Reece Oxford is worried that West Ham are trying to force him out of the club as soon as possible after having his watch stolen at the training ground, according to the Daily Mirror.
The national newspaper claim that the 19-year-old centre-back is resigned to leaving the Hammers after remarks made by Manuel Pellegrini, but now fears that the club want him gone as soon as possible due to this latest incident.
The Mirror report that Oxford’s camp believes his treasured watch being stolen is part of a plot to speed up his exit as the Hammers are ready to listen to offers for him in January.
OPINION
This report is utterly bizarre. Surely the Hammers’ teenager doesn’t believe that there is some grand conspiracy working against him and that his watch was taken in order to get him to packs his bag quicker. Pellegrini may have made up his mind on the centre-back’s future but it’s doubtful the club would go to such weird lengths to effectively chase a player out of the club. Oxford wouldn’t be allowed to play for the U-23s if that was the case as there’s nothing more frustrating for a footballer than a lack of playing time. Hopefully the Hammers and the police, who are investigating this incident, find the culprit and put this whole conspiracy theory that is being reported to bed. West Ham get such weird coverage in the press at times and this story doesn’t exactly paint them in a flattering light. As for where Oxford will go next, as his exit does seem likely, who knows? But it’s hard to see him jumping into another Premier League club’s first-team.