Ollie Scarles has gone from teenage wannabe to knocking on the door as first choice left sided defender: Impressing as West Ham’s wing back in the first half against Aston Villa in the FA cup match in January, Scarles has shown in substitute appearances since then that he has a pretty solid tackle in him and very good reading of the game.
Scarles does start to look ready for the step up to the starting eleven now. Which, at 20 years old in December is indeed a compliment to the young man and to the academy. With Graham Potter now backing academy players, there is no reason next season why three of Scarles’ contemporaries – Lewis Orford, Freddie Potts and George Earthy – should not lead this ‘West Ham Academy revolution’ and follow him into the senior side.
What a trio to add to the midfield this summer as players leave.
Compared with the depressing ‘back to the future’ story earlier of crocked 32 year old Callum Wilson being linked with the club, the future offered from this first tranche of ‘senior-squad hopefuls’ is very bright indeed.
Don’t forget in turn this will save the club tens of millions on recruitment as the squad overhaul continues, allowing West Ham to spend on fewer, younger, higher quality players instead of having to fill the empty spaces throughout the team with thirty-year old plus players on ‘free’ transfers – with no resale value at the end of their careers. Mentioning no names.
Another small part of the ‘Potter bounce’ – as young players are seen joining the seniors in training at Rush Green, it bodes well for the future recruitment of ‘teen prodigies’ like Daniel Cummings from Celtic for half a million instead of buying in for £10 million-plus once they’ve hit the first team of a Premier League competitor in a couple of years.
Josh Landers (main pic) has just joined as a 17 year-old striker from Motherwell and suddenly there is a very real possibility of him following in a couple of years where Scarles and co are heading. Unlike the ‘wastage’ of players like Divin Mubama in recent seasons, there is now real excitement that ‘if they’re good enough, they’re old enough’ at West Ham once more.
J >> Marshall starts most weeks for Huddersfield and hasn’t had a bad time, certainly better than he had at WBA last season
Earthy on the hand is having an awful time at Bristol City where at best he is getting 20 minutes at the end of the game. He should have been hooked in January and sent to a club who’ll play him, as he’s not going to start playing for West Ham if he can’t get in the Bristol City first team
All in all, I’m excited to see Potter bringing the boys on, and as you say, if it can save us a few million here and there, we might be able to create a young squad
Youngster I was always the most impressed by was Callum Marshall. In a Potter team that presses from the front he would be ideal. Don’t know what’s happened to him. Went out on loan but haven’t heard much about him since.
What many of us claimed/predicted all along for Scarles. Shouted down by the Moyes knows better brigade. The future is indeed now bright and young! COYI
J >> Marshall starts most weeks for Huddersfield and hasn’t had a bad time, certainly better than he had at WBA last season
Earthy on the hand is having an awful time at Bristol City where at best he is getting 20 minutes at the end of the game. He should have been hooked in January and sent to a club who’ll play him, as he’s not going to start playing for West Ham if he can’t get in the Bristol City first team
Josh Landers joined from Hibs, not Motherwell.
I am encouraged by the attention being given to our youth players, but I hope it’s for football reasons and not to help with PSR
Looking like another potential Declan Rice in the making, quality wise.