West Ham United make amends for academy sales as Fabrizio Romano shares Daniel Rigge contract news
West Ham United look to have atoned for their recent disappointing academy sales this summer with highly-rated Daniel Rigge on the verge of signing a new London Stadium contract.
Writing via his personal X account on Sunday afternoon (1 October), Fabrizio Romano reported that the 17-year-old was wanted by four Premier League clubs and two La Liga clubs over the summer transfer window.
However, in a new exciting twist in East London, it is understood that the “highly-rated talent” opted to ignore that interest and has instead committed himself to the Irons which comes as terrific news after two recent sales.
The Hammers may well have been guilty of wasting millions before when they sold two of their most exciting young teenagers in Divine Mukasa and Amara Nallo to Manchester City and Liverpool respectively.
The 16-year-old Mukasa was a regular for West Ham’s under-18 side last season and will joined Manchester United teenager Harrison Parker in a move to the Premier League champions.
Last season, he picked up 10 appearances for West Ham’s under-18 side, claiming a goal and an assist. Elsewhere, he emerged as a regular for England’s under-16 side, making nine appearances and scoring 3 goals [Transfermarkt].
Nallo, who joined Liverpool (24 August) was one of 12 academy talents to sign scholarship deals at West Ham in May this year, having made appearances for the club’s Under-18 side and it was reported that the Hammers would be due training compensation [TEAMtalk, 31 July].
Given the number of young academy starlets to already leave the Hammers over the past year, losing both Amara and Mukasa was yet another damaging blow for such a burgeoning and famous academy setup in East London.
After losing one of their greatest academy products in Declan Rice, the Hammers should be hell-bent on continuing that tradition to find the next Rice.
That ambition looked terribly uncertain after those two sales but it now seems as if West Ham United have made a pleasing atonement with the exceptionally gifted wonder Rigge now set to sign a new deal at the club.
The 17-year-old has been in red-hot form in the Under-18s Premier League so far this season, scoring three goals in four appearances, including one on Saturday (30 September) in a 2-0 win over Norwich Under-18s.
The England youth international is an attack-minded midfielder who joined the Irons from Manchester City last summer.
He’s got an incredible pedigree as he’s come through at Man City – arguably the best academy in the world these days – and been moulded over the course of 12 months at West Ham.
So, this news represents a step in the right direction for the club as they look to avoid the disappointing mistakes of the past, becoming a feeder academy prospect for some of the biggest clubs in the country. The club have to hold those aspirations of their own.
In other West Ham news, a journalist was awestruck by one Hammers star in the win over Sheffield United.