Young striker Divin Mubama has set Sonny Perkins straight over his West Ham criticism before a move to Leeds United.
As reported by Hammers News yesterday, Perkins has chosen Leeds after his bitter West Ham departure and compensation will now be due.
Perkins rose to prominence with regular inclusion in the West Ham first team squad last season despite being just 17 at the time.
That clearly caught the attention of new Leeds manager Jesse Marsch.
Originally a midfielder, Perkins was switched to the striker role and shone for club and country, going on to establish himself as the number one forward for West Ham Under 23s and England Under 18s.
The Guardian and The Athletic had been reporting for some time that West Ham could lose the England youth international with the likes of Aston Villa and Leeds vying for his signature this summer.
The news came as something of a shock to West Ham fans and had supporters of Leeds scrambling Google for information on the youngster.
Sure enough West Ham announced Perkins had decided to leave the club in an angry statement last month where they criticised his agents.
West Ham fans have not taken kindly to seeing one of their young players turn their back on the club.
The player himself has had his say on the decision to leave West Ham this week.
It was a damning indictment of how he saw the pathway to the Hammers first team and bad publicity for West Ham when it comes to convincing top young players that the London Stadium is the place to be.
One player who perhaps stands to benefit most from Perkins’ departure is Divin Mubama.
The highly-rated England Under 18 teammate of Perkins had been coveted by a host of top clubs but committed his future to West Ham.
Moyes and the Hammers have always prided themselves on giving a chance to young players who earn it.
So Perkins’ criticism of the West Ham pathway before joining Leeds has left a bitter taste in the mouth.
Now young striker Mubama has set Perkins straight over his West Ham criticism before the Leeds move.
Speaking to West Ham’s official website the forward, who has been very impressive in pre-season, issued what is a clear response to suggestions from Perkins that young players have to leave the club for the good of their careers.
“I’ve enjoyed a lot, I just want to thank the Gaffer and all the staff and they’ve just trusted me and the lads have been very good and encouraging,” Mubama told whufc.com.
“There is always a chance and a pathway and it’s up to you how much you really want it.
“I think there’s a pathway here and I’m going to keep working hard and whatever happens, happens.
“To make my debut for this special club would mean the world to me. It would be a dream come true. West Ham is all I’ve known since the age of eight walking through the doors, so it would be unbelievable.”