West Ham have secured the temporary exit of defender Sam Byram as Championship outfit Nottingham Forest take him on a season-long loan.
The Hammers confirmed that the 24-year-old would spend the rest of the campaign at the City Ground via their official Twitter account and website, having made a total of 36 appearances for the club since joining on loan from Leeds United back in 2016.
Good luck, @sambyram93! https://t.co/q9zWUFBVtx
— West Ham United (@WestHam) August 10, 2018
His return to the second tier comes after he managed to turn out just 10 times across all competitions for the Irons last season, and links up with a Forest side sitting 10th in the table after picking up two draws in their first two games of the campaign.
Opinion
With the arrival of Ryan Fredericks to join senior option Pablo Zabaleta in the battle for the right back role, Byram’s chances of first team football had narrowed even more than they were last season. Heading out on loan to Forest is by no means a bad move, although really he should have been looking to continue in the Premier League if he wants to forge a career for himself. He is risking being judged not good enough to perform in the top flight and at 24, he needs to be settling down, playing first team football week in, week out and finding his level. There was a reason West Ham snapped him up from Leeds, and he certainly has the potential to be a success, but it is about hitting the expectations placed on his shoulders. He really needs to excel with Forest and prove that the Irons have made a mistake about letting him go. His target should be performing excellently during the first half of the season, and perhaps securing a loan at a top flight side for the second half.