West Ham are convinced they have grabbed a bargain by signing attacker Mipo Odubeko, according to Football Insider.
The reliable website claim that the Hammers have handed the 17-year-old a contract worth between £4,000-£5,000-a-week, which helped them acquire his services ahead of Manchester United.
Football Insider report that Odubeko quit Manchester United’s academy over the summer but that they tried to seduce him into re-signing with them by submitting a series of offers.
Despite being a free agent when he signed for the Hammers, West Ham have to pay a six-figure compensation fee to United in compensation for the teenager’s development costs.
OPINION
The Hammers confirmed, via their official website, last week that they had secured the services of Odubeko last week and a section of Hammers fans went wild on social media over his arrival, which shows his reputation proceeds him. The 17-year-old scored a staggering 35 goals for Man United’s youth team last season and he even managed to net on his U18 Premier League debut last season. While the Hammers believe Odubeko is a bargain, it’ll be a while before the club know if they’re right to think that, as after all, he likely won’t be seen in the first-team for a while. The teenager has to focus on proving himself in the Hammers academy, he is set to start in the U-18s team, before he even dreams about walking out at the London Stadium for the senior team. However, even with that said, it’s a very positive sign that the Hammers are effectively celebrating his arrival behind the scenes as it shows they have a lot of faith in him.