West Ham Academy 2025–26 season showcasing progress along the EPPP development pathway for youth players.
Based in East London, West Ham FC runs a category 1 academy
- Academy Manager: Kenny Brown
- Lead Professional Development Phase Coach: Kevin Keen
- Head of Academy Coaching and Player Development: Greg Lincoln
West Ham United Retained List 2025
View the complete list of West Ham players who have been retained, released, or have returned to their parent clubs following loan spells.
West Ham Scholars 2025/26
- Tommy Goodger (Goalkeeper)
- Tomas Jonyla (Defender)
- Harry Montague (Defender)
- Vinnie Perkins (Defender)
- Joe Scanlon (Defender)
- Callum Leacock (Defender)
- Tyrone Omotoye (Midfielder)
- Reggie Morris-Agyemang (Midfielder)
- Martin Peychev (Midfielder)
- Joel Kerr (Forward)
- Chukwuemeka Obi (Forward)
- Jephthah Medine (Forward)
West Ham Academy Players On Loan 2025/26
Youth players on loan.
- Gideon Kodua (Forward) Luton Town
- Michael Forbes (Defender) Northampton Town
- Junior Robinson (Defender) Livingston; Boreham Wood
- Lewis Orford (Midfielder) Stevenage
- Finlay Herrick (Goalkeeper) Boreham Wood
- Mason Terry (Goalkeeper) Braintree Town
- Callum Marshall (Forward) VfL Bochum
- George Earthy (Midfielder) Bristol City
- Kaelan Casey (Defender) Leyton Orient
West Ham Academy Players in the First Team 2025/26
- Callum Marshall (Forward) #50
West Ham Academy International Players 2025/26
Young players representing their country
- Emmanuel Fejokwu (Defender) England U16
- Isaac Thomas (Forward) Wales U17
- Chuk Obi (Forward) Denmark U17
- Joel Kerr (Forward) Northern Ireland U17
- Lanre Awesu (Goalkeeper) England U17; U18
- Finley Hooper (Goalkeeper) England U18
- Josh Landers (Forward) Scotland U19
- Ezra Mayers (Defender) England U19
- Airdas Golambeckis (Defender) England U19
- Callum Leacock (Defender) Northern Ireland U19
- Rayan Oyebade (Defender) Greece U19
- Finlay Herrick (Goalkeeper) England U20
- Lewis Orford (Midfielder) England U20
- Josh Ajala (Forward) England U20
West Ham Academy Competitions
U18 Premier League
The league divides teams into North and South groups for the U18s, calling it the U18 Premier League.
West Ham Under-18 play in the South League
Below are the team standings at the winter break, marking roughly the halfway point of the season.
U17 and U18 Premier League Cup
In 2017, the Premier League introduced the U18 Premier League Cup and the U16 Premier League Cup, renaming the latter to the U17 Premier League Cup in 2020 for their respective age groups.
The seven group winners, along with the best runner-up determined by total points, goal difference, and then head-to-head record, will progress to the quarterfinals.
U17 Premier League Cup Group Stage
West Ham U17 are drawn in Group G against under 17 teams from Ipswich Town, Norwich City and Tottenham.
- West Ham U17 won away against Ipswich Town U18 (0 – 4)
- West Ham U17 won at home against Norwich City U17 (4 – 2)
- West Ham U17 won at home against Tottenham U17 (3 – 1)
Quarter Final
- West Ham U17 won away against Leicester City U17 (1 – 4)
Semi Final
- West Ham U17 won at home against Crystal Palace U17 (3 – 2)
U18 Premier League Cup Group Stage
West Ham U18 are drawn in Group E against under 18 teams from Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and Ipswich Town.
- West Ham U18 won away against Sunderland U18 (3 – 1)
- Andre Dike (3)
- West Ham U18 won at home against Nottingham Forest U18 (2 – 1)
- Joel Kerr (2)
- West Ham U18 won away against Ipswich Town U18 (0 – 5)
Quarter Final
West Ham U18 have been drawn at home against Aston Villa U18
- West Ham U18 won at home against Aston Villa U18 (1 – 1) (5 – 4 on Pens)
- Andre Dike
Semi Final
West Ham U18 have been away against Manchester United U18
- West Ham U18 lost away against Manchester United U18 (1 – 1) (3 – 1 AET)
- Joel Kerr
FA Youth Cup
Third Round Proper
West Ham U18 have been drawn away against Preston North End U18
- West Ham U18 won away against Preston North End U18 (1 – 1)(4 – 5 on Pens)
- Andre Dike
National League Cup
The National League Cup is a 32-team midweek competition, comprising of 16 Under-21s teams participating in Premier League 2 and 16 National League club first teams.
National League Cup Group Stage
West Ham U21s have been placed in Group C in the 2nd edition of the National League Cup competition.
They will face Aldershot Town, Sutton United, Truro City and Woking, with all matches being played away from home.
- West Ham U21 won away against Woking (0 – 2)
- Lewis Orford
- Mohamadou Kante
- West Ham U21 won away against Truro (0 – 3)
- George Earthy
- Callum Marshall
- Mohamadou Kante
West Ham U21 have been drawn away against Aldershot Town
- West Ham U21 won away against Aldershot Town (1 – 5)
- Josh Ajala
- Airidas Golambeckis
- Lewis Orford
- George Earthy
- Ryan Battrum
Premier League 2
Starting from the 2023 season, all 26 Category 1 teams compete in a single league using the Swiss-style format.
Entry into or removal from this league depends on meeting the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) accreditation criteria.
Below are the team standings at the winter break, marking roughly the halfway point of the season.
Premier League 2 Player of the Month
November 2025
- Emeka Adiele (Nominee)
Premier League International Cup
The participating teams are split into four groups of eight, each comprising four UK-based Under-21 teams and four invited overseas clubs represented by their development squads.
