Danish goalkeeper, Mads Hermansen has joined West Ham in a £18m transfer from Leicester.
Hermansen’s move comes after two years at Leicester in which the 25-year-old helped the Foxes claim promotion to the Premier League in his first season, during which he kept 13 cleans before he only managed one clean sheet last campaign as Leicester suffered relegation.
Hermansen consequently has departed Leicester with 14 clean sheets in 72 appearances across all competitions, although he did miss the Foxes’ last four matches of last season after he needed surgery on a long-standing groin injury at the time.
West Ham however saw initial bids for Hermansen rejected before both clubs agreed a £18m fee for the Danish goalkeeper, who has signed a five-year contract until June 2030 with an one-year option, and will wear the number one shirt.
“I’m happy to join West Ham United”, commented Hermansen who believes that the Hammers fit his style of play “I’ve felt that West Ham would be a good fit for me and my style of play for a long time. It feels natural to be here – it was a very easy decision.
“I’ve heard a lot of great things about the Club. I played West Ham twice last season and playing at London Stadium was a great experience. It’s an amazing stadium with loud, passionate fans. It’s what you dream of as a footballer and I can’t wait to play in front of 62,500 fans as a West Ham player.
“The fans can expect me to be brave and bring good energy to help the team in the best way I can. This is a great step in my career. I have huge ambitions and I can’t wait to get started.”
Head Coach, Graham Potter added that he is “pleased” to sign a new first-choice goalkeeper following Lukasz Fabianski’s exit at the end of June, and iterated that Hermansen has proven his talent at Leicester.
““Mads has proved his quality at Leicester City with two impressive campaigns on a personal level over the last couple of years and the exciting thing is that we feel his best years are still ahead of him.
“His shot-stopping ability and distribution are strengths to his game, and he has a fantastic attitude with a clear desire to keep improving, which is something we place a high value in with our players.
“We have real strength in depth within the goalkeeping department at the moment, and I have no doubt that Mads will be a fantastic addition to the group moving forwards.”
Hermansen began his career at Denmark’s Næsby before he moved to Brondby in 2015 where he graduated through their youth academy to make his senior debut in a 1-0 victory over Ledøje-Smørum on 5 November 2020 in a Danish Cup match.
He went on to make a total of 70 appearances for Brondby and helped them win 2020-21 Danish Superliga, before he moved to Leicester in July 2023, where he was named in the 2023-24 EFL Championship Team of Season following the Foxes’ promotion.
Hermansen is yet to make a senior appearance for Denmark at international level despite having received three call-ups in 2023.
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