Being a member of a club’s pre-season camp is a great opportunity for any youth player, as it offers the chance to catch the eye of the first team manager.
There are nine academy products who are part of the squad who have traveled to Switzerland, so we have picked five who can assert themselves on the first team.
Grady Diangana has been excluded from the list, as it can be argued he has already done that, having participated in 21 first team games last campaign.
Reece Oxford
It had seemed inevitable that Reece Oxford would leave West Ham this summer, but he now finds himself as part of the squad in Switzerland.
This has to be seen as an opportunity to put past disappointments behind him and prove he should be part of the club’s first team plans in 2019/20.
Ben Johnson
He has only made one appearance for the Hammers, but Ben Johnson certainly took his chance to impress – during his 63 minutes on the pitch in a 1-0 loss against Manchester City.
This surely won’t have been forgotten by Manuel Pellegrini, so a good showing in Switzerland could lead to more opportunities for the 19-year-old.
Josh Cullen
Having now been sent out for four different loan spells, at 23-years-old it is about time Josh Cullen got his chance with the West Ham first team.
He was also recently called up to the Republic of Ireland squad, so finds himself on the cusp of seeing action for both club and country – his time in Switzerland could be the start of ensuring he gets that.
Nathan Holland
Nathan Holland is arguably one of the most talented players in West Ham’s academy at the moment.
There has been plenty of talk around the 21-year-old’s quality among excited West Ham fans – whose only chance to see him in first team action was when he came on during a Carabao Cup win against Bolton Wanderers in 2017.
A good showing in Switzerland could persuade Pellegrini to let Holland add to that.
Marcus Browne
Marcus Browne impressed on loan at Oxford United last season, scoring nine goals and assisting five times across all competitions.
He’s only ever played 15 minutes of first team football for West Ham – which came in a 1-1 Europa League draw with Astra Giurgiu. It’s now three years since that game, so he will be looking to add to that soon.
