Academy and Development Squad Developments (2019-20, now)
I can't see anywhere that we have an academy thread for this season, despite it being February now, so I've decided to make one. The main reason is I wanted to have a place to talk about the players we have out on loan.
Currently, we have 12 players out on loan, most of whom are academy or development squad players.
Aside from the academy players, we have Jordan Hugill doing ok at Middlesbrough, Sam Byram injured and not getting anywhere near a football pitch at Nottingham Forest, and we have Edimilson Fernandes at Fiorentina, who has played an ok amount but is unlikely to be permanently signed by them.
From the academy:
- Josh Cullen (Charlton): His contract with us is up in the summer, and it seems very unlikely he'll stay beyond that. He's made 13 appearances for Charlton this season, playing the full game in 12 of those and 80 minutes in the other. He missed about 10 games over the Autumn, presumably through injury, but has recently come back to the first team there.
- Toni Martinez (CD Lugo): According to transfermarket his contract is also up this summer. He spent the first half of the season on loan at Rayo Majadahonda in the Spanish Second Division. He scored 2 goals but was almost only used off the bench. In January he joined CD Lugo on loan for the rest of the season and scored on his debut against, you guessed it, Rayo Majadahonda. Hopefully he'll have a decent run in the side for the second half of the season, but it seems very unlikely that we'll see him back at West Ham next year.
- Reece Oxford (Augsburg): He's still got 2 and a half years on his contract, and has just joined Augsburg on loan in the Bundesliga. I would still love for him to come back and be a part of our squad, but the more time goes on the less likely it seems. If he can get a good run of games in Germany who knows what will happen.
- Oladapo Afolayan (Oldham Athletic): We signed him from Solihull Moors a year ago, and he's been in the Development Squad since. He's not really made a massive impact in PL2 this season, with 1 goal in 4 appearances, so it's a little surprising to see him go to a football league side on loan, but hopefully he can show his stuff in League Two.
- Marcus Browne (Oxford United): He has 18 months left on his contract at West Ham, and seems to be one of the loanees making the best impression. He's been a regular in the Oxford side this season, and has got himself 4 goals and 4 assists in League One. At 21 I'd expect preseason to be big for him.
- Martin Samuelson (VVV-Venlo): Really disappointing loan spell in Eredevisie. He's managed 10 appearances, but only 5 starts, and 4 of those were the first 4 games of the season. In the fourth game he got hooked at half time and has made 5 sub appearances (30 minutes total across all 5) since then, and 1 start where he played the full 90 in a 4-1 defeat by Feyenoord. No goals, no assists, no chances really. He still has a year on his contract with us, but very clearly isn't going to make it at the club.
- Vashon Neufville (Newport County): Made his debut in the draw with Leicester in the FA Cup on the day he signed for them, but hasn't appeared since. He's sat on the bench for 3 of the subsequent 4 games, and didn't get on the bench for the last game. He's still only 19, but it seems unlikely that he's going to be the answer for our future left back needs.
- Moses Makasi (Stevenage): In my opinion, the strangest academy player we have. He's 23 and has never come close to troubling the first team. His contract is up in the summer, and I'd expect him to leave - but then I thought that last year and we extended it by a year so who knows what will happen. He's started all 3 Stevenage games since he joined them.
- Sead Haksabanovic (IFK Norrkoping): Another strange one. He's still got 3 and a half years on his contract, but it seems unlikely that he's going to have much impact here. He went on loan to Malaga in the Spanish Second Division for the first half of the season, but only managed 2 substitute appearances with a total of 53 minutes of football. He headed to Sweden in January and is now with IFK Norrkoping on an 18 month loan.
Currently, we have 12 players out on loan, most of whom are academy or development squad players.
Aside from the academy players, we have Jordan Hugill doing ok at Middlesbrough, Sam Byram injured and not getting anywhere near a football pitch at Nottingham Forest, and we have Edimilson Fernandes at Fiorentina, who has played an ok amount but is unlikely to be permanently signed by them.
From the academy:
- Josh Cullen (Charlton): His contract with us is up in the summer, and it seems very unlikely he'll stay beyond that. He's made 13 appearances for Charlton this season, playing the full game in 12 of those and 80 minutes in the other. He missed about 10 games over the Autumn, presumably through injury, but has recently come back to the first team there.
- Toni Martinez (CD Lugo): According to transfermarket his contract is also up this summer. He spent the first half of the season on loan at Rayo Majadahonda in the Spanish Second Division. He scored 2 goals but was almost only used off the bench. In January he joined CD Lugo on loan for the rest of the season and scored on his debut against, you guessed it, Rayo Majadahonda. Hopefully he'll have a decent run in the side for the second half of the season, but it seems very unlikely that we'll see him back at West Ham next year.
