It is always difficult to know how to react when a club loses an exciting if unproven teenage talent before they have even made their senior debut, a la West Ham United when Emeka Adiele joined FC Utrecht on deadline day.
Considering the Hammers’ reputation and their proud history of bringing through homegrown superstars – from Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole and Frank Lampard to Declan Rice – an apparent talent drain from Chadwell Heath will inevitably set hands a-wringing.
Elisha Sowunmi left for Tottenham last week. Ten years in the West Ham United academy coming an end, and making the short trip across London to a bitter rival. The in-form Josh Ajala has held talks with German and French clubs as his contract runs down.
Emeka Adiele’s shock exit has divided our readers! 🤔
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West Ham United confirmed in the dying embers of deadline day, meanwhile, that a left-back with 15 goal contributions in 20 reserve-team games had signed a four-year deal with Eredivisie outfit FC Utrecht.
No one can really begrudge the teenager for chasing ‘regular first-team minutes’. Emeka Adiele lifted the lid on his West Ham departure, confirming that the chance to play senior football was the main factor.
The swashbuckling Adiele turned down Juventus and Borussia Dortmund in the process. Clearly, he is not following the money. He was not swayed by status, either. Just a burning desire to make the next step as early as possible.
West Ham United fans divided over Emeka Adiele’s FC Utrecht move
Have the Hammers just lost their next homegrown superstar for next to nothing? Or is this another Sonny Perkins or Jamal Baptiste situation. There was no shortage of frustration when those two left, for Leeds and Manchester City. In 2026, Perkins has one goal in 13 matches for third-tier Leyton Orient. Baptiste is in a relegation battle at Rotherham.
The goals have dried up for Divin Mubama at Stoke City too. Even the biggest, most stand-out talents of reserve team football can struggle to translate such thrilling numbers into the men’s game.
We asked our Hammers News readers how they felt about losing Adiele just days after Sowunmi was unveiled by Spurs. The response was unsurprisingly mixed.
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Photo by Pete Norton/Getty Images
“If he’s half-decent, I should hope there is a buyback option,” one Hammers News reader writes.
“He’s behind [El Hadji Malick] Diouf and [Ollie] Scarles and [Kyle] Walker-Peters, so can’t really blame him,” another argues.
“Just another example of how the inept way the club is run. We would rather pay exorbitant fees for foreign youngsters rather than give our home grown boys a chance in the first-team, even going as far as wasting money on [Adama] Traore when we could give Ajala a few chances.
“If players don’t want to play for us, then just say goodbye. How many young players have gone on to play at higher levels?”
Adiele will hope to do better than Divin Mubama or Jamal Baptiste
The difference between Adiele and, say Perkins, Mubama or Baptiste, is that Utrecht are likely to give him the chance to prove himself pretty quickly. The West Ham-linked Souffian El-Karouani is moving to Saudi Arabia, after all.
Adiele is expected to take his place next season, with the next few months a bedding-in period.
The main source of frustration, though, is that Emeka Adiele has looked nothing short of ‘unreal’ in the Under-21s. In just 20 games, he scored five goals and set up ten more from left-back.
Our squad is set, but it’s not perfect – and exactly who is to blame for that?
Credit: Getty Images/Warren Little
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Interestingly, though, while Nuno has given Ezra Mayers a few chances to stake his claim on the left-hand side, Adiele leaves without a single senior appearance on his CV. With so many other left-sided defenders/full-backs already at the club – including academy graduates Scarles and Mayers – Adiele can perhaps consider himself a victim of bad timing.
“Sowumni isn’t a big loss at all. But Adiele is a big loss,” another fan writes on X.
“So this lad who looked red hot in the cup last week and we’ve lost him… [Sporting director] Mark Noble needs to sort this out. Losing all of our talent. Ajala next…”
“This is terrible news, Adiele is a very good footballer. He has played very well for the Under-21s for a long time now. We are meant to be the academy of football, someone at West Ham should have convinced Emeka to stay at the football club.”
“Seriously? He is one for the future! We should be loaning him out, not selling him.”
“A really good player. Wishing Emeka the very best in his new adventures and sorry to see him go.”
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