The week West Ham have confirmed that Nathan Trott and Martin Samuelsen will be leaving the club on loan, to AFC Wimbledon and Haugesund respectively.
They’re the first two to have temporarily left this summer, but with competition in the Hammers’ first team very tight, this would be a good option for some of West Ham’s other academy players.
Here are five suggestions for players who would benefit from having their first season out on loan:
Grady Diangana
Grady Diangana lit London Stadium alight on his debut, scoring twice in a man of the match performance during West Ham’s 8-0 win against Macclesfield Town.
Since then he has started six games, coming on 11 times in the Premier League and has got one assist.
While this is a decent start, it is unlikely to persuade Manuel Pellegrini to play the 20-year-old ahead of Michail Antonio and Andriy Yarmolenko this campaign.
Therefore, with the likes of Galatasaray interested, according to Demirören Haber Ajansi, he should definitely go away to get the first team minutes which would help progress his game.
Conor Coventry
Conor Coventry is another player who made his debut in the 8-0 win against Macclesfield Town.
Though while Diangana was integrated into the first team and Joe Powell went on loan, Coventry returned to the Under 23s for the rest of the season.
The 19-year-old has already shown he can impress at youth level: winning the 2017/18 Dylan Tombides award, being an integral part of Republic of Ireland’s Toulon Tournament squad this summer and captaining the Under 23s.
Now is the time to let him test himself in senior football to progress his career.
Olatunji Akinola
Having made his debut for the development squad in the 2014/15 season, this would now be the fifth campaign Olatunji Akinola has been in or around the Under 23s team.
He has made over 50 appearances for the Under 23s, so with him now being 20-years-old it could be time for the defender to take a step up in his career and head out on loan.
Jahmal Hector-Ingram
Jahmal Hector-Ingram is a talented striker who has represented England at Under 17 level; now 20-years-old he could be looking to get a taste of senior football.
However, that is unlikely to come at West Ham, with Xande Silva the more prominent candidate to step in if Manuel Pellegrini calls upon an attacker from the academy.
This makes a loan move a very good option for the Upton Park born striker.
Dan Kemp
He isn’t the most physical of players, but Dan Kemp can certainly impact a game – having scored six goals and assisted once in 13 appearances for the Under 23s last season.
The 20-year-old, who can play in attacking midfield or on the wing, has been capped by England at Under 19 and Under 20 levels.
If he is to take the next step in his career he needs to begin getting experience of playing senior football outside the Checkatrade Trophy – a loan move would likely be the best way for this to happen.