With a strong crop of half dozen youngsters all pushing for Championship football next season, competition among West Ham’s fringe players has never been so intense. For several who are now well past their ‘academy’ heritage, this season is likely ‘make or break’ for their West Ham careers.
West Ham-focussed journalist Roshane Thomas, writing in the NY Times, claims that the large group of former academy talent within the Hammers ranks have been given an explicit time frame in which the club will make decisions affecting their West Ham futures.
And it means the group – including Earthy, Ajala, Orford, Scarles, Casey, Herrick, Marshall, Kanté and Ezra Mayers – will all have at least four more games in which to impress their West Ham boss:
“Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo intends to use pre-season fixtures against Southend United (A), Stevenage (A), Rangers (A) and Magdeburg (A) to gauge who is ready to be part of their push for promotion from the Championship.
West Ham’s manager was all smiles as pre-season friendlies began against Colchester – twelve youngsters featured in the behind closed doors warm up.
Sources with knowledge of the situation, who spoke anonymously to protect relationships, say Koppen, who was appointed the club’s director of player recruitment this month, has informed youngsters that they will have to wait a further two weeks before decisions are made on whether they will be loaned out next season.”
No less than twelve featured in the preseason behind closed doors warm -up against Colchester United: George Earthy, (again according to Roshane Thomas), played 45 minutes as a number ten alongside Jarrod Bowen so his fitness, finally, looks be heading in the right direction.
Now it will be intriguing to see who will make the ‘cut’ for the Championship season and who Nuno will send away on loan or earmark for sale, signalling the end of their West Ham careers.
Is the “Academy” a thing of the past? Soft and pampered young players are losing out to hungry young athletes from third world countries. The best the West Ham Academy has to offer cannot get regular first team football, yet 20 year olds from Africa command £20m fees and top billing.
Don’t see Josh Landers mentioned. He was scoring a lot
AST season before going on loan
Daniel Cummins? I assume he’s still ‘Academy’ at 20.
talk was ..he was going to be loaned out, if I remember right
No mention if Fearon?
Fearon at 19 still has a season -plus – left in the Academy without any decision being made over his long term future
Interesting to see Ajala in the crop, not because of goals scored (of course that is great) but more his style of play. Free ranging style, late runs in, a lot of link-up play, quite quick and apparently can play off of both feet… of course Marshall, because some forwards, quick & nippy with close control have, going over the years, occasionally proven to be effective poachers in the box and goal scorers (Cottee, … the list is long) no matter the size of the CBs.
Interesting to see all/any of them – this will be a tough moment for them. Wish them luck.