Opinion from the stands

West Ham must resist riches and hold firm on this man’s future

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West Ham United are not dubbed ‘The Academy of Football’ for nothing.

The latest player that has made a real impact since emerging from the academy is teenage sensation Reece Oxford. Unfortunately for the Hammers, it looks as if a number of clubs have noticed his ability as well and the speculation surrounding his departure from the club has been huge considering the transfer window has not even opened for the summer yet.

Worse yet, Jose Mourinho has now officially lodged a bid of around £15 million for the England U19 international according to ExWHUemployee. This is a big fee for a player that has only a handful of Premier league appearances and is still only 17 years-old.

The Hammers have let some big players leave in the past; the likes of Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, Jermaine Defoe, Rio Ferdinand and Michael Carrick were all young prospects who departed the club too early from a West Ham perspective. The club are in a much healthier position to keep hold of their best youth players now so it would be a big step backwards for the player to depart the club. The Hammers also snapped up highly rated Domingos Quina recently so it seems strange to then sell another talented youngster when we are trying to develop that particular area of the club.

There has been a lot of talk about fans saying we should cash in on Oxford for £15 million. This is a bit of a peculiar mindset as Oxford is one of the most talented teenagers in English football and he could be worth 3 times that amount in a few years, just look at John Stones.

The only big issue is whether the player wants to depart the club. I can’t imagine Slaven Bilic telling Oxford that he is not going to be in his plans this season. Bilic started Oxford against Arsenal and it was a master stroke, he clearly rates the young defender and with a possible Europa League campaign taking place, it’s the perfect platform to develop Oxford. However, if the defender has been told that he won’t play next season, it’s very easy to adopt a ‘grass is greener’ approach at such a young age and the lure of Manchester United will always be able to turn heads.

Jose Mourinho is not the best manager at bringing through young players and giving them a chance. Under Bilic, Oxford would have more of an opportunity to develop as the manager would have more faith in him. He has the ability already, now he just needs to be managed effectively to turn into the best player he can be. If the Hammers can encourage Oxford to focus on his football alongside a healthy new contract, he will feel valued by the club and ultimately commit to the Hammers.

There is not a huge gap between Manchester United and West Ham any more. Too many times have we seen the fruits of the academy blossom elsewhere. Now is the time to move forward as a club so it’s vital we keep hold of our best players, no matter how young they are or how much development they may need.

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