"You see your career heading downwards, and relegation is looming. It's tough to navigate these feelings as a team and a club." Mads Hermansen reflects on the pain of last season's Premier League relegation with Leicester City, an experience he hopes to avoid with West Ham. The goalkeeper openly discusses the strain of being at the bottom of the Premier League.
However, after taking many lessons from last season and following West Ham's decisive 4-0 win over Wolves, which put their survival in their own hands, there's cautious optimism that the team's unity can help them avoid the same fate as the Foxes. "We've been in this situation for months," Hermansen says about West Ham's struggles.
"The fear of where we might end up isn't easy to deal with, but credit to everyone at the club for keeping spirits high and helping us believe we can turn it around." West Ham moved out of the relegation zone for the first time in a month with that win, but this battle may go down to the wire, with London rivals Tottenham, Nottingham Forest, and Leeds United not yet safe. For West Ham to stay up, Hermansen believes their unity is crucial. "Our togetherness, our relationships, every person brings their personality to the team, and we have great characters willing to give everything for the club," he says.
It's been a season where Hermansen has personally shown resilience. Signed as the Hammers' No 1, he was dropped after just four games but has since made more saves than any other Premier League goalkeeper and kept four clean sheets in eight matches after his reinstatement. "I wanted to prove to my teammates, the club, and the fans that they made a good decision in signing me. I'm happy I got another chance to show what I can do," Hermansen reflects on his start.
He's proud of how he used his time out of the team to improve, ready to step up when needed. "It was tough, but I showed what I'm made of, how disciplined and hard I can work. I'm proud of the work I did and to bring it to the pitch, contributing to great performances and results," he said.
Focusing on emotional control, Hermansen worked on separating his emotions from his gameplay, which has significantly helped him. "It's easy to say a tough period was good for me, but I genuinely learned a lot from it." Hermansen, like West Ham, has come back stronger, but they're aware the job isn't done. "We believe in ourselves; it will get tough, but we have a lot to give," he concluded.