By Louis Nixon

George Earthy has officially left West Ham to go out on loan to Bristol City once again, where last season he managed to help the Championship side into the play-off positions. 

Bristol City currently sit 10th in the Championship and are only two points off being in the play-off positions. It’s a club that was happy to accept Earthy back in a heartbeat, but more importantly for West Ham, Earthy will now be able to gain more experience and enhance his skills even more, something that could become crucial for the Hammers come next year.

West Ham’s future is currently unknown, which is a sad reality to admit. According to OPTA, there’s a 89% chance that the Hammers will not be in the Premier League next year, meaning preparation for the Championship might be our best bet. 

George Earthy, gaining experience in the Championship, Callum Marshall playing in Germany, and a few other youngsters are out on loan. All in all, it appears that we’re preparing for the drop in the event that we go down. 

No Premier League club has ever overturned a 5-point gap between relegation and safety come Christmas, but records are there to be broken. 

Even if the Hammers are to stay up, the positive is that Earthy will be gaining valuable Championship experience for himself, game time, which is much needed after his back-to-back injury setbacks.

Last season he played in 37 Championship matches, and although he only achieved 4 G/A, the real aim was for him to get gametime, learn about the matches and how a game can be played across 90 minutes.

Earthy’s contract does in fact expire at the end of this season, however, the club do have an option to extend. I think Earthy’s future depends on the success of this loan and/or the League the Hammers are in next season.

If Earthy succeeds in Bristol I think his contract will be renewed whatever League we’re in. However, if he doesn’t shine back on loan with The Robins I think he’ll only get a new deal.

Therefore, Hammers fans can only now hope for Earthy to have a good injury-free stint before he returns to West Ham at the end of the season. It has been confirmed that there is no buy/obligation option, so the decision is entirely up to the club.