Mipo, pictured with academy manager Ricky Martin
West Ham have announced the signing of 17 year old striker Ademipo ‘Mipo’ Odubeko from Manchester United.
The move has been speculated for some time and the formal announcement on the official site is great news for this is a top signing.
Odubeko has scored 35 goals for United as a schoolboy and bagged a goal on his Premier League U18 debut appearance.
Recently turned 17, he was born and bred in the Republic of Ireland and has represented their U17 international side.
“It’s a really exciting day,” said Odubeko, who will initially work with West Ham’s U18 squad. “I’ve been waiting for this move for a while, so I’m looking forward to getting started.
“West Ham is a club with a lot of history behind it. It promotes its young players, so it’s a great opportunity for me to develop my game and help the team.
“I’m looking forward to moving to London – it’ll be a little different to Manchester, so it’s an exciting challenge.”
Academy Manager Ricky Martin was excited to sign the young Irishman who had been closely followed by several European clubs.
He said: “Mipo signing for West Ham is another really positive story for the Academy. He is a promising player and we are looking forward to working with and this move is a great opportunity for him to join us and continue his journey.
“It will naturally take Mipo some time to settle in, but we believe West Ham is the perfect environment for Mipo to flourish and fulfil his undoubted potential.”
ClaretandHugh says: This something of a triumph for the academy where so much brilliant work has been carried out over recent years. ‘Mipo’ clearly couldn’t see a way forward at United despite a fine goal scoring record throughout his schoolboy years and with many clubs vying for his signature West Ham’s known and growing reputation for giving youngsters a chance probably did much to swing things their way. The emergence of Declan and to a lesser extent Grady Diangana, plus the growing reputations of Nathan Holland, Joe Powell Anthony Scully and Dan Kemp can only have advanced their case when discussing a move to the London Stadium. That in itself speaks volumes for the scouting system at the club and the negotiating skills of the academy director Ricky Martin who will delighted with what at this level is a major coup. West Ham’s academy is alive and well recalling days when it was admired as the best in the land.