The worrying trend West Ham must address after Isaac Allen exit update
Isaac Allen looks set to follow several other West Ham youngsters out of the door.
The E20 side's relegation to the Championship has had disastrous results all over the club, especially when it comes to the academy.
They have already lost Emmanuel Fejokwu and Kyle Healy-Matthews this summer, and now the England Under-15 star will likely following a similar path.
West Ham Zone has already covered how Healy-Matthews' loss will affect West Ham.
Allen's exit signals a worrying trend for Nuno Espirito Santo and his side that they must solve shortly.
Otherwise, it could prove to be a very difficult summer for the Irons.
What is the latest on Isaac Allen's West Ham future?
Allen looks likely to join London rivals Tottenham, who have apparently beat Arsenal to the Rush Green star.
A report from Mail Sport's Isaan Khan via X on Wednesday claims that the Three Lions youth ace is close to linking up with Spurs.
It states that the Gunners have been after him for weeks, but the N17 club are confident that they can seal his signature.
It will be another blow for Nuno and his team, as they keep losing their best talents after dropping down to the second tier.
How can West Ham stop academy exodus?
There are a few ways for the Irons to keep their gems around, rather than watching them leave.
The first solution would be the promise of a professional contract with significant wage increases.
The second would be guaranteed first-team opportunities, which they will likely not get elsewhere, especially as they are in the second tier.
Finally, if they get back to the top-flight then that would surely help them convince youngsters to stay put.
Immediate promotion is the ambition, and if they can achieve that, it should stop the exodus at youth level.
Most players want to play at the elite level, and if they had the chance to do that in East London, it would stop them from wanting to ply their trade somewhere else.
They have lost Allen by the looks of it, but that does not mean that they can't stop the trend in the future, with the solutions that have been listed above.