West Ham have confirmed that incoming Mark Noble will have the final say on a new academy manager appointment at the club.
Noble will return to West Ham as Sporting Director from January.
The legendary Hammers figure has been hugely missed off the pitch and in the West Ham dressing room this season.
But he will return to the club in an official capacity on January 2nd 2023 after bringing the curtain down on his career as a West Ham player back in May after 550 senior appearances across 18 years in a Claret and Blue shirt.
When the announcement was made, West Ham were very clear that Noble will be heavily involved in key aspects of the club including transfers, recruitment and the academy.
There are big decisions to be taken on the latter after the departure of Ricky Martin, who has joined Stoke City as first team Technical Director.
The Hammers released a statement on Monday confirming that academy coach Kenny Brown is taking over from Martin on an interim basis.
And West Ham confirmed incoming Mark Noble will have the final say on the new academy manager appointment.
“A further announcement on the permanent management and coaching structure for this key role in the revered Academy of Football will be made in due course – and will be a priority for incoming Sporting Director Mark Noble when he commences his role in January,” West Ham said in a statement on the club’s official website.
“Everyone at West Ham United would like to thank Ricky Martin for his fantastic service and dedication to the role since he arrived as Academy Manager in 2019. We wish him all the very best for the future.”
There has been speculation that Noble’s former West Ham teammate Jack Collison could come back to his roots to work in the academy setup.
Collison is currently the coach of MLS side Atlanta’s development team.
But it remains to be see what plans Noble has and whether Brown has any chance of landing the role on a permanent basis.
The club are right not to rush the appointment given the importance of the academy to West Ham and its heritage.
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