Wonderkid Factories: West Ham United
Hammers fans may joke about their club winning the World Cup for England in 1966 and whilst the suggestion is slightly crazy, its not completely inaccurate. Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters all played for the Irons, and came through their ranks before having key roles in the Three Lions only major triumph.
That legacy of producing top talent in East London has stuck around and been the foundation of some of West Ham’s best sides which is why they’ve earnt themselves a place in the wonderkid factories series today.
The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC, the works team of the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company. The club was disbanded in 1900 due to issues over the running and finances of the club but was very quickly relaunched as West Ham United (as they are today), because of the West Ham district where the club played.
The Hammers retain a fierce rivalry with Millwall, another club who were formed from a rival ironworks company. In fact, West Ham played their first game at their iconic Boleyn ground against the the Lions, winning 3-0.
It’s been a long time since Irons fans have been able to celebrate silverware though, with their last major success coming in 1980 when they won the FA Cup. Since then, the club has been a little bit more of a yo-yo team, being relegated twice since 2000 and finishing mid table or lower in most of their Premier League campaigns.
There is also an idea that the club likes to promote, that they are “The Academy of Football” and that is based on the youth development system set up by their manager Ted Fenton in the 1950’s. Since then, the club has consistently pumped out high quality academy products despite the competition that the Hammers have with other big clubs in London like Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham.
The proof is in the alumni shaped pudding as well with this impressive list of players coming out of East London- Moore, Hurst, Peters, Trevor Brooking, Tony Cottee, Paul Ince, Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Michael Carrick, Mark Noble, Joe Cole, Glen Johnson, James Tomkins, Kieran Richardson, Anton Ferdinand, Grady Diangana, Kortney Hause, Reece Oxford, Jeremy Ngakia, Ben Johnson and Declan Rice.
So who is next to come through the ranks for the Irons? Well, here are our three picks for West Ham’s potential future stars.
Jamal Baptiste (Centre Back)
Baptiste is the youngest player on this list at just 17 and he is a serious talent. He’s made 12 total appearances for the Hammers U23’s side between PL2 and the EFL Trophy, scoring twice and assisting once. He’s also featured for England’s U16 team and has had call ups for the U17 and U19 teams without featuring yet.
Harrison Ashby (Right Back)
Ashby could be Scotland’s future at right back with the left back position more than secure. He’s played twice for the Scots U21’s scoring once but he’s been even more effective for West Ham’s U23’s. In 12 total appearances he has 3 goals and 4 assists and has been a standout performer for Dmitri Halajko’s men.
Thierry Nevers (Left Winger)
Nevers arrived in East London from Reading this summer and has immediately made an impact for the U23’s. He has netted three times in just 6 appearances, averaging a goal every 76 minutes.