| Clubname: | West Ham United Under-21s |
| Fullname: | West Ham United Football Club (Under-21s) |
| Nickname: | The Irons The Hammers The Academy of Football |
| Short Name: | WHU U21s |
| Ground: | Rush Green Stadium, Romford, London, England |
| Capacity: | 6,078 |
| Owner: | David Sullivan (38.8%) Daniel Křetínský (27%) Estate of David Gold (25.1%) Albert 'Tripp' Smith (8%) Other Investors (1.1%)[1] |
| Manager: | Steve Potts |
| League: | Premier League 2 |
| Season: | 2021–22 |
| Position: | Premier League 2 Division 1, 2nd of 14 (as U23s) |
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| Website: | http://www.whufc.com/teams/development-squad/squad |
The Academy of West Ham United F.C. is historically one of the most productive football academies in British football. This success has resulted in its nickname the Academy of Football.
The introduction of the FA's new academy system in 1998 has placed even more emphasis on the development of young homegrown players, and today the youth system at West Ham is more important than it has ever been.[2] With the influx of many foreign players in the Premier League during modern times, West Ham United has been regarded as one of the few remaining clubs in the top flight to continue producing and playing homegrown English players.
The Under-21 team is the most senior of West Ham's youth squads. The Under-21 team is effectively the club's second-string side but is limited to five outfield players and one goalkeeper over the age of 21 per game following the introduction of new regulations from the 2022–23 season.[3] They play in Premier League 2 and also compete in the Papa John's Trophy.
The original tribute intended to reference the entire culture of the club in much the same way as the Liverpool "Boot Room". It was not solely reserved for the education of young players but also for the development of a modern approach to football from the roots up, as inspired by the success of the Hungarian national team featuring Ferenc Puskás that had humiliated England 6–3, and the great Real Madrid side of the late 1950s that dominated the European Cup.
The 'Academy of Football' term was first used in the early years of Ron Greenwood's reign as West Ham manager (1961–1974). Greenwood had inherited a young team of players from Ted Fenton, and the club was noted for its reliance on homegrown talent with Bobby Moore, Martin Peters, Geoff Hurst, John Lyall, Ronnie Boyce, John Sissons, Alan Sealey and Harry Redknapp all in the first team or periphery. Further foundations had been laid with stalwart Ken Brown at the back, Malcolm Musgrove on the left wing (who was to leave in the second season), and the addition of John "Budgie" Byrne upfront.
The true heritage of this side, however, owed its pedigree to the practices put in place by the previous manager.
Fenton was praised as a forward-thinking manager. He pushed for the establishment of "The Academy," which brought through a series of young players to augment a side that could not be improved with the limited finances available. Two of the signings he did manage to make were those of John Dick and Malcolm Allison. Other players of the day included John Bond, Dave Sexton, Jimmy Andrews and Frank O'Farrell (later swapped for Eddie Lewis) and Tommy Moroney all part of an original 'Cafe Cassettari' club started by Fenton as a result of the restrictive budget.[8]
Cassettari's Café sat opposite the Boleyn Ground, and Fenton organized a deal that saw meals and a warm welcome for the club players at a price the club could manage. It became a place for routine team discussion, and ideas and wisdom freely passed back and forth.[9] The tradition of mentorship lasted long into the 1960s even after Fenton had moved on and saw future managers John Lyall and Harry Redknapp pass through.[10] West Ham, with meetings at Cassettari's Café, soon gained a reputation for producing managers via playing for the club including Malcolm Allison, Noel Cantwell, Frank O'Farrell, John Bond, Dave Sexton, Jimmy Andrews and Malcolm Musgrove.[11]
Fenton introduced continental ideas to the team, revamping training methods, and taking inspiration from higher-ranked teams. Fenton had been impressed greatly by the all-conquering Hungarians of the 1950s led by Ferenc Puskás, and the Cassettari program and development of the academy were at the core.[9] Ernie Gregory said (of the 1950s diet) "We'd usually eaten fish or chicken and toast before then, but Dr. Thomas advised us all to eat steak and rice two hours before kick-off. All the other clubs copied us after that".[12] However, not all the changes were strictly down to Fenton, Musgrove attributed much of the training regime to Allison, going so far as to state that once the players were at the club (signed by Fenton) they were pretty much Allison's property.[13] As well as being a student of the game himself, Fenton encouraged all players to take coaching badges and, notably, many of his former players went on to coaching and managing roles after they retired.[14] The academy also involved, beyond the routine training and development of the youth and squad, actual tactical discussions between the players.[8]
At this time, three players who had come through the West Ham youth development system were beginning to find success in the England squad; they were Bobby Moore who debuted in 1962, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters. In 1966, these players played a part in England's victory in the World Cup.
