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Lukasz Fabianski might not be a West Ham United player next season, but that doesn’t mean the veteran goalkeeper will not be working at the London Stadium in some capacity when 2026/27 rolls around.
The former Arsenal and Swansea glovesman celebrated his 41st birthday earlier this month.
Lukasz Fabianski has therefore probably played the final match of his professional career alrady. Nuno Espirito Santo does not seem the type to hand out charity appearances, while West Ham United’s precarious situation makes a late-season return to the XI highly unlikely.
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Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images
According to The Athletic, though, Fabianski appears ‘open’ to staying at West Ham in a coaching role.
Now, speaking to Flashscore before former boss David Moyes makes his return to the London Stadium as Everton manager on Saturday afternoon, the 2023 Europa Conference League winner revealed that his future probably lies in youth-team coaching.
Lukasz Fabianski opens up on his plans after West Ham United contract expires
“I’ve had some conversations already. I would love to go into coaching at the academy level,” Fabianski says. “That’s something that I really enjoy because I’ve already had a chance to work with my son’s team, the Under-10s.
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“It just gives me so much pleasure to pass on information and my experience. I think that’s something that, as a player, I feel responsible for.
“When you experience something throughout your career and throughout your journey, I think it’s so important as an ex-football player to pass on this information to the younger generations. So, I think I would really enjoy coaching at the academy level.”
Conference League winner has taken on a mentoring role
Fabianski has already imparted plenty of advice on Finlay Hooper and co. The 57-time Poland international returned to West Ham on a short-term deal in the autumn, and has been working closely with the club’s next generation of goalkeepers.
Only 18, Hooper is one of many exciting up-and-coming shot-stoppers in East London alongside Mason Terry, Tom Wooster, Lanre Awesu, and near-namesake Finlay Herrick.
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“If you see them actually doing something you mentioned – let’s say, I don’t know, ‘take control like this’ or ‘use this space’ – you know, little things like that…” Fabianski muses.
“Or maybe, ‘catch the ball like that’ or ‘when you’re diving, do the step forward, try to attack the ball.’ Little things like that. Suddenly you see them reacting to this, it gives you so much pleasure and it brings a smile to your face.
“So yeah, I think something like that would really give me a lot of satisfaction.
“I’m still active as a football player, but I’m in a completely different position at the club as a ‘number three’ [behind Mads Hermansen and Alphonse Areola]. I just share my experience, help, train well, and be a good support for the other two goalkeepers at the club.”
Alongside Artur Boruc and Wojciech Kowalewski, who also represented the Polish national team, Fabianski helped launch a new, Poland-based goalkeeping academy last year.
He clearly has absolutely no interest in diving headfirst into the uber-pressurised world of first-team management, though. The sort of stress Nuno is under right now – West Ham’s Premier League status on the line – is something Fabianski could very much do without.
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“This is probably the best time to prepare for the next step. It could be almost even the mentoring side of it; not directly coaching, but mentoring the young players and giving them support and advice,” adds Fabianski.
“This is something I personally enjoy as well. I’ve done it with my daughter’s team, and the more you do that, the more satisfaction you take from it.
“I would love to be a main coach more than a goalkeeper coach, but only at the academy level. I don’t want to go, in any circumstances, into the first-team professional level. That’s not for me, because I think the demands of the very top level are even much higher than when you play as a professional player.
“I think it’s just crazy. It’s very unstable as well.”
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