Ollie Scarles due to sign first professional contract with West Ham United
West Ham United youth product Ollie Scarles is due to sign his first professional contract with the club after training with the first team according to The Athletic.
The 16-year-old travelled with the first team for their trip to Anderlecht in the Europa Conference League and signed a scholarship deal with the club in June 2022.
It’s been revealed (The Athletic, 12 October) the versatile defender has “provisionally” agreed to sign his first professional contract when he turns 18 in December 2023.
Good news
It’s good news to see the Hammers include some of their younger players in and around the first team of late. It’s now incredibly hard to make it in the Premier League after coming through a top-flight academy, but David Moyes exposing the likes of Scarles to first-team life will certainly give them the best chance.
Furthermore, West Ham have faced issues in recent times with some of their younger players leaving the club in search of a better deal and guaranteed first-team football. Sonny Perkins was the high-profile departure in the summer, with Harrison Ashby’s future still up in the air.
The highly rated full-back has only featured six times for the first team and was heavily linked with a London Stadium departure in the summer.
Claret and Hugh reported (5 September) there was concern over whether Ashby would sign a new contract with Premier League rivals Leeds and Newcastle both interested in his services.
It now seems Moyes is more inclined to give his youth talents more of a first-team opportunity and that could lead to them committing their long-term futures to the club.