- Reece Oxford (Augsburg): He's still got 2 and a half years on his contract, and has just joined Augsburg on loan in the Bundesliga. I would still love for him to come back and be a part of our squad, but the more time goes on the less likely it seems. If he can get a good run of games in Germany who knows what will happen.
- Oladapo Afolayan (Oldham Athletic): We signed him from Solihull Moors a year ago, and he's been in the Development Squad since. He's not really made a massive impact in PL2 this season, with 1 goal in 4 appearances, so it's a little surprising to see him go to a football league side on loan, but hopefully he can show his stuff in League Two.
- Marcus Browne (Oxford United): He has 18 months left on his contract at West Ham, and seems to be one of the loanees making the best impression. He's been a regular in the Oxford side this season, and has got himself 4 goals and 4 assists in League One. At 21 I'd expect preseason to be big for him.
- Martin Samuelson (VVV-Venlo): Really disappointing loan spell in Eredevisie. He's managed 10 appearances, but only 5 starts, and 4 of those were the first 4 games of the season. In the fourth game he got hooked at half time and has made 5 sub appearances (30 minutes total across all 5) since then, and 1 start where he played the full 90 in a 4-1 defeat by Feyenoord. No goals, no assists, no chances really. He still has a year on his contract with us, but very clearly isn't going to make it at the club.
- Vashon Neufville (Newport County): Made his debut in the draw with Leicester in the FA Cup on the day he signed for them, but hasn't appeared since. He's sat on the bench for 3 of the subsequent 4 games, and didn't get on the bench for the last game. He's still only 19, but it seems unlikely that he's going to be the answer for our future left back needs.
- Moses Makasi (Stevenage): In my opinion, the strangest academy player we have. He's 23 and has never come close to troubling the first team. His contract is up in the summer, and I'd expect him to leave - but then I thought that last year and we extended it by a year so who knows what will happen. He's started all 3 Stevenage games since he joined them.
- Sead Haksabanovic (IFK Norrkoping): Another strange one. He's still got 3 and a half years on his contract, but it seems unlikely that he's going to have much impact here. He went on loan to Malaga in the Spanish Second Division for the first half of the season, but only managed 2 substitute appearances with a total of 53 minutes of football. He headed to Sweden in January and is now with IFK Norrkoping on an 18 month loan.
Comments
Think the only guy that can make a push is Browne who I like the look of, but at 21 he needs to decide what he wants
Cullen and Martinez are players that will end up in a second tier league and do ok, probably even make it to a top tier (epl or la liga) at some point but not a guarantee
Oxford looks like he's gone although I agree it would nice to see him realise his potential at us
Sead has potential, but he's likely behind all of Diangana, Xande & Holland as far as young wingers go
Sell him for a profit or a future sell on fee
I guess Mum and Dad will be happy to see him back.
A once exciting prospect who has never kicked on
If he can't get a game for VVV (with all due repsect) he is not gonna make anything close to EPL standard
In more promising news, saw an article that RB Ben Johnson (19) went to the training camp in Malaga and made a big impression
Also heard that Diallo made fourfourtwos top 50 young English players (albeit at #50) as the 2nd youngest player on the list
With Adrian likely to be off in the summer, will Trott be our No2 for next season ;hmm
#squad
;weep
We have had 25 academy graduates play for us in the Premier League since the year 2000.
In total, they have made 982 Premier League appearances for us.
Only 5 of them have made more Premier League appearances for us than Declan Rice (Mark Noble, James Tomkins, Anton Ferdinand, Jack Collison, Jermain Defoe).
This decade, we've had 10, and only Rice and Grady Diangana made more than 10 Premier League appearances for us.
By year going backwards, look at these names :nonono:
2019: Ben Johnson
2018: Grady Diangana
2017: Declan Rice
2016:
2015: Josh Cullen, Reece Burke, Reece Oxford
2014:
2013: Elliot Lee
2012: Dan Potts, Rob Hall
2011:
2010: Jordan Spence
2009: Josh Payne, Zavon Hines, Junior Stanislas
2008: Freddie Sears, Jack Collison, James Tomkins
2007:
2006: Kyel Reid
2005: Mark Noble, Anton Ferdinand, Elliott Ward
2004:
2003: Glen Johnson
2002: Richard Garcia
2001: Jermain Defoe, Grant McCann
2000: Shaun Byrne
I think he's an academy graduate in the same way Nathan Holland is. Signed for the youth teams not the first team :ok:
Difference with Declan is he was signed at like 14, so was signed on a youth contract. Players 17+ are probably signed on pro contracts even if they go into the academy.
https://www.whufc.com/news/articles/2019/may/08-may/terry-westley-step-down-academy-manager
Good luck to him :scarf: