Endrick to West Ham : Graham Potter’s exciting youth revolution
Endrick Felipe Moreira is not a name many West Ham fans will be familiar with. In a nutshell, he is one of Real Madrid’s biggest rising stars, an 18 year old Brazilian striker of whom so much is expected.
However, with such a talented line up ahead of him in the queue for places in the starting eleven, ‘Endrick’ as he is known has failed to kick on and is frustrated at the lack of game time he’s getting at Spain’s biggest football club.
Reported at the week end in fichajes.net and covered by a host of outlets in the last 24 hours, and by gonzo today in claretandhugh’s article, it does seem that there is a genuine opportunity for the teenager to land-albeit temporarily – at London Stadium.
Graham Potter’s highly publicised ‘youth revolution’ has got the Hammers noticed and, as per the report: “West Ham United has shown a strong interest in the transfer [loan – MT] of Endrick. Under the direction of Graham Potter, the English club looks favorably on the incorporation of the young striker, trusting that his adaptation to the Premier League could be positive”.
“In the coming months, it is expected that Endrick’s future will be defined, since a loan seems to be the best option for the player to continue growing and, eventually, return to Real Madrid with more experience and ready to face the great challenges of European football.”
Much will depend on the second half of West Ham’s season – the success of loanee Evan Ferguson, as an example which Real Madrid could follow with Endrick – might be pivotal in securing the teenage prodigy’s talent at West Ham in the summer.
Call it a continuation of the ‘Scarles effect’ – all sorts of young talent will be pulled towards West Ham if Graham Potter’s youth revolution continues to succeed: Clearly with all of the publicity being given to Ollie Scarles’ success and Evan Ferguson’s loan, with other talent close to joining the first team – Guilherme, Kasey, Ajala and Orford all being close to the starting eleven now, opinions of West Ham are being revised by many who had an opinion that youth couldn’t prosper in east London.
Fiorentina and Olympic Lyonnais are other clubs mentioned as destinations for the young striker to get much needed experience but as West Ham reinvent themselves as a team who promote and develop youth, I wouldn’t write this one off.
