With the spotlight currently on several of the big-name players who may, or may not be staying put at the club this summer, some of the players with lower profiles who will be available to West Ham go almost under the radar.
Last season’s “lesser lights” – the players who hadn’t made it through to being first team regulars – have now finished loan spells and returned for assessment this summer with a make-or-break season ahead for some. As Nuno casts around for squad depth on a shoestring, he could find squad options hiding in plain sight.
In an article today by the72.com, it is suggested that West Ham’s drop into the Championship might be the perfect scenario for one fringe youngster to take the step up to regular first team action after successive loans away. The football league news website highlights:
“The West Ham starlet who has earned his first-team opportunity after back-to-back loan spells”
“One player who has shown his strength in the EFL is Northern Ireland attacker Callum Marshall. The 21-year-old has been with the Hammers since leaving his home nation in 2022, but has spent the majority of that time away from the team out on-loan. There is no better time to give him the chance he deserves.
With transfers set to be at a minimum, Marshall could finally get his West Ham chance.”
After successive loans away maybe Callum Marshall’s breakthrough season at West Ham is nigh
Whether Marshall fits Nuno’s style is another matter: He’d certainly fulfil the Pablo-esque ‘pressing from the front‘ role and arguably carries more goal threat than the leaden-footed Brazilian. With Callum Wilson, Pablo and Summerville likely to leave before the Championship gets under way, the report suggests this coming season could be Marshall’s ‘coming of age’ as a West Ham player:
“The door for Marshall has never been more open. The Northern Ireland international can play anywhere in attacking position, even dropping into midfield.
The player is available with EFL experience and at 21, has bags of potential to improve throughout the campaign.
Nuno’s Irons will have to save money but need to be challenging for the Championship title. There is no better time to give Marshall the chance he is no doubt just waiting to take.”
And that’d certainly go down well at London Stadium- we’d all love to see another academy player made good. He’s certainly served his apprenticeship.
If they’re good enough, they’re old enough, but we’ve seen nothing to suggest they’re either. We send them out on loan to lower league clubs and they can’t force their way into teams. It follows they just might not be good enough for either.
Potts and Scarles were adequate at best – and they were the very best ones!
There is definitely something wrong with the Academy because when club really needed and could have used them, the manager in the end turned to other players.
Probably the same will happen now with academy players given a chance in pre-season & beginning of the Championship, then we’ll see. At least it will be in better circumstances and obviously a lower league, but none have booked a place so far. Kante, non-Academy, seems different. Club, Noble, new DOR really need to review what is going on and what should be improved (including players lifestyles).
As a team the U21s succeed, but as individuals stepping up to a higher level they are failing. Perhaps team plays well because well organised and they are good at tippy-tappy, give-and-go, but are lacking in individual skills they take with them. So coaching is not doing all it should. Fearon, Orford, Ajala look as though they have individual skills that need developing as well as their athleticism.
Really, just a theory, could be quite unfair what I am saying.
At that age, constantly running, playing, with gyms & trainers at their disposal, you would expect more apparent athleticism. They don’t look like kids who in their spare time go rowing, hiking, camping, swimming,… Obviously it is wrong of me to generalise like this.
Club need to do more and examine in detail what is going on.
What happened to Daniel Cummings?
Nobes worked hard to get him to West Ham and I’ve not heard hide nor hair of him since.
Wasn’t he banging them in for fun up north?
I agree, now would be an excellent time to get these fellas some first team experience.
Another one who doesn’t bother checking academy/21 results. He could barely make the bench last season let alone score goals. He fell behind fellow Scot Josh Landers (who’s gone on loan I believe) & Josh Ajala
Do you not keep up with 21s or Academy football? He wasn’t even good enough at that level to get starts last season. Both Josh Landers and Josh Ajala started ahead of him.
The sentiment is great . The facts not so . When was the last accademy player good enough for first team . Potts and Scarles have played but, being perfectly honest , were poor and didn’t offer anything worthwhile . No point in building a team with players who could not step up if we should get straight back up … COYI
He’d play well off of an intelligent player like Taty, who has good control (like Marshall I think?) and intelligent movement (Marshall same) and they can combine to press high.
It’s a nice fit – plus Taty can be assigned to work with him to improve his game through the season – if willing of course.
I just do not find that NES is very inventive upfront – just same old switching one no 9 for another, which is as tame as it gets. Anyway, I hope we see him play plenty.
I hope the model of playing the academy player is a part of the philosophy, we have Earthy, Orford, Fearon, Marshall, Mayer’s,Scarles, Kante, Herrick and more, plus’s Potts who isn’t fully established as a starter, we need to bring these players on, I am not worried if we sell Summerville and Bowen or for that matter others.
It would be nice to keep them but if we can’t let’s keep the money for when we do get promoted and build from the academy it may take 2 or 3 seasons though there is an abundance of talent in that group that has the potential if well developed to step up.
We need to clear the decks though, Fullkrug, Alvarez, JWP, AWB, Cornet, Todibo, Summerville, Areola at the very least.
If this club wants to get back to the prem and challenge at the top, it needs a forward thinking plan. Sullivan has gone, well in decision making at least, and now is the time to look at whether the club investments are truly that. If a player looks like they have the potential then use them. I don’t want us spending money to achieve or prevent something at the expense of building a solid academy structure that we actually use. Too long these players have been ignored because we are in a relegation scrap or trying to secure a European place.
It is time for some calm and time for a rebuild. I honestly don’t mind if we don’t bounce back to the Prem, as long as we build something and invest in talent and infrastructure. Just take the pressure off a little, it’s still football.