Report: Burnley keeper Tom Heaton emerges as target for West Ham

Tom Heaton
Tom Heaton

West Ham United are reportedly considering luring Burnley keeper Tom Heaton to Upton Park.

Heaton is vastly experienced and has been the Burnley first-choice shot-stopper for the better part of the past five years.

After being required to miss the opening games of this season through a shoulder injury, the 32-year-old Heaton was replaced by Nick Pope who made the most of his opportunity and has now established himself as one of the top keepers in English football.

Pope has become so highly regarded that many pundits now expect him to be part of the 23-man England squad that will travel to the 2018 World Cup. He is expected to serve as Gareth Southgate’s third choice keeper behind Jack Butland and Jordan Pickford.

If one thing is certain, the Hammers will definitely need to bring in at least one experienced keeper this summer. They are likely to let Joe Hart go back to Manchester City. Hart was less than impressive this season and it will not be worth keeping him due to his below-par performances.

The future of Adrian is also uncertain. While the Spaniard is capable of churning out quality performances, he struggles with consistency. This can be seen by the fact that he has won and lost the first-choice keeping position at the club a number of times during recent years.

With 178 appearances in all competitions for Burnley to his name, Heaton is a vastly experienced campaigner. He could be a good addition to the Hammers ranks and add stability to their goalkeeping department at the club which has looked erratic during the past two seasons.

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