Teenage midfielder Dan Chesters has been rewarded with a professional contract at West Ham United and, as U18 coach Kevin Keen tells the club’s official website, he is exactly the sort of player the Hammers fans will love.
Things might have not gone to plan for the London giants at Premier League level in recent months but, behind the scenes, one of the most feted academies in English football continue to churn out exciting talents at an impressive rate.
Declan Rice and Jeremy Ngakia have had a huge impact on West Ham’s first team in recent weeks while Xande Silva and Ben Johnson look set to make the step up in the next few months.
18-year-old Chesters, however, has a long way to go before he too is playing top-flight football.
But, after being handed professional terms on Wednesday alongside six other Hammers starlets, he has taken a giant step forward in his young career.
And Keen is confident that Chesters, with his dynamic, all-action style, has everything in his locker to be a bonafide fans’ favourite at the London Stadium.
“Dan Chesters is the type of player that West Ham fans associate with the Club,” Keen says.
“He’s a very creative, quick, attacking midfield player, but also has the ability to be tenacious and win the ball back for the team. He’s one to look out for.”
Keen is also full of praise for the likes of Will Greenidge, goalkeeper Daniel Jinadu and Keenan Appiah-Forson, the latter of whom has been described as a ‘tenacious, fantastic talent’ with room to grow.
The present might have been something of a struggle for West Ham but the future certainly looks bright.
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