Official : Nigeria U17 International And Okocha Sign New Deals With West Ham

Published: June 10, 2020

Through a statement on their official website, English Premier League club West Ham United have announced that seven academy scholars have signed their first professional contracts with the club.

Nigeria U17 international goalkeeper Daniel Jinadu and Joshua Okocha, who captains the Hammers U18 side, put pen to paper on new deals this week.

Jinadu was involved in five matches for the U18s this term, including four in the U18 Premier League, and was a non-playing substitute in the Premier League 2, Premier League International Cup, EFL Trophy and FA Youth Cup.

The highly-rated center back Okocha made 16 appearances in the U18 Premier League and also tasted action in the EFL Trophy, Premier League International Cup and U18 Premier League Cup.

Offering his own assessment on Jinadu, West Ham U18 coach Kevin Keen said : "Daniel Jinadu has spent a lot of time training with the U23s this season.

"He came in and played five U18s games in goal, including saving a penalty against Aston Villa in December. He’s a very consistent, hard-working and intelligent goalkeeper."

On Okocha, he said : "Joshua Okotcha was the U18s captain last year. He’s someone who is always extremely conscientious of working on his game and getting better.

"He’s a good, big, strong central defender, and I look forward to seeing how far he can progress in the future."

The 17-year-old Jinadu was the Golden Eaglets first choice goalkeeper at last year's FIFA U17 World Cup in Brazil, featuring in all their matches with the exception of the last group game vs Australia.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

Photo Credit : whufc.com

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