West Ham United have claimed the FA Youth Cup title only twice in the last 30 years; the Michael Carrick and Joe Cole generation of 1999, and the 2023 vintage containing Gideon Kodua, George Earthy and Divin Mubama.
While the likes of Richard Garcia and Steven Bywater would go on to enjoy respectable careers, only Carrick and Cole reached the elite level from that 1999 side.
Flash forward a quarter of a century, and it remains to be seen if any of the 2023 squad have even half a chance of scaling the same heights as the Manchester United legend and the former Chelsea playmaker.
Kodua leaves for just £1m after nine goals in 17 starts…
How do YOU feel about the deal?
West Ham thrashed Arsenal 5-1 at the Emirates Stadium on that April afternoon nearly three years ago. The man who captained Kevin Keen’s side that day, and lit up the final with a sublime lob from well outside the penalty area, bid his farewells to West Ham United on Friday lunchtime.
Gideon Kodua joins Luton Town for just £1 million. One suspects that, had they known Kodua would go on to score nine goals in his first 17 League One starts for the Hatters, West Ham would have had second thoughts about including such an affordable purchase clause in his contract.
Gideon Kodua the latest Youth Cup winner to leave West Ham United
At £1 million, Kodua – who has broken into double figures across all competitions – already feels like one of the best bargain buys in the entire EFL this season.
His departure, meanwhile, ensures that of the eleven players to start against Arsenal in 2023, three have now left East London on a permanent basis.
Divin Mubama turned down a new contract before joining Manchester City in the summer of 2024. Prolific at youth level, Mubama has endured a mixed campaign at Stoke. His first season of regular first-team football seeing him find the net just five times in 27 matches.
In contrast, Patrick Kelly is enjoying an ‘unbelievable’ season. A World Cup place with Northern Ireland is not out of the question for an all-action midfielder who joined Barnsley on a free transfer after helping Doncaster Rovers win the League Two title.
Mason Terry, Kaelan Casey, Regan Clayton, George Earthy and Callum Marshall are all spending the second half of 2025/26 out on loan.
Callum Marshall scored on Bochum debut as George Earthy returns to Bristol City
Goalkeeper Terry is keeping Braintree’s survival hopes alive with some virtuoso displays in the National League, reunited with centre-back Clayton at the Essex-based outfit. Towering centre-half Kaelan Casey joined Leyton Orient after struggling for minutes with Swansea.
Callum Marshall has made an ‘exceptional’ start in Germany, scoring in his 2.Bundesliga debut for VFL Bochum. George Earthy is back at Bristol City, meanwhile, having claimed their Young Player of the Year award last May.
Lewis Orford and Regan Battrum are still playing Under-21 football in claret and blue. This means that, of the six players to play Premier League minutes for West Ham – Casey, Earthy, Orford, Marshall, Mubama and Scarles – 25 of those 42 appearances belong to Nuno Espirito Santo’s second-choice left-back.
Ollie Scarles is the only Youth Cup winner to establish himself… 🏆
What does the future hold for Earthy, Marshall and Orford?
Ollie Scarles the only Hammers first-teamer from that Youth Cup-winning side
Nuno dropped Scarles for El Hadji Malick Diouf during last week’s 3-2 defeat by Chelsea. A difficult decision, the head coach himself admitted, considering how impressive West Ham’s number 30 had been during Diouf’s Africa Cup of Nations-enforced absence with continental champions Senegal.
Nuno is happy to have plenty of ‘options’ in the full-back positions, though, having been without Diouf and Aaron Wan-Bissaka for around a month.
“[Diouf] is now in the history books of football. And it’s good to have him back, he gives us more options, gives us more energy. It [AFCON] was a spell that we didn’t have our full-backs here,” Nuno said recently.
“So we asked a lot of Kyle [Walker-Peters] and Ollie. And now we have more options, more energy.”
Former youth-team skipper Gideon Kodua felt that Luton’s was an offer too good to refuse, meanwhile, with the Hatters jumping at the chance to tie down their top scorer for the long haul.
“I’m so happy to have made the move permanent. It’s something I’ve wanted,” Kodua said when his transfer was confirmed.
“You can see on the pitch how passionate I am playing for the club and contributing. It’s about continuing what I’ve been doing, scoring goals and playing well.
“It’s been like going back to my old ways. When I was 18, this was normal to me, being a goalscorer. It was just about transitioning into the men’s game and showing people that I can do it at senior level.
“I have my own goals and targets for the season, which I won’t say now but I’ll let you know by May!”
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