A Championship campaign is not for the faint-hearted. But at West Ham United, a gruelling 46-game campaign feels like the sort of opportunity the likes of Ollie Scarles have been craving.
Nearly two years since making his Premier League debut – Scarles the only member of the 2023 FA Youth Cup-winning side to come close to establishing himself at first-team level – the left-back remains on the fringes of the XI.
Ollie Scarles started seven Premier League matches during his breakout, Young Hammer of the Year-winning campaign. Last season, however, he managed only nine.
West Ham v Rangers! Which youngster are YOU most excited to see? 🤩
Of course, the signing of El Hadji Malick Diouf from Slavia Prague was a major reason why West Ham United’s number 30 didn’t kick on as many had expected.
But regardless of whether Diouf stays or goes – Aston Villa are interested while Brentford have since made a move – a season in the second tier means there will be plenty more opportunities for Scarles to gain much-needed experience and regular minutes.
The Championship could be the making of West Ham United’s Ollie Scarles
The Bromley-born 20-year-old was speaking to the official West Ham website before Sunday’s 4pm kick-off at Rangers.
“That’s what I’ve wanted. I just want the opportunity to be able to express myself and show what I can do, and prove to the manager and show as much as I can as to why I want to be playing,” Scarles said.
“And that’s it really. I need to earn my spot and I’ll give everything I can to do that.
“We’re going to need a big squad, with three games a week [in the Championship]. It’s going to be a lot of games, a lot of quick turnovers.
“Like I said, a big squad that is ready to step in whenever it’s needed.”
With Diouf enjoying a post-World Cup holiday, Scarles has been Nuno’s go-to left-back during the summer so far. He started against both Southend [a 1-1 in Essex] and also the 5-0 midweek thrashing of Stevenage.
Scarles did not overly impress in either encounter, however. Rangers, at Ibrox, will prove his and West Ham’s sternest test yet.
If he is to seriously challenge for a starting spot next season – West Ham have been linked with Harrison Burrows of Sheffield United as a potential Diouf replacement – then he needs to show more than he has so far.
Who do you think has ENHANCED their reputation in pre-season?
Ajala, Lamadrid and Jett Murphy may fancy their chances next season…
Scarles reflects on his journey so far at the Hammers
Fellow youngsters Freddie Potts, Mohamadou Kante and Ezra Mayers could benefit too from the sheer amount of minutes on offer across a 46-game campaign. Josh Ajala, Preston Fearon and Jett Murphy excelled in Stevenage, too, and could also force their way into Nuno’s plans in the final two pre-season matches against Rangers and Magdeburg.
No wonder U21 boss Mark Robson feels this is a ‘very exciting’ time for West Ham’s academy.
“I’m feeling fit, I think most of the boys are feeling fit, and pre-season is just a chance to get on the ball again, get some match minutes in and just get used to playing again and expressing ourselves,” adds Scarles. “So it’s been good. I’ve enjoyed it.
“I think making my debut in Romania so young [as a 16-year-old in a 3-0 Europa League win at FCSB], everyone probably does feel like I’ve been around it for a long time. I made my debut and then was, I guess you could say, protected because I wasn’t involved too much after that.
“I’ve enjoyed the last two years since my full Premier League debut against Arsenal, being in and around it and actually feeling like a first-team player so it’s been good.
“It was a good challenge last season. Me and Malick both help each other in different ways and learn off of each other. There’s always competition in the squad. On the other side, you’ve got Kyle [Walker-Peters] and Aaron [Wan-Bissaka]. They’ve both got bundles of experience I can learn off as well. It was a good season last season for me to learn.
“Obviously, the season itself for the club wasn’t great, but for my development and being able to learn off of different players, I thought it was quite beneficial.”
Relegation is often described as something of a necessary evil when talking about badly-run clubs in need of a reset. In West Ham’s case, that cliche may yet ring true.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
