West Ham United is delighted to confirm the signing of young striker Brad Dolaghan.
The 19-year-old signs his first professional contract with the Hammers after a successful trial period over the summer and will join up with Mark Robson’s Under-21 development squad.
Dolaghan joins West Ham from National League South side Worthing, where he made an immediate impact stepping up from the U18s set-up. Last season, during Worthing’s end-of-season six-game winning streak that secured a play-off semi-final spot, Dolaghan played a pivotal role in their attack.
The young forward found the back of the net six times in five starts. His impressive goalscoring form would see him lead the line against Maidstone in the semi-final and also feature in the final. Despite their fine end-of-season form, Worthing narrowly missed out on National League football losing the play-off final to Braintree in extra time.
His exploits in the sixth tier earned him a trial with West Ham United’s U21s. During his trial period, Dolaghan travelled with the squad to the Far East for the 2024 Hong Kong Football Club Soccer Sevens where he scored twice in three starts.
Reflecting on his journey through non-league to academy football, Dolaghan said: "It was a great feeling. A lot of hard work has gone into this, not just this year, but over the years leading up to this moment."
Having been on trial at various clubs before making his breakthrough in the National League South, Dolaghan believes his experience in senior football will be crucial as he transitions to representing West Ham United's U21s.
"I think my experience will help me massively. I would strongly advise players my age or even younger players who aren’t at academies to go out there and play senior football.
"Playing for Littlehampton was the best experience I could’ve had; fighting for survival in a relegation battle, and then going back to Worthing where we almost got promoted. Without those experiences I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today."
Throughout the young Hammers’ pre-season, Dolaghan would also go on to make appearances against Ebsfleet, Maidenhead, Granada, Real Betis B and Club NXT U23. His movement and eye for goal are attributes that lead coach Mark Robson and his coaching staff will be keen to hone as he develops in Claret and Blue.
"There's no doubt he's caught the eye playing senior football and scoring plenty of goals," Robson noted. "Since he's come in, we've seen him develop. He's diligent picking things up and I'm sure that once he's in the programme, we will see him improve more and more. We can see encouraging things in training. There's a lot of potential which hopefully we can tap into over the next few years."
Everyone at West Ham United warmly welcomes Brad to the Club and wishes him every success for his career in Claret and Blue.
