Chris signed a first professional contract last week, and celebrated with a spot kick in the reserves' win over Ipswich.
Says Alan:
"He backed his new contract up with a goal, and I have got to be honest, he went up to the penalty and you could tell he was going to score, he had that much confidence.
"We know he has got a great chance and he is putting in performances at the moment."
Left-footer Chris has played for every West Ham side above U17 this season, and Alan adds:
"He has come through the levels quickly and everyone is looking at him to progress through the first team squad and make the transition permanent.
"He has done terrifically this year but he has got some faults, and he knows that.
"He only turned 17 in March and he can't quite focus on all aspects of his job at the moment.
"But he will do - and once he has cracked that we are going to have a talent on our hands.
"He has had a rapid rise but he has earned his stripes in the Academy - he has been there a few years and knows what it is about to be a West Ham player."
Hot on his heels, for instance, are Kyle Reid and Mark Noble, both of whom have been on England U17 duty recently - both scoring.
Adds Alan:
"With Mark Noble as well, hopefully Kyle Reid soon, plus Blewitt, we have got some great kids in there at the moment.
"We think very highly of those boys and I am looking forward to seeing them in my first team squad quickly."
The U19s season wrapped up at the weekend, a week after the U17s, and Alan is not despondent that no titles were claimed.
"You can't get carried away; even if we won the Academy leagues it is about getting those three or four players through to the first team," he stresses.
"From what I can see it still looks fairly healthy, and, fingers crossed, we will have one or two in the first team sooner rather than later."