Oladapo Afolayan seeks talks with West Ham over his future
Oladapo Afolayan wants to speak to West Ham over his future after a successful loan spell at Bolton Wanderers that culminated in League Two promotion.
The 23-year-old scored the second goal of the game as Bolton clinched third place with a 4-1 thrashing over Crawley Town last Saturday.
He joined The Trotters in February on a temporary deal until the end of the season and his West Ham contract expires in the summer. [Transfermarkt]
But speaking to The Bolton News, Afolayan hasn’t ruled out extending his stay in East London.
“I am not too sure yet. I need to sit down,” he told The Bolton News.
“I said to everyone that I would wait until the end of the season and help Bolton get promoted, re-assess my options, see what happens.
“I need to go back to West Ham and have a conversation with them but everything is on the table, it’s a case of seeing how it goes.”
Too late?
Afolayan made a big impression on his Irons debut in January, scoring against Doncaster Rovers in the FA Cup just eight minutes after coming off the bench.
After heading out on loan for the rest of the season that was expected to be his one and only appearance in claret and blue, but his comments suggest that’s not necessarily the case.
However, we think he’s unlikely to pen fresh terms at the London Stadium this summer.
The winger turns 24 in September, and he’s only a year younger than Jarrod Bowen.
Bridging the gap to the senior stars at West Ham would be an almighty task for Afolayan.
He’s clearly got promise but surely it’s come too late, and his departure from the club is inevitable, unless the Irons hierarchy are desperate to receive a decent fee in the future and tie him down before sending him out on another loan next season.
In other West Ham news, Irons in hunt to sign ‘Phenomenal’ £15m-rated defender from PL rivals.
Be sure to follow West Ham Zone on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on the Hammers and more exclusive interviews with Frank McAvennie.