West Ham United transfer issues pave way for Divin Mubama to shine
West Ham failed in their attempts to sign a new striker in the summer transfer window, but their shortcomings may have opened the door for 18-year-old Divin Mubama to take his chance.
The Hammers allowed Gianluca Scamacca to leave the club over the summer as he wished to return to Italy, meaning they would be left with just Michail Antonio and Danny Ings as their senior striker options for the season.
Antonio has had a good start to the season after scoring against both Chelsea and Brighton, but proved last season he cannot be trusted to lead the line for a full season, especially if West Ham want to compete on multiple fronts.
The club were linked with moves for a host of strikers including Paris Saint-Germain’s Hugo Ekitike [Santi Aouna, 1 September], Sevilla’s Youssef En-Nesyri [Evening Standard, 23 August] and Corinthians’ Yuri Alberto [Globo, 30 August] right up until the transfer deadline but ended up with none.
This should open the door for Mubama to step up, with opportunities looking almost certain to fall his way in the new season. The striker has been on the bench for each of the Hammers’ opening four Premier League games this season but is yet to feature.
Mubama has already made five senior appearances for West Ham at just 18 years old and scored his first senior goal in a 4-0 Europa Conference League win against AEK Larnaca on their way to winning the European trophy last season.
Standing at 6ft tall, Mubama is physically dominant even against his senior opponents, able to hold the ball up and bring teammates into the game, while also being able to run the channels and create more options in space.
There is a strong history of using academy players at the East London club, with the likes of Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand and more recently Delcan Rice having made their way through the Academy of Football and into the Hammers’ first team.
The way has been paved for Mubama to follow in their footsteps, and he will hope he can take the opportunities that look likely to fall his way as the season drags on.
In other West Ham news, one Chairman has revealed West Ham’s contact over a new player.