West Ham United’s promising young goalkeeper Joseph Anang has signed a new contract until the summer of 2024.
An England U20 international, Anang has been first choice for the Club’s U23s for the past two years, helping the Hammers win the Premier League 2 Division 2 title last season and appearing regularly in the EFL Trophy.
The Ghana-born 20-year-old has developed his game in all areas since joining the Hammers in 2017 and has been rewarded with a new deal that will enable him to continue working under the expert tutelage of first-team goalkeeper coach Xavi Valero and alongside the experienced Łukasz Fabiański, Darren Randolph and David Martin.
“I’m very happy for this day, as signing a new three-and-a-half-year deal is a big moment for me and for my family, so I will just work harder now to get to the next level,” he told. “There is still work to do, so it’s all about learning more stuff.
“Coming from Ghana as a young goalkeeper wasn’t that easy, but as soon as I came to this country, I knew I had to get my head down and keep working hard. In life you have to sacrifice and that’s what I did.
“For me, working with them was surreal on the first day, but since then they have helped me to get to the next level. They are Premier League players and have played for their national teams and all of them have really helped me so far. Since Xavi came to this Club, I have really developed, so I just need to keep listening to him.
Anang is also grateful for all the help he has received from the staff and his teammates at the Academy of Football, who helped him settle into life in a new country, and who always name him as the most entertaining member of the U23 squad.
“I appreciate them because they helped me to mature on and off the pitch, the coaches, the staff, everyone, so I just want to thank them.
“It’s nice to hear that my teammates say these things about me. It’s just the way I am, always smiling, so I think that’s what they are talking about.
“Before I came to West Ham I wasn’t a fan, but the moment I stepped into this Club I became a fan and now I’m a big Hammer!”
Tall and strong and comfortable with the ball at his feet, Anang is a modern goalkeeper who goalkeeper coach Valero feels has the attributes and attitude to forge a successful career for himself at senior level.
“I think we have a very good setup of goalkeepers in the Academy, with a very good group at different ages who are can progress at a different pace, so I think we are securing a good progression for West Ham,” said the Spaniard, who has worked with some of the world’s best stoppers at Valencia, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Napoli and Real Madrid.
“The fact that Joseph is signing a new contract is very good news. He is a young goalkeeper, he is a strong goalkeeper, has a good mentality, has been working really hard and has improved his game a lot in the last couple of seasons.
“He has got a good presence and the physicality to play the game in this country. He is a pro-active goalkeeper who fills the space between the goal and his back four, he is very good with both feet and is a goalkeeper who can tick all the boxes of the modern demands of the game.
“He has made his debut for England U20s and has just returned from a training camp at St George’s Park, where he was selected as one of the four best goalkeepers of his age, so I am very happy for him and for his family and this has to be a stepping stone for the next level.”