OPINION
West Ham youngster Nathan Trott is surely at risk of feeling the pressure as the Hammers have made it clear he is in their long-term plans.
The Hammers confirmed on Monday that the 20-year-old goalkeeper would spend his 2019/20 campaign on loan at AFC Wimbledon and in their statement pointed out he was one for the future as far as the club were concerned.
“The 20-year-old stopper, who signed a new three-year contract in March and remains very much in West Ham’s long-term plans, has been a regular at Premier League 2 level since the age of 17 and is considered one of the country’s brightest goalkeeping prospects,” read the statement on the Hammers’ official website.
While it’s fantastic to hear the Hammers be so open about their faith in Trott, it does heap the pressure on him ahead of him potentially getting his first taste of senior football.
The 20-year-old may have regularly featured for the Hammers’ U-23 for many years, he conceded 29 goals in 13 Premier League 2 outings in his latest campaign, but senior football is a whole different beast.
It could effectively make him or break him as it will be a real test of his talents at AFC Wimbledon.
This is especially the case when you assume how busy he will likely be between the sticks for AFC Wimbledon based on their record last season.
Wally Downes’ side struggled in their latest campaign and conceded a whopping 63 goals in 41 outings, and that shows their keepers Joe McDonnell and Aaron Ramsdale, who was on loan from Bournemouth, had nowhere to hide.
So given that AFC Wimbledon fans will likely have high hopes for Trott based on how well loaning a keeper from a Premier League side went for them recently, meaning they may get on the 20-year-old’s back if he struggles, did the Hammers really have to add more pressure on him by hyping him up before giving him a chance to prove himself?
