West Ham United youngster Lewis Orford is one of the most talented under-21 players we have at the club right now.
Lewis Orford, 18, has really impressed during West Ham United’s pre-season campaign so far, and Julen Lopetegui is obviously a big fan of him as well.
We all knew that Orford, alongside George Earthy, would be part of Lopetegui’s plans when he was included in the official video for our new kit release.
There is no doubting the exceptional teenager’s talent – he seems to have absolutely everything needed to make it at the very highest level of the game.
So with that in mind, it was a huge concern when it was rumoured that the Hammers were prepared to send Orford to Aston Villa as part of a deal to bring Jhon Duran to the London Stadium.
The thought of the talented teen swapping the London Stadium for Villa Park is a nauseating one, I can’t deny that.
So what’s the latest news on the current situation of Orford?
Major Lewis Orford update as West Ham make big decision
The Hammers youth team star will undoubtedly get his chance to shine under Lopetegui, as long as the Hammers owners don’t decide to sell him this summer.
He came on leaps and bounds last season, and he has already trained with the first-team on multiple occasions.
Orford possesses incredible technical ability, is cool calm and collected with the ball at his feet and has a wonderful array of passing.
Keeping hold of him for the long-term should be a priority for West Ham as far as I’m concerned, and now a big update regarding his future at the London Stadium has come to light.
According to a report from Give Me Sport, the Hammers owners are now set to offer Orford a new and improved deal.
That represents quite the U-turn after reports yesterday were claiming that he could be Villa bound as part of the Duran deal.
Let’s hope that Lewis Orford accepts the terms on offer from West Ham, because losing him to a Premier League rival would be an unmitigated disaster.
We have a manager at the football club now who’s obviously willing to give young players a chance, and in turn, they should all be able to see a clear path to regular first-team football.
Lewis Orford remaining at the London Stadium would be good new for everyone involved with the Hammers.
If Lopetegui wants to sign Duran so badly, then the West Ham owners just need to pay Villa what they want for him.
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