The GSH staff predict our way too early ”Of The Year” awards for West Ham United
Young Hammer of the year
Adam
Joe Powell: This is a bit of a wildcard selection, but again I am judging based off of the preseason so far and Powell just banged in two goals against Anderlecht in his last warm up match. Powell is an interesting character; with Marcus Browne now gone and Conor Coventry impressing as a defensive midfielder I think Powell will emerge as a dominant box-to-box or attacking midfielder for the team. A lot of people are circling Ben Johnson for this, but don’t sleep on Powell.
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Scotty J
Declan Rice: He’s still a youngster even though he’s one of the first names on the team sheet. Can he keep on improving? Hopefully, and he seems to believe he will which means it’s exciting for all West Ham fans. Rock in the middle of the park and getting better and better on the ball with each match.
Jeremiah
Ben Johnson: An unpopular opinion will be that Johnson will get more playing time than Zabaleta and I think that’s spot on. It’s clear that Pellers wants to use him and I think he will as the young Hammer will get plenty of chances to prove himself and well.
Jay
Gonçalo Cardoso: Coming in as a youngster trying to learn the ropes of the English game, Cardoso has a solid first season for the Hammers. He ends up splitting starting time with Balbeuna and ends up being a strong player who can develop alongside Issa Diop.
Denver Scott
I was gonna say Rice, but I think now I’m going with Ben Johnson. I have confidence in Fredericks, but with Zaba’s decision to make this his last year, we will need to accelerate Johnson in his development. He is going to make mistakes, but he’s learning. He looked very good in preseason. He lacks Fredericks amazing pace, but seems much more defensively aware. Expect to see a LOT of him in cup matches early in the season. He will break through for the future.
Louis
Declan Rice: He has swept away with the last three editions of this award, and it’s tough to look past the England international winning it for a fourth time. Another year older, another year wiser. Rice at just 20 has such a mature head on a young man’s shoulders, and with his performances ever improving, he is likely to remain a key figure at the base of Pellegrini’s midfield.