By Joe Coleman

To say West Ham United are the most dismal club in the Premier League is a completely fair statement, albeit a chastening one.

The constant stream of negative rumours, scattergun transfer policy, seemingly rudderless direction from the hierarchy, and generally dour atmosphere surrounding the club are all compounding the perilous league position the club find themselves in.

For those who remember the most recent relegation from the league in 2011, I’m sure we can all agree it was a desperate time. Avram Grant is without doubt one of the most insipid individuals the club have ever employed, and watching Tal Ben Haim and Danny Gabbidon switch between left-back was painful, to say the least.

However, there was a core of players around which the fans could resonate with. James Tomkins, Mark Noble and Jack Collison had not yet developed into Premier League quality players, but they at least understood what it meant to play for the club.

And this reveals one of the biggest problems of recent years, the failure to successfully integrate homegrown academy players into the first team.

I had the pleasure of watching the Under-18’s team on multiple occasions in the 2022/23 season as they embarked on a historic campaign. Despite having a budget which was ten times smaller, the club came within a whisker of pipping Manchester City to an unprecedented double of the FA Youth Cup and the Premier League Development League.

Kaelan Casey, Ollie Scarles, Lewis Orford, George Earthy and Divin Mubama have all made first team appearances following their success of 2023, yet their progress has stalled.

The famous night at the Emirates saw the Hammers come from a goal down to dismantle their hosts, an opposition line-up which included Ethan Nwaneri and Miles Lewis-Skelly. The fact not a single player from that West Ham side has been properly integrated into the first-team is alarming.

Earthy’s departure to Bristol City on loan was heralded by fans of the Robins, but surely a player of his quality can fit into West Ham’s side? Brave on the ball and creative in equal measure, you feel as though the chasm created by Lucas Paqueta could be filled by the midfielder. Similarly, Mubama’s move to Manchester City raised eyebrows at the time, but the club have since spent almost £75m on Niclas Fullkrug, Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos alone.

To suggest the club’s academy players will suddenly arrest the seemingly inevitable slump towards the Championship is unfair, and probably inaccurate. However, there is a serious lack of identity about West Ham on and off the pitch currently.

Integrating some homegrown, hungry players who genuinely support the club doesn’t seem like the worst idea in the world.