When former West Ham United coach Kevin Nolan discovered that Kamarai Swyer was free to leave the Premier League outfit, he wasted no time picking up the phone and offering a familiar face a fresh start in England’s third tier.
Nolan, who captained the Hammers as a player and spent four years as an assistant coach at the London Stadium, is hoping to put his own stamp on a Northampton side he inherited in December.
The Cobblers finished only five points above the relegation zone in League One last season.
Now, Nolan is hoping that Kamarai Swyer can help transform relegation battlers into a stable mid-table outfit. West Ham United allowed the 22-year-old forward to join Northampton in a permanent deal on Friday, only weeks after Swyer was nominated for the Player of the Month award during a stellar season of Premier League 2 action.
Northampton newbie Kamarai Swyer opens up on West Ham United exit
No West Ham youngster scored or assisted more goals than him – 18 goals, 10 assists – at Under-21 level.
Kevin Nolan labels Kamarai Swyer a player of ‘huge potential’. And, when explaining his decision to put pen to paper on a two-year deal at Sixfields, the former Crawley Town loanee admitted that the chance to reunite with a coach he knows well was a key factor.
“It feels amazing to be here. I think obviously player [with the West Ham Under] 21s, taking this next step to playing first-team football in a great league is really exciting,” Swyer tells the official Northampton Town website.”
“[Nolan] was one of the main reasons why I decided to come here. Having that relationship with him previously definitely helps coming into a different environment. The manager being a familiar face is good.
“I’m definitely a versatile player. Anywhere I play, as a ten, off the left, off the right, I try and do the same things; play with energy, be creative, score goals, assists. That’s my game.
“I am definitely very excited by the project. The conversations me and the gaffer have had, it’s been really good and it shows his ambitions for the season.”
Swyer may feel he has a point to prove in the EFL. That spell with Crawley Town in 2023/24, while useful for his development, saw the youngster play a grand total of six league games.
“I think that first loan [at Crawley] was a great learning experience,” he adds. “I didn’t get the games I wanted at the time but nevertheless it was a great experience and I can use it moving forward.”
Kevin Nolan believes Swyer brings ‘huge potential’ to League One
While Graham Potter has big plans for George Earthy, while Ollie Scarles looks set to fill Aaron Cresswell’s boots, the likes of Gideon Kodua and Callum Marshall are facing uncertain futures heading into the summer.
Wycombe Wanderers are keen to sign Marshall on the back of Kodua’s impressive stint at Adams Park.
“Kamarai is a talented young player with huge potential who I have worked with before. So, I know all about him,” Nolan beams.
“He’s hungry, technically gifted, he takes people on and is a good athlete who is a good size and has an excellent attitude. We’re excited to welcome him to the squad and look forward to working with him and to see him develop with us over the next two years.
“We think we are getting him at a good time. He is on an upward curve. He had a standout season in Premier League 2 last season, with eight goals and ten assists. The most number of goal involvements for any West Ham player.
“He is ready to challenge himself and to go to the next level and that is what we will work with him to help him achieve.”
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