Report: West Ham staff seriously excited about ‘elegant’ youngster who just scored first international goal
The next Declan Rice? ????
Although the win against Ipswich Town lifted the mood before the international break, there hasn’t been too much to be positive about at West Ham United recently.
Julen Lopetegui’s new era hasn’t begun as expected and West Ham have taken more steps backwards than many would have imagined.
Perhaps there is still an end goal in sight, but Lopetegui certainly seems frustrated on the touchline himself.
West Ham won’t make a knee-jerk decision on Lopetegui’s future, but few would have imagined that a departure would even be discussed at this point.
That being said, there are still things to be positive about in east London, and one is the emergence of talented youngster Airidas Golambeckis.
Airidas Golambeckis ready to follow in Declan Rice’s footsteps at West Ham
16-year-old Golambeckis was picked by The Guardian as West Ham’s representative in the ‘Next Generation 2024’ list.
Golambeckis’ inclusion proved a timely one given the centre-back just scored his first international goal.
The West Ham youngster scored for England under-18s in their 3-1 victory over Ukraine under-19s on Monday.
Golambeckis represented Lithuania at youth level but his form for West Ham’s youth sides caught England’s eye.
According to The Guardian, the teenager is very highly-regarded by staff at West Ham, an ‘elegant’ defender who is known for being comfortable in possession.
For that reason it’s considered that Golambeckis could be an option in midfield further down the line, perhaps following a similar path to Declan Rice.
Such is Golambeckis’ talent, he has already featured for West Ham’s under-21 side at the age of 16.
Golambeckis could end a slow few years for West Ham’s academy
Despite producing talents like Rice and many famous names in the past, West Ham haven’t seen an academy talent promoted to their first team for some time.
Kaelan Casey is now getting closer to the senior side under Lopetegui and perhaps could receive more opportunities in the future.
But players like Harrison Ashby ultimately failed to make the jump up to the first team.
West Ham fans will be excited about Luis Guilherme’s potential, but the club had to pay a big fee to secure his services in the summer.
And when you consider that Divin Mubama also left the club to join Manchester City recently, fans will hope that Golambeckis is set for a big future staying put in east London.
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