West Ham told they have done a ‘fantastic job’ with rising star set to leave in 2026

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West Ham United’s academy is known as one of the most prosperous in all of English football, let alone the Premier League, for a reason.

Decades after Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick, Jermain Defoe, Rio Ferdinand and Glen Johnson rose through the ranks, not to mention Mark Noble and Declan Rice, Freddie Potts is living the dream.

One of the first names on West Ham United’s team sheet these days, Potts is keeping the legacy of top-class, homegrown midfielders going. In the Nuno Espirito Santo era alone, a Premier League debut has been handed to Callum Marshall, Mohamadou Kante and most recently Ezra Mayers.

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Even those who do not quite make the grade have tended to go on to enjoy fine careers elsewhere. Josh Cullen is a Premier League captain with Burnley these days, for instance.

And as far as Luton Town coach Jack Wilshere is concerned – by the way, doesn’t that sentence make you feel old? – there is no reason to believe Gideon Kodua cannot still have a future at a very high level, even if his future lies away from the London Stadium.

Jack Wilshere hails West Ham United for developing Luton loanee Gideon Kodua

Gideon Kodua has saved Luton’s skin on numerous times this season already. His 96th minute equaliser away to Leyton Orient on Tuesday was his fourth stoppage-time goal in 2024/25.

Wilshere raved about Kodua’s impact at full-time, The Hatters staying within touching distance of the League One play-offs.

Speaking to Luton Today ahead of the visit of rock-bottom Port Vale, the former England, Arsenal and West Ham playmaker credited his old employers for instilling in Kodua the mentality, the confidence and the ‘character’ which has the 21-year-old become Wilshere’s perennial saviour.

“I love Gids,” Wilshere said. “He’s got loads of personality, loads of character. He gave the ball away a few times, but he’s the one that’s trying. He’s the one that, until Jordan [Clark] came on, looks like he’s going to be the one to give us something.

“Credit to him as he’s a young lad as well, still learning the game, still developing. But he’s got something different, a little bit of character which I like.

“I played at West Ham and, to play at West Ham and come through the system there, you need personality, you need character. They’ve done a fantastic job with him and we’re fortunate that he’s ours now.

“He still needs to develop, he’s still young, but when you’ve got character and personality like that, he’s speaking in the dressing room after, I really like that. That’s something for a coach that you want to work with.”

Kodua is expected to leave the Hammers when his contract runs down

Kodua captained West Ham to FA Youth Cup glory in 2023. He scored a sublime lob in a 5-1 thrashing of Wilshere’s Arsenal in the final.

While George Earthy, Callum Marshall and Ollie Scarles have made steps towards a first-team berth with the Hammers since then, Kodua looks destined to leave the club on a permanent basis in the New Year.

Luton have an option-to-buy clause inserted into their loan deal. What’s more, his contract is due to expire next summer.

Patrick Kelly reflects on fine Barnsley start at Luton’s League One rivals

Another Youth Cup winner now going from strength to strength in League One, Patrick Kelly has enjoyed a terrific start at Barnsley after West Ham allowed the tireless midfielder to join the Tykes on a free transfer a few months ago.

Kelly now has three goals for the club, his latest an FA Cup second-round winner against Peterborough, and earned his first cap for the senior Northern Ireland side in November.

“Hopefully I keep doing what I am doing here then I have a chance of being in that [Northern Ireland] squad,” Kelly tells The Chronicle, desperate to join Marshall on the pitch when his country take on Italy in that spring-time World Cup play-off.

“It was unbelievable to make my debut. My family were all there. It was special because I’ve been working towards it my whole career.

“It will be a tough game against Italy [in the World Cup play-off] but there is no reason we can’t go through in a one-off game. We have a really good young team.”