West Ham United sent scouts to watch Premier League rivals Southampton lose 4-1 to Charlton Athletic in the EFL Trophy last night, as reported by All Nigeria Soccer.
At this stage, we wouldn’t be surprised to learn there were more scouts than fans in attendance at The Valley.
That’s not meant as a criticism of Charlton supporters, nor any travelling Saints faithful for that matter.
It’s just the EFL Trophy can be as popular as a sausage sandwich at Forest Green at times, a Frankenstein cup that pits Premier League U23 sides (well, those that can be bothered to take part) against proud third and fourth-tier outfits who have nothing to gain. Win and they’re just battering a team of kids, lose and suffer nationwide humiliation.
Who were West Ham, Manchester United and Chelsea scouting?
Fortunately for Charlton – and the 649 home supporters in attendance – there was no humiliation last night, merely a professional, controlled and well-deserved 4-1 win complete with a Jayden Stockley hat-trick.
According to ANS, representatives working on behalf of West Ham were joined by scouts from Manchester United and Chelsea in the stands, although who they were there to watch remains a mystery.
The report does point out Deji Elerewe, an 18-year-old who starred at centre-half for Charlton, may have his fair share of admirers, particularly given his contract is due to expire next summer.
Of all the Southampton players to feature, including 32-year-old player-coach Olly Lancashire, scorer of the second-half consolation, perhaps the most high-profile was Dynel Simeu.
19-year-old Simeu captained Chelsea U23s on a number of occasions last season before joining Tino Livramento on the South Coast in a deal understood to be in the region of £1.5 million.
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