Young forward Anthony Edgar is set for a month-long loan deal at League Two high-fliers AFC Bournemouth.
Edgar, who turned 19 on Wednesday, will be looking to follow in the footsteps of another West Ham United Academy graduate who went on loan to the Cherries. Jermain Defoe, who is Edgar's cousin, scored 19 goals in 29 appearances for Bournemouth including a post-war record of scoring in ten consecutive games.
He scored seven goals in 22 appearances for West Ham's Under-18 side in 2008/09 and was part of the young group of players that travelled to the IP HKFC Global Soccer Sevens in Hong Kong in May. He then went away with the first-team squad for their pre-season tour of Austria in July.
Edgar was named as a first-team substitute for the first time against Bolton Wanderers in the Carling Cup last week. He believed it was a step forward that should put him in good stead for first-team action on the south coast.
"It was great experience," Edgar said. "I didn't get on but I was looking up at the players like Zavon Hines and I will learn a lot from that.
"It was a great atmosphere. We didn't win but it was a good experience and I would like a lot more of that. I just want to keep working hard and see what happens."
Edgar could make his debut for Bournemouth, who sit top of League Two, in their match at Port Vale this weekend. He joins Freddie Sears (Crystal Palace) and Jordan Spence (Scunthorpe United) in being out on loan from the Boleyn Ground.