Each UK team will host all four overseas clubs in their group. The results will determine the standings in each group, with the top two teams advancing to the knockout stages.
West Ham will face Athletic Club, Borrusia Dortmund, Anderlecht and Sporting CP in Group D of the initial phase of the tournament.
Manchester United, Sunderland and Leeds United are the other UK-based teams in their group.
West Ham U21 Premier League International Cup Group Stage
- West Ham U21 lost at home against Athletic Club U21 (0 – 4)
- West Ham U21 lost at home against Sporting CP U21 (1 – 2)
- Lewis Orford
Vertu Trophy (EFL Trophy)
The Vertu Trophy is a midweek knockout competition that includes clubs from EFL League One and League Two, along with 16 invited teams from Premier League and EFL Championship clubs that have Category One Academies.
The competition is regionalised from the opening stage through to the quarter-finals, featuring eight groups in the northern section and eight in the southern section.
Each group features one Under-21 Premier League side
West Ham Under-21s have been drawn into Southern Group D, where they will face MK Dons, Reading and Swindon Town
- West Ham U21 won away against MK Dons (1 – 5)
- Preston Fearon (2)
- Laurence Maquire (OG)
- Callum Marshall (2)
- West Ham U21 lost away against Reading (3 – 1)
- Callum Marshall
- West Ham U21 won away against Swindon Town (2 – 3)
- Joshua Ajala
- George Earthy
- Josh Landers
Round of 32
West Ham U21 have been drawn away against Colchester United
- West Ham U21 won away against Colchester United (0 – 1)
- George Earthy
Round of 16
- West Ham U21 lost away against AFC Wimbledon (4 – 2)
- Joshua Ajala
- Lewis Orford
West Ham Academy News
8th May 2025
Riley Hargan has signed his first professional contract with West Ham United.
30th May 2025
Kamarai Swyer has joined EFL League Two Northampton Town on a two year deal.
2nd June 2025
Elisha Sowunmi has signed his first professional contract with West Ham United.
1st July 2025
West have signed highly rated young forward Daniel Cummings after his contract with Scottish Premiership champions Celtic expired.
A prolific 19-year-old and Scotland youth international, Cummings has penned a long-term contract with the Hammers.
5th July 2025
Academy forward Andre Dike, 17, has signed his first professional contract with the Club.
8th July 2025
Northern Ireland youth international Callum Leacock has joined the Club’s U18 squad on scholarship terms.
The 16-year-old defender arrives from Linfield and is capable of playing both centre-back and full-back.
9th July 2025
17-year-old midfielder Connor Brooks has joined the Club’s Academy U18 squad from Isthmian League North Division side Concord Rangers.
He is a versatile player, able to operate in various midfield roles.
28th July 2025
Patrick Kelly has completed a move to Barnsley, signing a three-year contract with an additional one-year option in the Club’s favour.
3rd September 2025
Midfielder Chinaza Nwosu has completed a move from West Ham to Nottingham Forest, putting pen to paper on a three-year deal.
26th September 2025
Goalkeeper Tom Wooster has completed a move to West Ham United following four years at Manchester United.
He has signed a deal running until the end of the 2025/26 season, with the option of a one-year extension.
21st October 2025
Goalkeeper Lanre Awesu has been called up to the England U17 squad for the 2025 World Cup in Qatar.
24th October 2025
West Ham Academy defender Emmanuel Fejokwu has earned a call-up to the England Under-16 squad for the upcoming Football Federations Cup in Antalya, Türkiye.
25th October 2025
Joel Kerr has been selected for the Northern Ireland squad ahead of their U17 Euro Qualifiers next week, where they’ll face Armenia, Cyprus, and Finland.
28th October 2025
West Ham U21 have secured a place in the knockout stages of the Vertu Trophy.
29th October 2025
Goalkeeper Finlay Herrick has been recalled from his loan at Boreham Wood to join the club’s first-team squad.
The 19-year-old made 10 appearances for the National League side, keeping seven clean sheets and conceding only five goals
7th November 2025
West Ham goalkeeper Finlay Herrick and midfielder Lewis Orford have received a call-up to the England U20 squad ahead of their upcoming match against Japan at Doncaster Rovers next Friday.
11th November 2025
Lauris Coggin has departed West Ham after ten years to take up the role of Under-21s Assistant Manager at Manchester City.
12th November 2025
Josh Ajala has been added as a late call-up to the England Under-20 squad for their match against Japan.
13th November 2025
West Ham’s Under-21 side have been drawn away to Colchester United in the Round of 32 of the Vertu Trophy.
The young Hammers are the only U21 team to make it through the group stage across both the North and South sections.
26th November 2025
West Ham U18 became the first side to reach the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup after a 1–1 draw and a 5–4 victory in the penalty shootout.
5th December 2025
West Ham U18s will travel to Everton in the FA Youth Cup fourth round proper, with the fixture date still to be confirmed.
9th December 2025
West Ham U21 have booked their place in the Round of 16 of the Vertu Trophy after a 1–0 away victory over Colchester United.
12th January 2026
West Ham Under-21s have exited the Vertu Trophy following a 4–2 loss to AFC Wimbledon at the Cherry Red Records Stadium.
The Irons entered the match as the last remaining U21 side in the competition.
2nd February 2026
Left-back academy defender Emeka Adiele has completed a permanent move to FC Utrecht for an undisclosed fee.
The 18-year-old, who had been set to see his contract with the Hammers run until 30 June 2026, will now continue his development in the Dutch Eredivisie.
6th February 2026
Academy forward Gideon Kodua has made a permanent move from West Ham to Luton Town.
The 21-year-old has been signed permanently by the Hatters following his loan spell at the start of the 2025/26 season.