Moore was the most well-known of the three. He captained the England squad and was later named by Pelé as the "greatest" of all the defenders he had played against.
In the World Cup final against West Germany in which England won 4–2, Hurst scored the first hat-trick ever scored at a World Cup final match, and Peters scored the other goal. This gave rise to the West Ham supporters' partly sarcastic terrace chant:
A bronze statue of these three players (and Everton defender Ray Wilson) holding the Jules Rimet Trophy aloft was erected in 2003 at the junction of Barking Road and Green Street close to Upton Park.
During the next thirty years, West Ham's youth academy produced many professional players. Notable Academy "graduates" during this time include Frank Lampard Sr. and (later Sir) Trevor Brooking, who both featured in the club's 1975 FA Cup win with a team composed solely of English players; no club since has repeated this accomplishment.
Since 1973 the academy has been managed by Tony Carr, himself a "graduate" but whose career was cut short by injury.
Paul Ince played his first game for West Ham in 1986, and went on to win more trophies than any other Academy "graduate", albeit with Manchester United.
In 1996, the reputation of the academy began a fresh revival with the arrival of Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard Jnr. That year, the West Ham youth team reached the FA Youth Cup Final, losing to a Liverpool side inspired by Michael Owen. However, both Ferdinand and Lampard would see success in subsequent years.[15] [16]
In 1999, the West Ham youth team won the FA Youth Cup, beating Coventry City 9–0 on aggregate. The team featured Joe Cole and Michael Carrick. Ferdinand and Carrick played against Lampard and Cole when Manchester United met Chelsea at the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final.
Recent Academy "graduates" include Glen Johnson, Billy Mehmet, Freddy Eastwood, Anton Ferdinand (younger brother of Rio), Elliott Ward, Mark Noble, Jack Collison, James Tomkins and Declan Rice.[17]
During the 2022–23 season, West Ham's under-18 won 26 out of 30 games in all competitions, winning the U18 Premier League South and the FA Youth Cup, beating Arsenal 5–1 at the Emirates Stadium to lift the trophy for the fourth time.[18]
The academy is an important part of the club's identity and a regular source of players for the first team. When the club was relegated from the FA Premier League in 2003, the sale of young Academy stars arguably saved the club from financial disaster. It has been argued that if West Ham had kept all of their Academy "graduates" since Rio Ferdinand, they would currently be among the very top English teams.
With their promotion via the Championship Play-Offs in 2005 West Ham have returned to England's top league. Three Academy "graduates" had been key players in this achievement; Anton Ferdinand, Elliott Ward, and Mark Noble. In the 2007–08 season, manager Alan Curbishley handed three graduates, Jack Collison, James Tomkins and Freddie Sears, their debuts.
Gianfranco Zola, who previously worked with the Italy U21's, stated his desire to continue the club's tradition of using homegrown talent. Noble, Tomkins and Collison all went on to play an important part as West Ham beat relegation to finish 9th in the 2008–09 season. Under him, Zavon Hines and Junior Stanislas have impressed after the August 2009 League Cup match against Millwall where they both scored in a 3–1 win.[19]
A case may be made that West Ham has been a 'selling club' in recent years, that is, a club that provides quality players to other clubs for profit but does not have the prestige or financial means to keep those players for the benefit of their own team. This reputation probably began with the sale of Rio Ferdinand to Leeds United in 2000. Since then, West Ham has sold six Academy "graduates" for transfer fees totaling over £50 million (including £18 million for Ferdinand, who was later sold on to Manchester United for £30 million).[20] This amount has traditionally been much greater than the club's own spending on players (most of which was financed by the above income), and many of the players found success with financially stronger clubs such as Chelsea and Manchester United who are two of the English clubs capable of competing on a different level to most other teams.[21]
Though not a club, the England national team has included various academy apprentices or graduates in recent years, including Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Jermain Defoe and Glen Johnson, as well as John Terry who spent part of his development with the club.[22] [23]
"The crowds at West Ham have never been rewarded by results but they keep turning up because of the good football they see. Other clubs will suffer from the old bugbear that results count more than anything. This has been the ruination of English soccer." – Ron Greenwood, West Ham manager 1961–1974.[24]
"No way is it all down to me. It's very difficult to say why we've been so successful in youth terms; I suppose it's down to a number of factors but, most importantly, our recruitment area of east London and Essex is really fertile." – Tony Carr, director of Youth Development at West Ham 1973–2010, quoted in an interview published by The Daily Telegraph 14 June 2004.[24]
"Why should we sell Rio Ferdinand? Are we a Premier League club or are we just a feeder club for bigger clubs? If we start selling players like Rio, where is the club going to go?" – Harry Redknapp, West Ham manager 1994–2001.
