Comments made this week by Mark Robson, West Ham United’s Under-21 coach, will have been music to the ears of Josh Ajala, Preston Fearon and Airidas Golambeckis.
Not to mention the youngsters already established on the fringes of the first-team; Ezra Mayers, Mohamadou Kante and Finlay Herrick.
A ‘really confident’ Robson predicts that a handful of Hammers youngsters will make their mark in the Championship.
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Certainly, Kante will be eyeing up that Mateus Fernandes-shaped void. Mayers will hope to take the spot vacated by Axel Disasi, while Nuno Espirito Santo will use Saturday’s Southend friendly as a means of taking a closer look at those ready to make the step up.
This, Robson says, is a ‘really exciting’ time to be a young player at West Ham United.
Mohamadou Kante is arguably West Ham United’s next breakout star
Three years ago, West Ham thrashed Arsenal 5-1 in the FA Youth Cup final. Since then, only Ollie Scarles has gone on to feature fairly regularly among the seniors.
But days after the Hammers lost another exciting homegrown talent – Emmanuel Fejokwu moved to Belgium with Club Brugge – a season in the second tier means the pathway Divine Mubama, Emeka Adiele and Harrison Ashby clearly couldn’t envisage may be opening up again.
To name just three, Alvin Martin, Steve Potts, Nigel Reo-Coker stepped up and cemented their places in the XI after the Hammers slipped out of the top-flight.
The silver lining on 2026’s cloud, thy name is Mohamadou Kante.
“Kante [can be] an absolute stalwart,” one of Hammers News’ TalkingPoint users writes on our Facebook page when asked which youngster they are most looking forward to watching in 2026/27.
“Very quick and takes on defenders really well. Plus, he’s already had a lot of experience playing in our senior team.”
“With Fernandes gone, the natural replacement is Kante for me,” another says of a midfielder who appeared eleven times off the bench in the Premier League. “He looks an absolute beast and certainly looked ready in the brief glimpses we got of him last season.
“I like the look of Ajala as well, when he played in the U21s. Can play on the left and looks a natural goalscorer, so possibly Summerville’s replacement in the squad, along with [Keiber] Lamadrid for that left hand attacking role?”
Preston Fearon and Josh Ajala could feature vs Southend United
After turning his initial loan into a permanent transfer, Keiber Lamadrid has been hitting the weights, it seems. He’s not quite as broad-shouldered or baby-oiled as Adama Traore, but the Venezuela international appears better placed to handle the physicality of English football.
Saturday’s 3pm kick-off at Roots Hall, meanwhile, hands twinkle-toed teen Ajala the chance to follow up a run of seven goals and four assists from his last eleven Premier League 2 fixtures.
Captain Jarrod Bowen thinks West Ham have a ‘special player’ in princely playmaker Preston Fearon. Callum Marshall, Lewis Orford and George Earthy will be hoping to put the experience gained on loan at Huddersfield, Stevenage and Bristol City to good use.
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“Mayers did well when he played. So he could come in for the hapless [Max] Kilman?” another fan wonders ahead of West Ham’s first official friendly of the summer. “It’s definitely a chance for the youngsters to push for a place. Let’s hope Nuno encourages them to step up and gives a few of them a chance.”
“Preston Fearon. Quality.”
“Callum Marshall and George Earthy have the experience of league football. Orford has great potential.”
“Kante I think will make it.”
“Kante needs to be pushing his way in to first-team football. I like him. He is big, strong, and looks like he can play. Mayers looks a real baller and is exciting to watch so I hope he gets time too.”
“Kante, then Mayers. Hopeful for Orford from there.”
“I’d like to see Earthy given a decent shot in the Pablo-type role. But hopefully with more goals.”
“I think Mayers [will establish himself]. We’ll be short in that position and I reckon he’ll get a big role this season.”
“Kante is the jewel in the crown.”
“I always love it when a young player comes through, it really is a special moment and hopefully the few who have been given a few chances will get more chances this season. Obviously [Freddie] Potts and [Ollie] Scarles will be more involved.”
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