West Ham United is delighted to announce that Emeka Adiele has signed his first professional contract with the Club.
To mark his 17th birthday, the young wing-back travelled with his family to Rush Green Training Ground to pen his first pro deal.
“It’s a really nice feeling and I’m very grateful to be here with my family to celebrate this moment,” he smiled. “Growing up, they’ve always been there, supporting me, guiding me and making sure I’m doing the right things and staying focused."
A Hammer since joining at Under-9 level, Adiele has impressed coaches with his attributes on the pitch as well as his demeanour off it.
Commenting on what made him commit his future to the Hammers, he said: “I’ve built really strong relationships with the coaches here. Lauris [Coggin] has been really good to me, and I look forward to playing more for the U21s under Mark [Robson].”
A versatile operator, Adiele has been a persistent goal threat making his way up through the age groups. In his first year as a scholar, he registered an impressive nine goal contributions in his first full season playing in the U18 Premier League. Since making his debut in the Premier League 2 towards the back end of last season, Adiele has also been regularly called up for the Development Squad, starting both pre-season fixtures against Ebbsfleet and Maidenhead this summer, as well as travelling to Spain for the U21s' pre-season training camp.
Despite his age, Adiele is no stranger to playing against more senior opposition and hopes to fulfil every Academy player’s dream by progressing up to the first team set-up.
“My goal is of course to eventually train with the first team and longer term to make my debut,” he added. “I’m ready to put in the hard work and we’ll see how things go.”
His strong season with the U18s has not gone unnoticed, least of all by Academy Manager Kenny Brown, who has been following his progress very closely since his appointment in February 2023.
He said: “When I first came in, everyone was quite vocal about Emeka’s talent. He’s a very dynamic player, with plenty of quality and pace to match. I’ve been pleased with his development so far, and he had a really strong season last year, making his debut for the U21s and being a regular with the U18s. He’s a very well-liked member of the group and he’s also got an edge to him, which is great to see.
“It’s still very early in his footballing pathway, but he’s working with top staff, and the fact that he’s already establishing himself in the U21s squad as a second-year scholar is testament to his talent and attitude. The future is bright for him and our desire for him is to keep pushing him on.”
Everyone at West Ham United would like to congratulate Emeka on signing his first professional contract and wish him every success in Claret and Blue.