Nigerian teenage fullback Emeka Adiele signs first professional contract with West Ham

ENGLISH Premier League giants West Ham have announced that Nigerian fullback Emeka Adiele has committed his future to club by signing his first-ever professional contract having completed his apprenticeship at the London Stadium.

Adiele marked his 17th birthday on Wednesday, July 31 by putting pen to paper on his first professional contract. He has been rewarded with his first professional deal following his outstanding performances for the academy teams after making his debut in the U18 Premier League at the age of 15 and playing in his first game in the Premier League Two back in April, coming off the bench for the last 35 minutes in a 2-0 win at Norwich City.

In addition, Adiele has also made debuts in the FA Youth Cup and Premier League International Cup. In his first year as a scholar, he scored four goals and provided five assists in the U18 Premier League and then started for West Ham's development squad in their pre-season matches with Ebbsfleet and Maidenhead and was named in the travelling squad for a training camp in Spain.

Adiele said: “It’s a really nice feeling and I’m very grateful to be here with my family to celebrate this moment. Growing up, they’ve always been there, supporting me, guiding me and making sure I’m doing the right things and staying focused.

"It’s been a great journey so far, starting from young and coming through the ranks and I’ve always looked at ways I can improve my game. I’ve built really strong relationships with the coaches here and Lauris Coggin has been really good to me and I look forward to playing more for the U21s under Mark Robson.”

Despite his tender age, Adiele is no stranger to playing against more senior opposition and hopes to fulfil every academy player’s dream by progressing into the West Ham first team. He added: “My goal is of course to eventually train with the first team and longer term to make my debut. I’m ready to put in the hard work and we’ll see how things go.”

West Ham's academy manager Kenny Brown, added: “When I first came in, everyone was quite vocal about Emeka’s talent. He’s a very dynamic player, with plenty of quality and pace to match. I’ve been pleased with his development so far and he had a really strong season last year, making his debut for the U21s and being a regular with the U18s.

 “It’s still very early in his footballing pathway but he’s working with top staff and the fact that he’s already establishing himself in the U21s squad as a second-year scholar is testament to his talent and attitude. The future is bright for him and our desire for him is to keep pushing him on.”