Former England international Paul Robinson believes that West Ham United’s flop goalkeeper Roberto will leave the club in January.
The 33-year-old has been an unmitigated disaster for the Hammers since his summer transfer from Espanyol, and Sky Sports pundit Robinson feels the writing is on the wall for him.
“Looking at it, Roberto could be the one, he could go,” he told Football Insider. “I think there’s certain players that just don’t fit a club and if you’ve had such a bad time at the club, you lose the trust of the fans, you lose the trust of a manager.
“As a player, personally, would he want to go out and play again or is it just time for a change, just put that to bed [and say] I’ve got to move on now? He’s an older player, whether he will look for new challenge at his age but I think the manager has to strengthen in that area. David Martin coming in did really well but I think Roberto, it could be time to move on and start afresh if you like.”
OPINION
There are probably plenty of West Ham fans hoping that Roberto does indeed leave the club in January. Honestly, it’s hard to think of a player in recent Premier League history who has been such a spectacular failure. You get people who come in and don’t live up their price tags, which happens pretty regularly, but it’s rare that you get somebody who generates such universal derision as Roberto has done this season. Perhaps it’s because he plays in an isolated position in goal and there’s so much focus on him when he makes a mistake, but Roberto’s disastrous run of form earlier this campaign really does feel unique in the Premier League pantheon. It’s probably inevitable that he leaves the Irons at some point soon, especially with young ‘keepers like Nathan Trott and Joseph Anang seemingly positioning themselves as the future. Whether he’ll be gone by the end of January, though, remains to be seen.
