West Ham youngster Reece Oxford has remained with the club.
Reece Oxford has a lot of work to do to show why he can fulfil his outstanding potential.
Feted after making his Premier League debut at the age of 16, Oxford has struggled to kick on.
A poor loan spell at Borussia Moenchengladbach did not help, and his failure to land another temporary West Ham exit could work in his favour.
Loans in Germany and previously with Reading did nothing for him, and the right decision has been made to keep him around.
The Mail reported Dutch club AZ Alkmaar and Spanish side Eibar showed late interest last week in taking Oxford on loan.
Another report in Daily Mail later claimed Hull City tried to sign Oxford before the loan deadline, without success.
Whether it was West Ham, or Oxford, who made the final decision to stay put is unclear, but it is the best solution for all concerned.
At the weekend Oxford scored in the under-23s victory over Liverpool.
He has now scored twice in his last two games, netting against Arsenal a week earlier, and is leading by example while captaining the side.
Oxford is responding well to the challenge and he is developing under the close watch of West Ham’s coaching staff.
With the first team struggling for results, there may be a moment where manager Manuel Pellegrini needs a fresh face or two.
In a few weeks time, bringing in a confident, in form Oxford might turn out to be the boost everybody needs, and rejuvenate his career in the process.
Staying put and not going out on loan looks like being the right move.
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