West Ham United are keeping tabs on Dagenham and Redbridge goalkeeper Tarek Najia, according to the Mirror.
The newspaper reports on its website that the Hammers had the 6’3″ [The Mirror] giant watched on Tuesday night as he made his debut for National League side Dagenham and Redbridge, who played AFC Hornchurch.
The Mirror go on to claim that Premier League heavyweights Chelsea are also keeping tabs on the 17-year-old by sending out scouts to have a look at him.
Najia conceded four goals whilst between the sticks on Tuesday night, with the final score ending 4-2.
OPINION
It remains to be seen why West Ham are keeping tabs on a young goalkeeper who has hardly proved himself due to this age. There is not enough evidence out there make a judgement on him just yet, so it is difficult to say whether he would be a good fit for the Irons. However, he is obviously doing something right if he is also attracting the likes of Chelsea, so West Ham are wise to rival the Blues to land the young ace. It would be a good idea to let Najia to play for the fifth tier side for at least one season, just to see how he copes in a competitive environment. West Ham have a reputation for producing young players – for example Domingos Quina – but there has been a lack of Academy graduates in the first team recently, especially with all the new signings. They need to think carefully whether it is a good choice to advance their interest in the teenager, and whether they would be willing to help him progress from the youth system.
