West Ham are ready to green light loan exits for five or more young players this summer in a bid to get them first team experience away from the club, according to Football.London.
The capital-based football news website claim that there are several youngsters from the under-23 side at the London Stadium in line for temporary exits, including Marcus Browne, Toni Martinez, Martin Samuelsen, Josh Pask and Connor Coventry.
It is stated that there are no deals in place yet, and that manager Manuel Pellegrini will decide on who will stay and who will go after the Hammers’ training camp in Switzerland, which comes to an end on Friday.
Opinion
West Ham fans love nothing more than to see a young talent break through the youth ranks and into the first team, and there look to be a couple of hopefuls who could make that leap in the coming years if they show the right attitude and desired quality. However, while loan moves will hand the aforementioned fringe figures some added game time, albeit it at a lower level, temporary exits do not always work out as expected, and Pellegrini will have to decide who has the right mentality to make a success of such an opportunity. There may well be some youngsters who need guidance from the coaching staff at the Irons, while others have the independence to go out and prove themselves with another club before returning to try and break into the senior set up next season. Who will make the grade? Only time will tell, but the West Ham faithful will no doubt be keeping a close eye on them all.