Written by : Rob Wilcox

After the last few weeks of shocking displays on the pitch and comedic mismanagement off it, Monday evening saw a typically topsy-turvy West Ham display and ultimately, a good-result that still left a modicum of disappointment for what might have been in in the 1-1 stalemate with Premier League top contenders Liverpool.

Faultless to a man, we put in a resilient, committed, organised and threatening display, with a number of players (Ogbonna, Fredericks, Chicharito) putting in a shift no one in attendance or tuning in could have thought possible after recent performances. However, it is the new ‘Mr Reliable’ who should be catching the eye most – Lukasz Fabianski.

Recently awarded Polish Footballer of The Year ahead of world class goal-machine Robert Lewandowski, Fabianski is clearly appreciated by his native fans, but his contributions have gone well unnoticed by the British Media and ever so slightly under-appreciated by some of the West Ham faithful, too. Lukasz has been a revelation at West Ham and whilst he didn’t make any ‘Hollywood’ saves on Monday night, his confidence in claiming everything – catching and keeping almost everything that came at him – was the latest in a brilliant individual season in which he is staking his claim as the best piece of business in the entire Premier League.

Spending £7m on Fabianski may have looked like a decent-but-not-great piece of business to bring in a good shot stopper, but someone who also ultimately got relegated with Swansea and failed to live up to his potential during his days at Arsenal. Six months later, of our summer arrivals, only Felipe Anderson can claim to have given us more this season. When you consider the hefty price tag Anderson came in with, as well as some of his earlier lacklustre displays, the tiny fee paid for Fabianski and his grand total of zero poor performances make him undeniably our signing of the season – and he may well end up as our newest Hammer of the Year.

He compares favourably with every number one keeper in the top 6 in the Premier League, too. Having made a grand total of 97 saves this season, only David De Gea – for most the Premier League’s best keeper – comes anywhere close to that total. Despite having made so many more saves than Bernd Leno, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Alisson, Ederson and Hugo Lloris. Fabianski’s percentage of saves stands up against the rest, too.