Premier League star became surprise DJ at pub after match but had one request denied

West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola has found a new way to keep his hands sharp after being dropped by Nuno Espirito Santo.

The 32-year-old stunned one Hammers fan when he performed a surprise DJ set at his pub hours after the draw with Bournemouth.

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The Frenchman was again named on the bench for the goalless stalemate against the Cherries during Saturday’s evening kick-off.

However, Areola was able to showcase his skills with his hands behind the decks instead of between the posts mere hours later.

How Areola became a DJ at London pub

Archie Balloo, the manager of The Star of Bethnal Green pub, had actually been at the London Stadium himself with Areola that day.

He explained to talkSPORT’s Rushden and Jacobs: “It was all a bit of a surprise really, because the evening was an event that was being hosted by Areola’s cousin, who I actually met when West Ham were playing in Europe.

“We were on the Eurostar going to Belgium together, and we just got chatting, and then a couple months ago I posted something just looking for some new promoters at the venue, and he was like, ‘Oh, well, we’re looking somewhere to host the after party for our little football tournament.’

“I was like, ‘Sweet, come on down’. Then obviously I knew his relations to Areola, but I didn’t think Areola was going to be here, and I walked through the doors.

“So I looked to my right, and I was like, ‘I was at the stadium with him about an hour ago, and now he’s here.’ It blew my mind.

“It was a complete surprise. I mean, again, I knew his cousin was going to be here, but I didn’t think he’d be bringing a Premier League footballer.

“He did say that if West had lost, he wouldn’t have come down because that wouldn’t have been great PR.

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“But he came down anyway after that draw, and it was such a great surprise for everyone in here,” pub manager Archie continued.

“Great surprise for myself being a West Ham fan, obviously.”

Archie shared a picture of himself and Areola holding a signed shirt, but it wasn’t just West Ham fans who enjoyed his appearance.

“He was a very good DJ, actually. I don’t want to say surprisingly, but I’ve seen professional DJs who’ve been worse than him. He was good.

“I think he read the room. That’s kind of the point of the DJ; it’s less so about putting physical records anymore. It’s about looking out at the crowd, seeing what they respond to. And he managed to get people dancing and people singing along.

“I mean, he’s doing what we want from a DJ. He’s selecting the right tunes – something you can cut shapes to instead of bailing out.”

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‘Had no idea’

Areola’s wife recently took a subtle dig at West Ham boss Nuno for his treatment of her husband following his ruthless axing.

Thankfully, for Archie’s assistant manager, the goalkeeper didn’t turn his nose up at the lack of red carpet being rolled out upon his arrival.

“I think at first, I don’t think a lot of people realised, to be honest, actually, when he got here,” Archie told talkSPORT.

“They said, ‘Oh, we’ve got someone quite famous coming in. Can he come through the side door?’

“My assistant manager, who doesn’t know anything about football, said, ‘No, that’s a fire exit. He’s got to come through the front.’

“He had no idea. But then the crowd, once word spread slightly, people, yeah, they were excited to see him in there.”

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Areola dropped by West Ham

The five-cap France international needed a morale boost after his run of 20 successive Premier League starts ended in the win over Burnley.

He paid the price for West Ham throwing away a two-goal half-time lead to lose 3-2 at Chelsea last month and was dropped.

Mads Hermansen has since been offered a lifeline at the London Stadium following the horror start to his Irons career.

The Dane, a £20million summer arrival from Leicester, started the opening four games of the season, but conceded a total of 11 goals.

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He has since kept two clean sheets from West Ham’s last three matches, with only Benjamin Sesko’s last-gasp equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Manchester United denying him a perfect run.

Joking that Hermansen is visiting the pub next weekend, Archie insisted that footballers are allowed to live outside of the game.

On Areola, he added: “I mean, he’s a person too. So, you know, he’s allowed to have his own fun. And he came down here.

“It wasn’t like he was here drinking after we’d lost the game. I didn’t think I saw him have a single drink anyway. But yeah, I mean, I told him he’s more than happy to always come back down. He knows that.

“Hopefully, he does. Hopefully, he brings down the rest of the squad next time. That’d be fantastic.”