West Ham United youngster Josh Ajala signs first professional deal at London Stadium
West Ham have confirmed that youngster Josh Ajala has signed his first professional contract with the club.
The pacy forward arrived from London rivals Chelsea in the summer on scholarship terms and has done enough to earn a full-time deal.
Ajala put pen to paper on the contract at West Ham’s Chadwell Heath training ground on Tuesday (14 November).
Speaking to West Ham’s official website [14 November], academy manager Kenny Brown hailed the announcement.
“Everyone at West Ham United is delighted to see Josh sign professional terms,” he said.
“He has impressed everyone at the academy by consistently showing a real dedication to improve as a footballer both on and off the pitch.
“Josh is a natural finisher who had scored goals throughout his schoolboy years at Chelsea and is continuing his goalscoring feats here with us.
“He is enjoying his football and has already become a valuable member of the U18 squad and has been a key player in our impressive start.”
Push on
This is very positive news for West Ham as they have recently seen a number of talented youngsters jump ship to Premier League rivals.
But Ajala has followed attacking midfielder Dan Rigge in committing to the Irons, and that should mean we reap the rewards for years to come.
Not to put too much pressure on the teenager, but he has scored goals regularly as he has risen through the various age grades.
That development has continued since arriving at West Ham from Chelsea, having scored five goals in his first five matches for the Under-18s.
Ajala has also been selected for the Under-21s and marked the occasion by netting in a friendly against Canvey Island during the summer.
As academy boss Brown said, Ajala is a “natural finisher” – something the first team are desperately crying out for right now.
While he may still be a year or two off challenging for a place in the senior squad, Ajala is certainly a player who looks certain to make his mark one day.
In other West Ham news, Ally McCoist shared his “love” for a United first-teamer live on talkSPORT.