The apple of West Ham’s eye is undoubtedly its youth academy. From Declan Rice to Ben Johnson, and now Freddie Potts and George Earthy, West Ham can pride themselves on having one of the best football academies in the world. In this series exploring all things David Sullivan and the criticisms fans level at him, we must applaud Sullivan and the board for their success in developing talent from their youth squads and making the right decisions for their academy.
Since the appointment of Mark Noble as Sporting Director in January 2023, the academy has been a well-oiled machine. Noble’s responsibilities include supporting player recruitment, with a keen focus on younger players for the academy. He is also tasked with player development, a role he began even before retiring, mentoring players like Rice. His transition to an executive position simply formalized his influence. No one can argue that Noble was anything less than a brilliant appointment. He keeps the youth teams grounded and oversees the pipeline between the first team and up-and-coming talents.
Title Holders
During the 2022–23 season, West Ham’s Under-18 team won the U18 Premier League South and the FA Youth Cup, defeating Arsenal 5–1 in the final, marking their fourth FA Youth Cup title. They won 26 out of 30 games across all competitions that season, showcasing their dominance at the youth level. This success reinforces their high standing among Premier League academies.
On those title-winning squads were current first-team players Callum Marshall, George Earthy, and Oliver Scarles. Kaelen Casey and Lewis Orford are currently on loan to Stevenage and Swansea City, respectively. The squad also included striker Divin Mubama, who was plucked by Manchester City and is currently on loan at Stoke City. On paper, this is highly impressive. However, the reality is that, since Declan Rice’s breakthrough, no youth player has made a significant impact at the first-team level.
Credit goes to Sullivan and the board for assembling an excellent academy staff, including Noble, Mark Robson (who coached the Under-23 team and serves as the lead development coach), Greg Lincoln, Kevin Keen, Steve Potts, and Academy Manager Kenny Brown.
The Under-18 squad finished either first or second for three consecutive seasons until last year. In the pre-season, fans got a glimpse of midfielders Preston Fearon and Mohamadou Kante. Defenders Michael Forbes, who earned a loan to Northampton, and Junior Robinson, currently on loan with Scottish Premiership side Livingston, also impressed. Forward Daniel Cummings, whom West Ham secured despite interest from nearly every Premier League team, had a prolific year with Celtic’s B squad last season, scoring 29 goals in 37 appearances. It proved that West Ham attracts some of the most sought-after young players in the United Kingdom. Forward Gideon Kodua also showed promise and is currently on loan at Luton Town, who were relegated from the Premier League just two seasons ago.
Academy Disconnect
So, what’s the disconnect between West Ham’s stellar youth system and its first team? Can we blame Sullivan and the board for the lack of youth players breaking into the first team? It seems the last four or five managers have failed to give their youth stars sufficient playing time or opportunities to break through. From Manuel Pellegrini to David Moyes and down to Graham Potter, only Potter gave someone like Ollie Scarles a real chance last year. While Scarles showed promise, the signings of Kyle Walker-Peters and El Hadji Malick Diouf have relegated him to the bench.
It will be interesting to see how manager Nuno Espírito Santo incorporates the current crop of youth players into the team. Nuno faces a dilemma: West Ham are seemingly in a battle to avoid relegation this season. When staring down such a fate, can you blame any manager for relying on veterans?
The question of whether Sullivan is to blame points to another issue: stability. Pellegrini, Moyes, Julen Lopetegui, Potter, and now Nuno have all faced potential relegation scares. After saving West Ham from relegation, Moyes sent prospect Grady Diangana packing, which drew the ire of Noble, and sparingly used Ben Johnson, Arthur Masuaku, and Conor Coventry. The current crop of youth players appears to have far more potential than those from the past.
If the children are our future, and West Ham’s Academy of Football is proving to be one of the best, then Sullivan has done something right. Progress within the youth ranks can be achieved if Sullivan can bring stability to the first team. Then, it’s up to the managers, whoever they may be, to integrate youth players into lineups without the fear of relegation.
To Be Continued…