West Ham announced on Wednesday that the&nbsp; Nigerian defender Olatunji Akinola has signed his first professional contract with the club.<br /><br />The 17-year-old, who is regarded as one of the promising talents at the Hammers, has penned a three - year deal that will keep him at the Olympic Stadium until the summer of 2019, that is if both parties honour the agreement.<br /><br />In his first words after signing the contract, Akinola said to West Ham&rsquo;s official website : &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a great feeling for me and my family, a very proud day. <br /><br />&ldquo;It feels great that the club have shown faith in me to give me another three years to help develop myself as a footballer.&rdquo;<br /><br />Tunji Akinola has been on the books of West Ham since the age of eight and is one of the first names on the team sheet of the U18s squad.<br /><br />Over the course of the 2015-2016 season, the teenager made 21 starts for West Ham U18s , scoring two goals which helped the Londoners qualify for the elite group of the playoffs. <br /><br />Ifeanyi Emmanuel <br /><br />Photo Credit : whufc.com<br />