"The biggest single contributor to the current England national squad is not Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool or Chelsea, but the West Ham Youth Academy." – ITV Football article, 13 September 2004.
The West Ham United Reserves Team was founded in 1899 as Thames Ironworks Reserves and they changed their name to West Ham Reserves in 1900. They joined London League Division One in the season 1899–1900. In 2007–08 they were FA Premier Reserve League Southern Division runners-up on goal difference.[25]
Between 1948 and 1956 West Ham entered an 'A' team into the Eastern Counties League.[26] In 1952 they also began playing in the Metropolitan League. After leaving the ECL they remained in the Metropolitan League, winning the League Cup in 1957–58 and the Professional Cup in 1959–60, 1966–67 and 1968–69. They left the league when it merged into the Metropolitan London League in 1971, and instead entered a youth team into the South East Counties League, which they won in 1984–85, 1995–96, and 1997–98, before leaving when the FA Academy system was set up in 1998.[26]
The West Ham United Reserves competed in the Premier Reserve League South until relegation from the Premier League. The side is now classed as a development squad coached by Dmitri Halajko and Steve Potts. Friendly games were usually played at Chadwell Heath and other clubs training grounds.
Since the 2012–13 season, the team has played in the Professional Development League (now branded Premier League 2) for players under the age of 21 and a restricted number of over-age players.[27] Most home matches are played at West Ham's training ground (Rush Green), with three fixtures per season played at the London Stadium, as well as some cup competitions being played at Dagenham and Redbridge F.C.’s Victoria Road stadium.[28] [29] [30]
Players (excluding scholars) who will qualify as U21s in season 2024-25 and who are outside the first team squad.[31]
U18U18
The West Ham under-18's play in the U18 Premier League South. Home games are staged at Little Heath, Hainault Road in Romford, Essex. Tony Carr, a former West Ham player himself, was the youth academy director from 1973 to 2014.[32] They have won the U19 title twice in 1998–99 and 1999–2000, when the Academy League was split into the U17s and U21s.
London League (1896–1960)
1909, 1912, 1913, 1915[34] [35]
Football Combination (1919–2012)
1921, 1924, 1925, 1948, 1954, 1978, 1986[36]
Metropolitan League (1949–1971)
1958[37]
1960, 1967, 1969[38]
1968[39]
Pro Development League (since 2012)
South East Counties League
1999, 2000
2023[44]
Alongside West Ham's aforementioned representation in the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final, the club also produced Clyde Best, Ade Coker and Clive Charles through their academy - with the trio making Football League history, by becoming the first three black players to start a game in the competition. Coker scored the second in the game against Tottenham Hotspur, on 1 April 1972, securing a 2–0 win for West Ham.[47]
| width=10% | Player | width=5% | Position | width=7.5% | West Ham appearances | width=7.5% | West Ham goals | width=7.5% | International caps | width=7.5% | International goals | width=14% | International representation | width=20% | Club debut | width=10% | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DF | 308 | 207 | 2 | 0 | Age 18 vs. Norwich City, Southern League, 1 March 1913 | Syd King | |||||||||||
| DF | 553 | 70 | 1 | 0 | Age 18 vs. Tottenham Hotspur, First Division, 28 March 1925 | Syd King | |||||||||||
