Bristol City to land West Ham United deal for George Earthy as Liam Manning raids former club
West Ham are set to allow George Earthy to leave the club for a season on loan in the Championship, according to the Daily Mail.
The paper reported via their website on 13 August that the young attacking midfielder is set to depart after former Irons Under-23 coach and now-Bristol City boss Liam Manning played a key role in pushing a deal through.
The Robins manager is set to land the 19-year-old in a move which should secure him more first-team football after the Irons brought in the likes of Crysencio Summerville and Niclas Fullkrug in the past fortnight to flesh out attacking areas.
Earthy scored his first goal for the club in the penultimate Premier League game under David Moyes against Luton Town last term.
Tim Steidten has strengthened West Ham in attack
Earthy has only made four senior appearances so far but his emergence in the senior picture at the tail end of last term suggests he is ready for greater involvement somewhere.
The excellent work done by Tim Steidten this summer has provided Julen Lopetegui with some enviable options but that would necessarily reduce opportunities for youngsters.
Sitting in the stands or on the bench all season would likely hamper the academy product’s development at this stage so regular game time in the second tier makes sense.
A familiarity with Manning suggests it could be the ideal move as the Bristol City manager will know what he is getting and will have a relationship with the Hammers, which should help prevent the youngster getting to a new club and failing to settle.
If Earthy can prove his worth in a first campaign as a regular in senior football he should be well placed to arrive back at the London Stadium next summer ready to break into the first team on a more regular basis.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers could now release a senior player from the remainder of his contract this summer.
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