West Ham are at the moment present process an enormous shift in model. New supervisor Julen Lopetegui has taken the reins, there have been loads of incomings and outgoings throughout the switch window, and the brand new supervisor is making an attempt to information the group right into a extra ball-dominant period.
This can be a huge change from David Moyes final season, who is called a extra pragmatic coach, trying to defend first, and hit groups on the break in transition. The Hammers averaged 40.5% possession final season, the fourth lowest within the division.
One other huge change the Hammers are nonetheless making an attempt to recuperate from, is the lack of Declan Rice, who left to hitch Arsenal in 2023 for a charge of round £105m, signing a five-year cope with the Gunners.
Declan Rice’s profession at West Ham
Having began off at Chelsea’s academy, Rice ultimately moved to West Ham aged 14, having been launched by the Blues. The midfielder then emerged by means of West Ham’s academy, making 32 appearances for the U21 facet, earlier than incomes his senior debut in opposition to Burnley in 2017.
Rice went on to make 245 appearances for West Ham, scoring 15 occasions, offering 13 assists, and totaling 20,580 minutes, captaining the Hammers and main them to a UEFA Convention League triumph.
The England worldwide’s meteoric rise noticed him turn into the ninth-youngest participant to succeed in 200 Premier League appearances at 24 years and 105 days. Along with his prime years nonetheless forward of him, many consider he’ll go on to attain even greater issues with Arsenal and even the nationwide workforce.
That mentioned, as soon as upon a time, that they had a participant who possessed simply as a lot potential.
Reece Oxford the forgotten man
One other 25-year-old that got here by means of the West Ham academy ranks is Reece Oxford, now described because the “forgotten expertise” of English soccer by scout Jacek Kulig. The 6 foot 4 central defender confirmed promise at a younger age, making the senior workforce bench at simply 15-years-old.
Oxford made 43 appearances for the West Ham U21 facet, scoring 5 targets and offering two assists in 3,676 video games, however solely managed 17 appearances for the senior facet, totaling 802 minutes performed.
Ex-West Ham supervisor, Slavan Bilic, was a large fan of the participant and spoke about Oxford’s hype across the membership, and the way it really overshadowed Rice, stating “I could not transfer across the place with out listening to that Reece Oxford was going to be the subsequent huge factor. Dec’s was a distinct story. He was capable of are available with out the identical expectations.”
The place Are They Now
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Bilic spoke on that notorious Oxford debut, the place the Hammers beat Arsenal 2-0, with the 16-year-old on the time “pocketing” the good Mesut Ozil. That mentioned, Bilic believes from this second, Oxford had points resembling accidents, inflicting him to lose some confidence and focus, thus hindering his growth.
Oxford is now taking part in for FC Augsburg, having left West Ham in 2019 for simply £3m. The Englishman has made 80 appearances for the German outfit, scoring three targets, offering two assists, and totaling 5,300 minutes performed.
The 25-year-old is now valued at simply £1.2m by Transfermarkt, a decrease worth than he had even again in 2016, aged 17, when the defender was valued at £3m. This alone exhibits the autumn off of one among England’s extremely regarded skills, one which will even have allowed Rice to emerge out of the highlight.
