West Ham Eyeing Freiburg Goalkeeper Atubolu as Potential Long-Term #1

West Ham have set their sights on Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu, as reported by transfer ITK Fabrizio Romano.

West Ham United are actively searching for a new first-choice goalkeeper as Lukas Fabianski approaches the final stages of his career. While Alphonse Areola was initially seen as the long-term successor, his struggles to impress and a reported fallout with manager Julen Lopetegui have led the club to explore alternative options.

One potential target is 22-year-old Mark Flekken, a goalkeeper who has shown significant promise during his time at Freiburg. Atubolu, who stands at 6ft 3in, was initially thrust into the spotlight after being touted as a future successor to Manuel Neuer for the German national team. Although his early career was marked by inconsistency, the talented shot-stopper has come into his own this season.

Atubolu became Freiburg’s first-choice keeper last year, delivering a mixed bag of performances with 10 clean sheets from 34 games, but also conceding a disappointing -6.8 goals prevented. Despite those struggles, the German Under-21 international has bounced back this campaign, showcasing standout performances and a more refined approach between the posts. He has kept clean sheets in matches against Werder Bremen, Union Berlin, Mainz 05, and Heidenheim.

His heroics were particularly evident in Freiburg’s dramatic 3-2 win over Wolfsburg, where Atubolu made several crucial saves to secure the three points, earning praise from manager Julian Schuster.