| DF | 474 | 4 | 1 | 0 | Age 19 vs. Rotherham United, Second Division, 21 February 1953 | Ted Fenton | |||||||||||
| DF | 647 | 27 | 108 | 2 | Age 17 vs. Manchester United, First Division, 8 September 1958 | Ted Fenton | |||||||||||
| ST | 503 | 249 | 49 | 24 | Age 17 vs. Fulham, Southern Professional Floodlit Cup, 15 December 1958 | Ted Fenton | |||||||||||
| MF | 364 | 100 | 67 | 20 | Age 18 vs. Cardiff City, First Division, 20 April 1962 | Ron Greenwood | |||||||||||
| MF | 643 | 102 | 47 | 5 | Age 18 vs. Burnley, First Division, 29 August 1967 | Ron Greenwood | |||||||||||
| DF | 670 | 22 | 2 | 0 | Age 19 vs. Manchester City, First Division, 18 November 1967 | Ron Greenwood | |||||||||||
| ST | 221 | 58 | 2 | 1 | Age 18 vs. Arsenal, First Division, 25 August 1969 | Ron Greenwood | |||||||||||
| ST | 11 | 3 | 5 | 3 | Age 17 vs. Crystal Palace, First Division, 30 October 1971 | Ron Greenwood | |||||||||||
| ST | 336 | 146 | 7 | 0 | Age 18 vs. Tottenham Hotspur, First Division, 1 January 1983 | John Lyall | |||||||||||
| MF | 95 | 12 | 53 | 2 | Age 19 vs. Chelsea, Full Members' Cup, 25 November 1986 | John Lyall | |||||||||||
| MF | 187 | 38 | 106 | 29 | Age 17 vs. Coventry City, Premier League, 31 January 1996 | Harry Redknapp | |||||||||||
| DF | 158 | 2 | 81 | 3 | Age 17 vs. Sheffield Wednesday, Premier League, 5 May 1996 | Harry Redknapp | |||||||||||
| MF | 187 | 18 | 56 | 10 | Age 17 vs. Swansea City, FA Cup, 2 January 1999 | Harry Redknapp | |||||||||||
| MF | 159 | 6 | 34 | 0 | Age 17 vs. Jokerit, Intertoto Cup, 24 July 1999 | Harry Redknapp |
Since the turn of the century, every permanent first team manager has enabled a player from West Ham's youth teams to represent the first team. The following table shows every player to have made at least one first team appearance in all competitions. Players highlighted in green are still contracted to West Ham.
| width=10% | Player | width=5% | Position | width=7.5% | West Ham appearances | width=7.5% | West Ham goals | width=13.5% | Current club | width=12.5% | Born | width=14% | International honours | width=20% | Debut | width=10% | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DF | 3 | 0 | Retired | Age 18 vs. Newcastle United, Premier League, 3 January 2000 | Harry Redknapp | ||||||||||||
| ST | 105 | 41 | Retired | Age 17 vs. Walsall, League Cup, 19 September 2000 | Harry Redknapp | ||||||||||||
| MF | 4 | 0 | Doncaster Rovers (manager) | Age 21 vs. Middlesbrough, Premier League, 19 May 2001 | Glenn Roeder | ||||||||||||
| FW | 22 | 0 | Retired | Age 20 vs. Reading, League Cup, 11 September 2001 | Glenn Roeder | ||||||||||||
| DF | 16 | 0 | Retired | Age 18 vs. Charlton Athletic, Premier League, 22 January 2003 | Glenn Roeder | ||||||||||||
| DF | 163 | 5 | Retired | Age 18 vs. Preston North End, Championship, 9 August 2003 | Glenn Roeder | ||||||||||||
| MF | 22 | 0 | Retired | Age 16 vs. Sunderland, Championship, 13 December 2003 | Alan Pardew | ||||||||||||
| MF | 3 | 0 | Retired | Age 19 vs. Crewe Alexandra, Championship, 21 August 2004 | Alan Pardew | ||||||||||||
| MF | 550 | 62 | West Ham United (sporting director) | Age 17 vs. Southend United, League Cup, 24 August 2004 | Alan Pardew | ||||||||||||
| DF | 21 | 0 | West Ham United (academy coach) | Age 19 vs. Southend United, League Cup, 24 August 2004 | Alan Pardew | ||||||||||||
| FW | 1 | 0 | Retired | Age 17 vs. Sheffield Wednesday, League Cup, 20 September 2005 | Alan Pardew | ||||||||||||
