvin.”
OPINION
There’s really no way of underselling just how poor Roberto has been since taking up the mantle of the Hammers’ first choice goalkeeper from the stricken Fabianski. We all knew that the Poland international was a top class ‘keeper, but his worth to the east London outfit has been hammered home – pardon the pun – in stunning fashion by Roberto’s uselessness. His performance against Burnley on Saturday was one of the worst single displays of goalkeeping that many of us have ever seen. He was awful, and directly at fault for at least two of the Clarets’ three goals. The statistics, as per WhoScored.com, show that the Spaniard has only made 2.8 saves from inside the penalty area, where a good shot-stopper’s bread is buttered. He doesn’t have the reflexes, the alertness, nor the decision-making required to be a starting ‘keeper in the Premier League. As Jolly says, it’s surely time to give Martin a go after the international break.
