West Ham United hire former player in new behind-the-scenes role

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West Ham have made a brand new appointment in order to bolster their Under-21s setup.

A number of players from the Under-21s do end up training with the seniors and even go on to become first-team regulars.

That is why it is important that the West Ham United Under-21s are treated well and have the right people in the right positions to maximise their output.

West Ham United appoint Jimmy Walker as Academy U21s goalkeeping coach

Jimmy Walker is set to officially take over as the goalkeeping coach for the Academy Under-21s, according to the West Ham Way.

The 52-year-old first moved to the London Stadium in a non-playing role back in 2022.

At that time, he worked with the Under-18s and served as their goalkeeping coach.

He then earned a promotion to work for the club’s women’s team and took over as the first team’s goalkeeping coach.

Walker was then the assistant manager of the women’s side and will now be working with the men’s academy again.

Who is Jimmy Walker?

Walker is a former goalkeeper who played football professionally for 25 years, playing for a number of clubs.

He began his playing career as a youngster at Notts County, but is best known for his time at Walsall, where he made over 400 league appearances.

The Englishman then moved to West Ham in 2004 and spent five years at the club before leaving for Tottenham.

He returned to Walsall again for a three-year stint before he moved to Peterborough United and finally ended his playing career at Lincoln City.

Walker has his UEFA A Licence and has helped integrate modern coaching methods into the women’s team as well as the Under-18s.

The Hammers hierarchy will be hoping that he can have a similar impact with the Under-21s and if Nuno is impressed with his methods, he may ask him to work with the senior keepers as well.

Tom Wooster and Finlay Herrick have been the go-to keepers for the Under-21s this season and Walker will now be looking to get the best out of the two youngsters.