The future of former club captain and current Sporting Director Mark Noble has been one of recent speculation, with ExWHUEmployee providing an update.

There have been various reports suggesting that Noble is due to step down from his role and would focus more on the Academy side of things at the club, however Ex has advised that is not the case.

“This has been denied by a well placed source in the club,” stated our club insider on The West Ham Way Patreon. “We were told that Noble has already been focusing a lot of his work on the Academy.

“He has been instrumental in reevaluating the academy by securing long term deals for highly rated prospects and helping with on the pitch successes such as winning the U18s league and cup.

“He has worked alongside the U21s and U18s during training and in evaluating their performances using analytics, as well as being a steady source of advice for them as they progress on their career journeys.”

Ex though has revealed that plans are in place to further support Noble in his development within his role as Sporting Director, with it felt he has been heavily relied upon in many areas with little assistance to aide delivering his duties.

“The club are looking to bring further personnel in to support Noble in his roles at the club because he has been so spread across many areas, said Ex. “Whilst supporting the academy he has also helped with the first team and recruitment and it is thought he should lead a team of specialists rather than do all roles himself.

“Noble has no intention of stepping down from any position but instead intends to work within a team of specialists.”

It is understood that Noble is very highly regarded by the club and there are absolutely no intentions of letting him leave, with plans in place for our former captain to develop and stay at West Ham for many more years to come.

“Noble has a massive role to play at the club and this cannot be underestimated and is massively appreciated by the club’s hierarchy,” added Ex. “Ultimately he is a huge fan like us all and can speak as one and also as an academy player who played over 500 times for the club-his experience is invaluable.

“This experience has been well used since January in working with the new signings at the club and helping them to adjust to the demands of the club and the league. The positive affects are there to see with a notable upturn in the the performances of certain individuals such as Lucas Paqueta amongst others.

”After such a successful career where he invested his earnings wisely, Mr West Ham does not need to do the role for financial gain and does the role for his love of the club. Like his playing career we are sure he will be successful for many years.”