The young players that could step up for West Ham next season
When it comes to determining the futures of West Ham United’s academy prospects, it has not taken long for Nils Koppen to show his authority.
Sources with knowledge of the situation, who spoke anonymously to protect relationships, say Koppen, who was appointed the club’s director of player recruitment this month, has informed youngsters that they will have to wait a further two weeks before decisions are made on whether they will be loaned out next season.
Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo intends to use pre-season fixtures against Southend United (A), Stevenage (A), Rangers (A) and Magdeburg (A) to gauge who is ready to be part of their push for promotion from the Championship.
On Tuesday, West Ham beat Colchester United 3-2 in a behind-closed-doors friendly at their training hub in Rush Green. Niclas Fullkrug, Maxwel Cornet and Pablo scored while 12 academy prospects featured in the victory against the League Two side.
Here, The Athletic takes a look at which youngsters could be in contention for a role in the squad next season.
Mohamadou Kante
The Athletic previously reported that Kante has interest from Ligue 1 clubs Marseille, Monaco and Lyon. Nuno intends to keep the talented 20-year-old midfielder, who featured in the second half against Colchester, but the club are aware of growing interest.
Kante has five years remaining on his contract and has been likened to ex-Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira by under-21s manager Mark Robson.
Kante made 14 first-team appearances in all competitions for West Ham last season (Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images)
George Earthy
Earthy is in the final year of his deal and is at an important juncture of his career. The 21-year-old attacking midfielder only made two starts and eight substitute appearances in the Championship during a four-month loan spell at Bristol City last season.
Nuno fielded a wing-back system in the win against Colchester and Earthy played as a No 10 alongside club captain Jarrod Bowen. Earthy played 45 minutes and will hope to leave a lasting impression in the coming weeks.
Ezra Mayers
West Ham’s young player of the year had a breakout season, and was rewarded with a contract extension and a call-up to England Under-19s. Across six substitute appearances in the Premier League, the now-19-year-old showed great temperament and is good enough to be part of Nuno’s plans.
Ezra Mayers was named West Ham’s young player of the year last season (Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)
Lewis Orford
Last season, the 20-year-old received limited game time on loan at Stevenage. The midfielder made one League One appearance (16 minutes as a substitute) before his loan was cut short.
With uncertainty surrounding the future of Edson Alvarez, Tomas Soucek set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines with an ankle injury and James Ward-Prowse’s likely departure given his frosty relationship with Nuno, Orford could have an opening in the squad.
In January 2025, former West Ham head coach Graham Potter handed Orford his Premier League debut against Crystal Palace. Eight months later, Orford was invited by England manager Thomas Tuchel to train with the first team at St George’s Park.
Joshua Ajala
The 19-year-old attacker registered seven goals in 14 Premier League 2 appearances for the under-21s last season. In March, Ajala signed a contract extension until the summer of 2028. An England Under-20 international, he was an unused substitute in FA Cup fixtures against Burton Albion and Leeds United, and he also played against Colchester. Nuno will continue to take a closer look at him.
“When I look at the next couple of years in terms of development,” Ajala told West Ham’s official website in March, “I want to make sure I’m scoring goals, playing to the best of my ability and trying to fulfil my potential, whether that’s here with the first team or out on loan.”
Finlay Herrick
In April, Herrick made his debut in the FA Cup quarter-final loss to Leeds United, when Nuno sent him on as a substitute after Alphonse Areola’s injury. Following the release of goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, and with Alphonse Areola expected to depart, Herrick would welcome the opportunity to be Mads Hermansen’s understudy.
Herrick, whose loan at non-League side Boreham Wood was cut short last season, has attracted loan interest and is highly thought of by Nuno.
“He is a young goalkeeper with talent, he played for England’s youth team,” said the head coach in April. “We have a project to try and help him to become what we expect from a good goalkeeper that can help us.”
Finlay Herrick came off the bench in West Ham’s FA Cup clash with Leeds last season (Steve Bardens/Getty Images)
Kaelan Casey
The 21-year-old had loan spells at Championship side Swansea City and League One outfit Leyton Orient last season.
The centre-back made 16 league appearances for Orient as they avoided relegation. Meanwhile, Casey has made three first-team appearances for West Ham, with his last outing coming against Bournemouth in December 2024.
Casey, who is entering the final year of his deal, could leave on loan again to gain much-needed first-team experience. His departure could see 18-year-old defender Airidas Golambeckis remain with the under-21s.
Callum Marshall
The 21-year-old striker is entering the final year of his deal and does not feature in Nuno’s plans. Marshall, who had a loan spell at German side Bochum last season, is expected to be sold this summer.
The Northern Ireland international featured in the first half of West Ham’s friendly against Colchester United.
He made his first-team debut against Bristol City in January 2024 and his Premier League debut against Arsenal 21 months later. Marshall, who was part of West Ham’s FA Youth Cup-winning side in 2023, had other loan spells at West Bromwich Albion and Huddersfield Town in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.
Keiber Lamadrid
In June, West Ham activated the £1m option to convert Lamadrid’s loan from Venezuelan side Deportivo La Guaira into a permanent move with a five-year deal.
The 22-year-old, nominally a winger, played in central midfield against Colchester. It is unclear whether Nuno plans to experiment further with Lamadrid, but he is not expected to leave West Ham on loan this summer.
In February, Lamadrid made his first-team debut in the FA Cup fourth-round win against Burton Albion. It remains his sole appearance under Nuno to date but Lamadrid is determined to showcase why the club signed him.