| FW | 1 | 0 | Retired | Age 18 vs. Sheffield Wednesday, League Cup, 20 September 2005 | Alan Pardew | ||||||||||||
| FW | 9 | 1 | Age 18 vs. West Bromwich Albion, Premier League, 1 May 2006 | Alan Pardew | |||||||||||||
| MF | 121 | 14 | Retired | Age 19 vs. Arsenal, Premier League, 1 January 2008 | Alan Curbishley | ||||||||||||
| FW | 58 | 3 | Age 18 vs. Blackburn Rovers, Premier League, 15 March 2008 | Alan Curbishley | |||||||||||||
| DF | 243 | 11 | Age 18 vs. Everton, Premier League, 22 March 2008 | Alan Curbishley | |||||||||||||
| FW | 31 | 3 | West Ham United (youth coach) | Age 19 vs. Macclesfield Town, League Cup, 27 August 2008 | Alan Curbishley | ||||||||||||
| FW | 47 | 8 | Retired | Age 19 vs. West Bromwich Albion, Premier League, 16 March 2009 | Gianfranco Zola | ||||||||||||
| MF | 3 | 0 | Age 18 vs. Blackburn Rovers, Premier League, 21 March 2009 | Gianfranco Zola | |||||||||||||
| DF | 1 | 0 | Retired | Age 20 vs. Bolton Wanderers, League Cup, 22 September 2009 | Gianfranco Zola | ||||||||||||
| MF | 2 | 0 | Age 19 vs. Arsenal, FA Cup, 3 January 2010 | Gianfranco Zola | |||||||||||||
| DF | 10 | 0 | Retired | Age 19 vs. Manchester City, FA Cup, 9 May 2010 | Gianfranco Zola | ||||||||||||
| GK | 3 | 0 | Ligmet Milín | Age 20 vs. Oxford United, League Cup, 24 August 2010 | Avram Grant | ||||||||||||
| DF | 1 | 0 | Retired | Age 19 vs. Aldershot Town, League Cup, 24 August 2011 | Sam Allardyce | ||||||||||||
| DF | 13 | 0 | Age 17 vs. Barnsley, Championship, 17 December 2011 | Sam Allardyce | |||||||||||||
| FW | 7 | 0 | Age 18 vs. Derby County, Championship, 31 December 2011 | Sam Allardyce | |||||||||||||
| MF | 3 | 0 | Age 18 vs. Crewe Alexandra, League Cup, 28 August 2012 | Sam Allardyce | |||||||||||||
| MF | 2 | 0 | Age 19 vs. Crewe Alexandra, League Cup, 28 August 2012 | Sam Allardyce | |||||||||||||
| ST | 1 | 0 | Age 18 vs. Wigan Athletic, League Cup, 25 September 2012 | Sam Allardyce | |||||||||||||
| ST | 7 | 1 | Age 18 vs. Manchester United, FA Cup, 16 January 2013 | Sam Allardyce | |||||||||||||
| DF | 3 | 0 | Retired | Age 18 vs. Cheltenham Town, League Cup, 27 August 2013 | Sam Allardyce | ||||||||||||
| DF | 15 | 1 | Age 17 vs. Nottingham Forest, FA Cup, 5 January 2014 | Sam Allardyce | |||||||||||||
| DF | 1 | 0 | Free agent | Age 21 vs. Nottingham Forest, FA Cup, 5 January 2014 | Sam Allardyce | ||||||||||||
| MF | 1 | 0 | Age 20 vs. Nottingham Forest, FA Cup, 5 January 2014 | Sam Allardyce | |||||||||||||
| MF | 1 | 0 | Age 19 vs. Nottingham Forest, FA Cup, 5 January 2014 | Sam Allardyce | |||||||||||||
| MF | 10 | 0 | Burnley | Age 19 vs. Lusitanos, Europa League, 2 July 2015 | Slaven Bilić | ||||||||||||
| DF | 17 | 0 | Age 16 vs. Lusitanos, Europa League, 2 July 2015 | Slaven Bilić | |||||||||||||
| DF | 3 | 0 | Age 19 vs. Lusitanos, Europa League, 2 July 2015 | Slaven Bilić | |||||||||||||
| ST | 2 | 0 | Age 18 vs. Lusitanos, Europa League, 2 July 2015 | Slaven Bilić | |||||||||||||
| Amos Nasha | MF | 1 | 0 | Age 19 vs. Lusitanos, Europa League, 9 July 2015 | Slaven Bilić | ||||||||||||
| FW | 1 | 0 | Free agent | Age 18 vs. Astra Giurgiu, Europa League, 6 August 2015 | Slaven Bilić | ||||||||||||
| DF | 1 | 0 | Age 18 vs. Astra Giurgiu, Europa League, 6 August 2015 | Slaven Bilić | |||||||||||||
| MF | 1 | 0 | Age 18 vs. Astra Giurgiu, Europa League, 18 August 2016 | Slaven Bilić | |||||||||||||
| MF | 245 | 15 | Age 18 vs. Burnley, Premier League, 21 May 2017 | Slaven Bilić | |||||||||||||
| MF | 10 | 0 | Age 18 vs. Macclesfield Town, League Cup, 26 August 2018 | Manuel Pellegrini | |||||||||||||
