Promising winger Jayden Fevrier has put pen-to-paper on his first professional contract with West Ham United.
The Academy of Football starlet has been rewarded for his strong 2020/21 campaign with a one-year contract, with the option to extend this for an additional year.
The announcement caps an outstanding season for the fleet-footed 18-year-old, who came roaring back from long-term injury to make nine appearances in both U18 Premier League South and Premier League 2 over 2020/21.
As well as scoring his first goal for the U23s against Tottenham in January, Fevrier netted a superb brace for the U18s against Luton Town in the FA Youth Cup third round, following it up by captaining and scoring for his team in the fourth-round 5-0 win over Norwich City at Carrow Road.
The Academy has done a lot for me throughout the years. They’ve taught me values that I can take into the rest of my life and my whole career
Jayden Fevrier
“I feel proud to have signed,” Fevrier told West Ham TV. “Very proud. When I was young, this was all I wanted to do: work towards becoming a professional footballer. I feel like this is a big step in my career and I’m just happy that I’ve had this opportunity.
“I first came here as a six-year-old, training on a Friday night and seeing a lot of faces that I still see today, playing games on the artificial turf. I’ve been at West Ham my whole career so this is all I know, and it’s nice to continue my journey here.
“The Academy has done a lot for me throughout the years. They’ve taught me values that I can take into the rest of my life and my whole career, so I’m just grateful to them.
“Now, I’m excited to get back fit and hopefully have an injury-free season. I’ll just take every day as it comes and not look too far ahead, but also work hard to make sure that I’m ready to make an impact whenever I’m called upon.”
U23s lead coach Dmitri Halajko added: “This is great news for Jayden, and great news for the Club. Jayden is a really direct, exciting player – he takes players on, one vs one, and scored some impressive goals for the U18s and U23s last year. I’m sure he’ll continue to make a really big impact with the U23s group next season.”
Fevrier has long been considered a promising prospect at the Academy of Football, having made his debut U18s appearance at just 14-and-a-half years-old against Chelsea.
In October 2018, he became West Ham’s youngest-ever reserve team player with a second-half substitute appearance against Leicester City at the tender age of just 15 years, six months and 12 days.
In doing so, Fevrier broke the record previously set by Club captain Mark Noble in 2003, but after a lengthy injury disrupted his progress, last season saw the promising youngster pick up where he left off with some dazzling displays.
Having seen seven fellow Academy products make their first-team debuts last season, Fevrier feels every young player can take encouragement from the opportunities available to them at Chadwell Heath.
Recalling his U23s debut, Fevrier smiled: “That day was surreal because I wasn’t even supposed to be on the bench at first! I just got taken along for the journey.
“Someone got called up by the first team, so the coach said to me ‘you’re on the bench’. I wasn’t expecting to come on, but it was nice to be a part of that group and set a record that I didn’t know about at the time. I just felt honoured to be on the pitch!
“For me, whenever I’m on the pitch, I just do what I do. Whenever I look at myself and I see how I play, I’m happy because I play true to my identity. I just try to play how I play, feel happy and have fun on the pitch.
“Seeing my teammates make their debuts makes me happy for them and proud, but also it helps me to feel that I can do that as well. Hopefully, next season, I can push on and make my mark.”
