It’s safe to say that Academy of Football graduate Ollie Scarles is in his own footballing utopia right now – and long may it continue.
Scarles' pure joy and huge, infectious smile after another stunning performance at left-wing back that helped West Ham United record back-to-back Premier League victories at Arsenal and home to Leicester City captured the feeling around the 19-year-old's breakthrough season in east London.
He had just received a standing ovation for his performance by the London Stadium crowd after showing the character that has helped him excel through the Club's youth ranks. It’s a symbol of the high esteem in which the Club and its supporters hold this precocious talent. As an acknowledgement of Scarles’ progress, supporters often chant, ‘He is one of our own’.
It has been a whirlwind week for Scarles, who received his first Premier League start in the 1-0 victory against Arsenal, and he soon followed that with his second consecutive start against Leicester City five days later.
And he described his gratitude to Head Coach Graham Potter while reflecting on an incredible week at the Club.
“It’s been a good week with two wins and two clean sheets, so you can't really ask for much more,” said Scarles.
“He's [Graham Potter] really influenced my style of play and has told me to be me because I'm training well and playing well in the minutes I'm getting.
“He has brought good energy [to the Club]. The manager and all his staff are really positive, and I’ve got such a good relationship with all of them, and it’s just brought a good vibe to the training ground. You can feel it at the training ground and when we play.
“I think playing that wing-back role really suits me, so he's got me in a position where I can show myself [in attack] and also the defensive side of the job as well.
“I never thought I would get this many [minutes]. It was always my goal to break through to the first-team and I couldn't be more grateful for the minutes that I'm getting. I’ve had two starts in the last two games, which I never really expected at the start of the season.
“It's starting to feel more real [that I'm now a first-team player]. I think at the start, I was looking around, thinking this maybe isn't real, but I'm starting to feel it. I'm training with the squad every day and in the changing room, so I think it's starting to feel a lot more real.
“It’s been a big jump [stepping up to the first-team environment], but that's something you have to get used to if you want to get to the level of these players.”
If anyone knows exactly what it takes to have a successful career at left-back in Claret and Blue, it is Aaron Cresswell.
Cresswell, who is just one of 26 players who have made 350 appearances for West Ham in the Club’s history, has shown unwavering consistency in both availability and performance that has characterised his career since his move to east London from Ipswich Town in the summer of 2014, and Scarles says he could ask for no better tutor as he learns his craft.
“Everyone's been really helpful after moving into the [first-team] squad,” Scarles said. “I think it helps having such a senior player in Aaron [Cresswell] behind me as the left centre-back, and he talks me through the game all the time. Having a player like that, who's played 300 Premier League games, you can’t ask for much more, really.
“You see what he [Aaron Cresswell] has done for the Club and you want to be the next one to achieve that. He’s the example, and he’s someone you look up to. That's what I'm working towards, and hopefully I can follow in his footsteps.”
