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West Ham United youngster Louie Watson has signed a new contract at the club, the Hammers have confirmed.
What’s the word?
Watson has been far from an integral part of the Under-18s side in recent seasons, making a total of 26 appearances.
He has scored twice and laid on three assists and has been on the bench for the Under-23’s too.
He has also won two caps for the Republic of Ireland Under-18 side, playing twice against Turkey in March.
And he has now set his sights on reaching the first-team under Manuel Pellegrini, telling the club’s official website: “It’s a great achievement.
“Me and my family are really happy with what I have achieved and now I’ve got it I’ve got to work harder on and off the pitch to get to where I want to be and that’s the Premier League.
“It’s the first contract and hopefully the first of many, so I’ve got to push on. I hope to have a strong season with the 23s next season and ultimately get to the first team.”
Breakthrough unlikely
West Ham continue to look to the future but Watson is hardly the most exciting player within their youth academy.
At the age of 17, he has struggled for game time at the Hammers; he missed a total of 13 games for the Under-18s this term.
When he came back into the team for the final eight matches of the season, the Irons won just two.
He has yet to have a sniff of the first-team, which is perhaps understandable, but this is not a player who is ever likely to find himself mixing it with the likes of Marko Arnautovic, Mark Noble and Felipe Anderson.
Perhaps this deal, then, is designed to merely inflate his value and ensure that, if any club comes in with a bid, West Ham can extract the highest possible fee.