OPINION
West Ham are surely taking a needless risk with young midfielder Joe Powell by only having him sign a new one-year contract.
The Hammers confirmed on Tuesday, via their official website, that the 20-year-old attacking midfielder had a penned a new deal after having a promising 2018/19 campaign.
Powell wowed on a regular basis for the Hammers’ U21’s and U23’s sides in his 2018/19 campaign, he scored seven goals while assisting six in 12 Premier League 2 appearances, before making his senior debut in the League Cup against Macclesfield Town.
While Powell only ended up making one appearance for the first-team, he did show glimpses against Macclesfield that he could be a star of the future.
The 20-year-old then went on to prove his talent further by excelling in the second-half of the season out on loan at Northampton Town.
Powell scored twice, while assisting once, in his 10 outings for the Cobblers and by all accounts stood out playing in League 2, which was a promising sign.
The Hammers youngster, based on his stats this season, seems to be the type of player who is worth their weight in gold.
Powell is an attack-minded midfielder who pops up in the little pockets of space left by opponents in order to score himself or carve out a chance for his teammates.
If the 20-year-old keeps progressing in the way that he is, then it wouldn’t be a surprise if he turns into a player worthy of the first-team and one that will attract attention from other clubs.
Yet even though Powell has shown positive signs this season while at the Hammers and out of loan; the London club have only moved to offer him a one-year extension.
Only tying him down for a further year, will surely see others try their luck next summer if things go according to plan for the midfielder, and he could easily slip through West Ham’s grasp as a result.
Pellegrini’s side had a golden opportunity to secure his future for at least a bit longer than a year, and not doing so could easily backfire on them next summer.
The Hammers haven’t put themselves in the strongest position to keep Powell and while it makes sense not to throw a long-term deal at him; they could have at least stretched to two-years given the potential he has shown.
As it stands the London club have taken a needless risk only tying down Powell for a further year because by all accounts his career is heading in the right direction.