24-year-old West Ham released this summer named Player of the Month for second time

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Dapo Afolayan has swept back-to-back Player of the Month awards since joining Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer after West Ham United released the winger this summer.

Bolton signed Afolayan to a three-year contract in May after spending the latter half of last season there on loan. The Hammers agreed to send the 24-year-old to UniBol in search of regular game time with his path toward the first-team blocked at the London Stadium.

Afolayan impressed in League Two, despite only scoring once in 21 games, to help Bolton seal promotion into the third-tier. He has now built a home for himself and is thriving in League One, with six goals after 11 appearances.

Bolton supporters have taken fondly to Afolayan’s performances since Wanderers signed the former West Ham prospect permanently this summer. The UniBol fanbase voted the London-born attacker as their Player of the Month for August, and again for September.

Bolton announced on Wednesday that Afolayan had swept back-to-back awards after 75% of fans who voted selected him for September. The winger scored three goals in five games last month, helping to Wanderers’ only League One wins under Ian Evatt.

Afolayan has started all 11 of Bolton’s League One fixtures so far this season since leaving West Ham as a free agent. His Hammers contract expired in June, and elected to leave east London to further his career after one first-team appearance.

Should West Ham regret releasing Afolayan amid Bolton form?

Afolayan again showed West Ham what they released when he scored for Bolton in their win over Shrewsbury last Saturday. The Irons could regret letting the forward leave the London Stadium for free amid his form at the UniBol now.

West Ham boss David Moyes held talks with Afolayan before his permanent Bolton transfer to discuss his future in claret-and-blue. The forward told The Bolton News in May: “I am not too sure yet [what the future holds].

“I said to everyone that I would wait until the end of the season and help Bolton get promoted, re-assess my options, see what happens. I need to go back to West Ham and have a conversation with them, but everything is on the table.”