Nigeria-eligible teenage striker Elisha Sowunmi signs professional contract with West Ham

NIGERIA-eligible striker Elisha Sowunmi has signed his first professional contract with English Premier League side West Ham after being promoted to the senior team ahead of the forthcoming 2025/26 season.

Sowunmi, 18, who was born on June 1, 2007, is comfortable playing on either the left or right flank or as a playmaker art the tip of the midfield. He has been rewarded with a new deal after finishing the season as West Ham U18s top scorer in all competitions with 16 goals, including 14 in the U18 Premier League.

In addition, Sowunmi bagged hat-tricks in back-to-back away games against Reading and Aston Villa in U18 Premier League fixtures, while netting a brace on the final day of the season in a 4-2 win over West Brom. He has been on the books of West Ham since his U9 days, rising through the ranks to sign a scholarship deal in 2023.

Earlier this week, with his parents in attendance, Sowunmi signed the contract with West Ham at the club's Chadwell Heath training ground. He is the latest long-serving West Ham youth player from the Premier League Cup-winning squad to sign a professional contract, joining teammates Ezra Mayers, Emeka Adiele, Airidas Golambeckis, Jethro Medine and Riley Hargan.