Credit: Imago/West Ham on X

Declan Carr

Wed 18 March 2026 7:10, UK

Nuno Espirito Santo will be impressed after Josh Landers’s showing as West Ham United‘s Under-21s lost the National League Cup final on Tuesday evening.

The 19-year-old forward notched the second goal to put the Hammers 2-0 up over Boreham Wood on 17 March at the Magata Developments Stadium, but the visitors came back to win 7-6 on penalties.

The Scottish attacker produced a brilliant finish after he latched onto Finlay Herrick’s goal kick to double the lead for the young Hammers, but they ultimately ended up on the losing side.

West Ham need something to help their Premier League survival chances, and Landers could be the answer to Nuno Espirito Santo’s problems.

Why Landers will be knocking on the first-team door

Landers surely will have a place in West Ham’s squad sooner rather than later, as his performances for the academy side have been noticeable.

He has now scored nine goals and notched three assists in 29 matches so far this season in the Irons’ youth ranks.

He has now proved that he can do it under pressure, as he doubled the lead in the clash which the Under-21s were desperate to win, before the comeback.

Nuno may now be tempted to give him a call-up to the senior ranks.

What are West Ham’s current strikers like?

The E20 outfit’s current striker options are Callum Wilson, Taty Castellanos and Pablo.

Out of those three options, the £20million man, Pablo, is the most vulnerable, as he has struggled to make an impact since his move from Gil Vicente.

The Brazilian forward has zero goals or assists in eight games in all competitions for the East London club.

Wilson has been a more successful addition, with five goals and one assist in 27 matches since joining on a free transfer in the summer.

Castellanos, who was another winter addition, has three goals and no assists in 13 appearances so far, so his signing has been a great one.

However, clearly, there is room to improve, and the former Hibernian man could be the one to benefit, if Nuno is paying attention to the youth ranks.

He may not be, as he may not want to throw a young talent into such a volatile, risky situation, but he could profit from doing so with Landers.

It could be the difference between survival and going down to the Championship, if he decides to make the call.