Jamal Baptiste has taken to Twitter to react after signing his first professional contract with West Ham, which he penned on the day of his 17th birthday.
The prodigious defender wrote: ‘Over the moon to have signed my first professional contract for @Westham. This Club is all I know and it’s been a huge part of my life for the last 9 years. Lots of hard work to come and I’m ready for that. I can’t wait for my future here!’
In response to the teenager’s tweet, ex-Hammers striker Carlton Cole tweeted: ‘Well done bro! Onwards and upwards.’
Baptiste’s contract marks another significant step for him in the footballing world.
The centre-back, who has six caps for the England Under-16 side, is making remarkable progress at the London Stadium in age groups well above his own.
Baptiste became the second-youngest player to appear for West Ham’s Under-23 side last season at the age of 16, and made a further nine appearances at that level throughout the campaign as West Ham’s official site reveals.
This season, he has remained with the Under-23s, making eight more appearances.
Impressively, he also travelled to Scotland with the first-team and David Moyes over the summer. He even earned 90 minutes in the pre-season win over Wycombe Wanderers, which ended 5-1.
Baptiste – who admits to West Ham’s official site that he looks up to Declan Rice – is clearly far too good for his age group, seeing as he’s always playing at a higher level.
That extends onto the international scene as well. The Irons wonderkid was called up to the England Under-18 side for the first time this season, despite only turning 17 on Wednesday.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
