Five Championship prodigies on West Ham’s radar
The Premier League often overlooks the ChampionshipÂas a viable recruitment pool, often favouring cheaper, better-proven talents from foreign top flights instead.But England’s second tierÂstill has a lot to offer in terms of future Premier League stars,ÂshouldÂyou know where to look, and just to prove it, here’s a list of FIVE ChampionshipÂprodigies that have reportedly caught West Ham’sÂtransfer attention.The East London side snapped up Diego Poyet and Aaron Cresswell from Championship clubs during the summer. Could one of these FIVE follow their paths in the near future?
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NATHAN REDMOND
The Hammers were strongly linked with Nathan Redmond prior to Norwich City’s £2million swoop for the former Birmingham City youngster in summer 2013:
And the East London side might feel compelled to revive their interest in the touchline-hugging winger after his impressive start to the season.
The 20 year-old’s no goals and three assists in 15 Championship appearances may be rather ordinary output, but statistically, he’s one of the Championship’s most effective attackers. Redmond’s not only at the top of the division’s dribbling charts:
But his 3.2 chances created per match (represented as key passes) is the third-best return in the league:
A regular for England across the junior levels, amassing nine goals and 54 caps from the U16s to U21s, the wide-man is no stranger to the radars of top Premier League clubs, including Liverpool and Manchester City. Here’s a look at Redmond in action:
Having shown glimpses of his potential in the top flight last season as the Canaries failed to stave off relegation, and now demonstrating his dominance of the Championship, if Norwich don’t bounce back as expected this year, it’s likely someone will take Redmond off their hands.
Recent speculation however suggests Southampton are preparing a £5million offer in January.
Dan Burn
Measuring in at a whopping 6 foot 7, everything about centre-back Dan Burn screams Sam Allardyce. The Fulham starlet has been linked with an Upton Park switch in recent weeks, amid concerns that the Hammers could be forced to sell Winston Reid in January:
Not to suggest height is the only thing the West Ham boss looks for in a transfer target – the 22 year-old has largely (excuse the pun) impressed this season City last term, despite the Cottagers struggling at the less flattering end of the league table, following a coming-of-age loan spell at Birmingham. Here’s a look at his stats over the last 18 months:
Burn struggled during his prior Premier League outings and the technical side of his game still requires some work. But he’s an unstoppable force in the air and is at his best when sticking to the basics, which fits perfectly into the defensive mantra West Ham have adopted under Allardyce.
The Irons boss was surprisingly coy when asked about Burn in this week’s press conference:
Whether that rules out a January bid remains open to interpretation, but clearly, the Blyth-born defender has caught somebody’s attention at Upton Park.
MOSES ODUBAJO
Spurs and West Ham were both linked to League One starlet Moses Odubajo during the summer:
…following a campaign in which his twelve goals across all competitions fired Leyton Orient to the League One play-off final – where the 21 year-old netted this absolute stunner against Rotherham:
Brentford snapped up Odujabo, a winger-come-right-back, instead and he’s since adapted well to life in the Championship, as shown below:
Quick, powerful, industrious, versatile and boasting an impressive eye for goal, the Greenwich-born youngster would give the Hammers’ coaching staff a plethora of positive assets to work with.
He won’t be attainable until next summer at the earliest, but should Odubajo remain consistent for the Bees this season, his prior Premier League suitors will undoubtedly revive their interest.
ADAM REACH
According to Here Is The City, West Ham are currently monitoring the development of Middlesbrough winger Adam Reach, despite him recently penning new terms at the Riverside.
The tricky winger, whose understandably earned comparisons with fellow Boro academy products Stewart Downing and Adam Johnson, has been in decent form this season, finding one goal and two assists in 13 starts – including this cheeky finish against Fulham back in October:
He also netted past Liverpool in the Capital One Cup:
The 21 year-old’s output may not be outstanding, but he’s still acquainting himself to second tier level after productive loan spells at Shrewsbury and Bradford last season, ending both tenures with three goals.
Furthermore, he’s averaged the most successful dribbles of any Boro player this season, as shown below:
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With Reach recently agreeing a new four-year deal however, the Boro starlet’s market value is well protected.
Chris Solly
Perhaps Chris Solly is a little old to be considered a genuine Championship prodigy at 23 years of age, but nonetheless, the Charlton defender remains a target the Hammers have run the rule over in the past:
There are certainly better-rounded full-backs in the English second tier but Solly does the simple things well – particularly tackling, with his current average joint-top of the Championship’s tackle charts:
He offers experience too, having made 136 league outings for Charlton since his debut in 2009. Solly’s also won the Player of the Year award twice in that time period, in 2012 and 2013, which tells you how highly-rated he is around the Valley.
The attacking side of Solly’s game is improving too, as the 5 foot 8 defender continues to recover from a near-season-long spell on the sidelines. He’s got the joint-most assists of any Addick this season:
..and netted this absolute stunner against Blackpool at the end of last term:
Should Carl Jenkinson’s loan move not be made permanent at the end of the season, West Ham may revive their interest in the former England U17.
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