West Ham will be facing some of their recent academy graduates in the Championship this season.

Very few of the Irons’ youngsters from the last few years are still at the club. In this window alone, the Hammers have sold FA Cup Youth winners George Earthy and Callum Marshall, as well as Freddie Potts in a hugely surprising move.

But while those players will play down a division or abroad, there are a few players who have come through West Ham’s academy who are likely to face their boyhood club this season.

Conor Coventry – Charlton Athletic

West Ham face Charlton in their first home league game of the season, and Coventry is likely to play on his return to the London Stadium. The 26-year-old midfielder made 110 appearances for the Irons at youth level, but only 10 for the first team. Since moving to the Valley in 2024, he has played 112 times for the Addicks, scoring once and providing five assists from defensive midfield. He also made his Republic of Ireland debut last November.

Oladapo Afolayan – Blackburn Rovers

If you watched the opening game of the Championship season, you may have noticed Afolayan, who was one of Blackburn’s star men against Wolves. But the 28-year-old actually played for the Irons’ U23 side 37 times. He appeared once for the first team, in a 4-0 win over Doncaster in the 2020/21 FA Cup. Funnily enough, he also scored in that game.

Nathan Trott – Cardiff City

Trott was an academy goalkeeper in East London for years, making 65 appearances for the Irons at youth level. The 27-year-old has played for Wimbledon, Nancy in France and FC Copenhagen. He moved to Wales last year and helped Cardiff to seal promotion from League One.

Trott’s only senior appearance for West Ham came in that same game against Doncaster in the FA Cup. He came on as a substitute for Łukasz Fabiański, playing a total of seven minutes for the Hammers.

Divin Mubama – Southampton

The one that got away, perhaps? Mubama was the most exciting prospect on this list. He made multiple appearances in the Hammers’ successful 2023 UEFA Conference League campaign, even scoring against AEK Larnaca in the round of 16. Despite scoring 63 goals in 97 youth games for West Ham, he only made 18 senior appearances for the Irons.

He was released in 2024 after the club could not agree a new contract with him, and now he plays at Manchester City. The Newham native has been loaned out to the Saints this season and could face West Ham as early as this month in the Carabao Cup.