| MF | 21 | 2 | Age 20 vs. Macclesfield Town, League Cup, 26 August 2018 | Manuel Pellegrini | |||||||||||||
| MF | 1 | 0 | Age 19 vs. Macclesfield Town, League Cup, 26 August 2018 | Manuel Pellegrini | |||||||||||||
| DF | 109 | 2 | Age 19 vs. Manchester City, Premier League, 27 February 2019 | Manuel Pellegrini | |||||||||||||
| DF | 5 | 0 | Age 19 vs. Liverpool, Premier League, 29 January 2020 | David Moyes | |||||||||||||
| DF | 7 | 0 | Newcastle United | Age 18 vs. Charlton Athletic, League Cup, 15 September 2020 | David Moyes | ||||||||||||
| DF | 2 | 0 | Age 19 vs. Hull City, League Cup, 21 September 2020 | David Moyes | |||||||||||||
| MF | 2 | 0 | Age 19 vs. Hull City, League Cup, 21 September 2020 | David Moyes | |||||||||||||
| FW | 2 | 0 | Age 18 vs. Stockport County, FA Cup, 11 January 2021 | David Moyes | |||||||||||||
| GK | 1 | 0 | Age 22 vs. Doncaster Rovers, FA Cup, 23 January 2021 | David Moyes | |||||||||||||
| DF | 2 | 0 | Free agent | Age 17 vs. Doncaster Rovers, FA Cup, 23 January 2021 | David Moyes | ||||||||||||
| MF | 2 | 0 | Age 19 vs. Genk, Europa League, 22 October 2021 | David Moyes | |||||||||||||
| FW | 3 | 0 | Leyton Orient (on loan from Leeds United) | Age 17 vs. Rapid Wien, Europa League, 25 November 2021 | David Moyes | ||||||||||||
| MF | 2 | 0 | Free agent | Age 20 vs. Dinamo Zagreb, Europa League, 9 December 2021 | David Moyes | ||||||||||||
| MF | 3 | 0 | Age 18 vs. Dinamo Zagreb, Europa League, 9 December 2021 | David Moyes | |||||||||||||
| MF | 1 | 0 | Age 16 vs. FCSB, Europa Conference League, 3 November 2022 | David Moyes | |||||||||||||
| FW | 18 | 1 | Free agent | Age 18 vs. FCSB, Europa Conference League, 3 November 2022 | David Moyes | ||||||||||||
| DF | 2 | 0 | Age 18 vs. FCSB, Europa Conference League, 3 November 2022 | David Moyes | |||||||||||||
| MF | 1 | 0 | Age 19 vs. FCSB, Europa Conference League, 3 November 2022 | David Moyes | |||||||||||||
| DF | 1 | 0 | Age 19 vs. AEK Larnaca, Europa Conference League, 16 March 2023 | David Moyes | |||||||||||||
| MF | 4 | 1 | Age 19 vs. Freiburg, Europa League, 14 March 2024 | David Moyes |
These players either trained at the academy but never played for West Ham first team or trained at multiple clubs in their youth. Only permanent spells are shown.
Career: 1992–2011; Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Portsmouth, Notts County, Newcastle United
International caps: 73 caps, 1 goal
Career: 1998–2018; Chelsea, Aston Villa
International caps: 78 caps, 8 goals
Career: 2002–2016; Manchester United, Sunderland, Fulham, Aston Villa, Cardiff City
International caps: 8 caps, 2 goals
Career: 2002–2015; Grays Athletic, Southend United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Coventry City
International caps: 11 caps, 4 goals
Career: 2002–2015; Aston Villa, Bolton Wanderers, Esteghlal, Paykan, Egerton
International caps: 2 caps, 0 goals
Career: 2000–2014; Barnet, Chesham United, Oldham Athletic, Southampton, Crystal Palace, Wigan Athletic, Queens Park Rangers, Watford
Career: 2003–; Dunfermline Athletic, St Mirren, Gençlerbirliği, Samsunspor, Perth Glory, Bangkok Glass, Dempo, Kedah FA, Sarawak FA, Tampines Rovers, DPMM, Merit Alsancak Yeşilova
International caps: 5 caps, 4 goals
Career: 1997–2012: Corinthian, Dartford, Gravesend & Northfleet, Peterborough United, Wigan Athletic, Fulham, Hull City, Ipswich Town, Milton Keynes Dons
Career: 2012–: Wycombe Wanderers, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa