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Not exactly in depth analysis, but it’s something. ⚒️⚒️⚒️⚒️⚒️
Casey, Mubama, Kodua, Earthy – West Ham’s future is in good hands with Keen’s under-18s riding high
On matchdays there is often congestion on Hainault Road, Romford — but many are willing to endure the traffic to watch West Ham United’s conveyor belt of young talent.
The under-18s play their home games at Little Heath Sports Ground, and it should come as no surprise fans have been flocking to Essex. Kevin Keen’s side are top of the Premier League south table, unbeaten in 17 league games and many of the youngsters have earned international recognition. They have exceeded expectations this season and there is great optimism about what they could achieve under Keen, the former West Ham midfielder who made more than 270 appearances for the club.
Kaelan Casey, Divin Mubama, Gideon Kodua and George Earthy, all 17, have made huge progress over the past 12 months. Mubama, a striker, signed his first professional contract in October and has been capped at England under-18 level.
Casey is widely considered one of the more promising prospects and has caught the eye in defence. Kodua has scored 10 league goals this campaign and is the club’s second highest scorer. Earthy is a talented playmaker and has registered eight goals and provided four assists in 21 league appearances. He has represented England at youth level.
Casey joined West Ham when he was five and cites Declan Rice as his role model. He played for the under-23s in their pre-season 4-1 win against Loughborough University in July. He was supposed to play against Blackburn Rovers under-23s in February, but the game was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. In September he was named in the under-21s squad that beat Ipswich Town in the Papa John’s Trophy.
“He’s always been a defender,” his father Paul Casey tells The Athletic. “But he can play as a centre midfielder if need be. He struggled a little bit when he was 14. He’s a good height for a defender but he grew so much during lockdown. He went from being 5ft 10in to 6ft 3in.
“I’m proud of the progress he and his team-mates have made. They’ve been on a great run since September. The coaches always get the best out of them. Most of them have played since they were nine. It’s a tight-knit group. The best thing is there’s a pathway for the youngsters to progress to the first team.”
Sonny Perkins, Freddie Potts, Keenan Forson, Aji Alese, Jamal Baptiste, Harrison Ashby and Emmanuel Longelo featured in the 1-0 loss against Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League in December. It was another example of West Ham giving youth a chance. Perkins started the campaign with the under-18s having scored a hat-trick in the opening day win against Reading. Since then he has slowly integrated into the first team picture and made his Premier League debut in the 3-2 defeat to Leeds United.
The same can be said about Kodua. Since the turn of the year he has been one of the key performers for Keen’s side. He produced a man of the match performance in the recent 6-0 win away to Reading under-18s. The young forward is a late bloomer having joined the academy in 2017.
During his spell at Newham District, he played for West Ham foundation and was scouted by academy coach George Chukwuma. Kodua had the option of going to Southend United or West Ham and felt the latter were the better option. The youngster had a six-week trial and scored against Luton Town. Shortly after scoring he joined the club’s academy and was part of their tour to Belgium. Kodua is a first year scholar and many believe he is capable of earning a call-up for England under-17s.
Oliver Scarles, 16, Regan Clayton, 17, and Lewis Orford, 17, are names supporters will be familiar with in the not too distant future. But in the short term it is Callum Marshall who could have a similar trajectory to the first team like Perkins. The youngster joined West Ham in January from Linfield in Northern Ireland and has adapted seamlessly to life with the under-18s. He is their third highest scorer in the league with seven goals in 11 appearances. Blackpool and Derby County showed interest in Marshall but the opportunity to hone his craft at Chadwell Heath was too hard to turn down.
“It’s a great challenge for me here,” he said. “When I came on trial I didn’t know what to expect and wondered could I reach the standard of Premier League level. I had been on trial at other clubs but they weren’t as big as West Ham.
“When I arrived here I felt I fitted in well and I thought I did well in my first game. So far, I’ve adapted to it well and I do believe I can keep progressing. I definitely see a pathway here for the young players into the under-23s and then first team. I’ll need to overtake some people to try and get in there and it will be hard but I am willing to work hard enough to do that.”
The West Ham faithful love seeing young players come through the ranks — it appears more are set to follow if Keen’s side continue to progress at the same rate.
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