Why West Ham should snap up teenage sensation Mipo Odubeko

According to The Sunday People, West Ham are set to win the race for former Man United teenager sensation Mipo Odubeko, with the Hammers emerging as the clear favourites to sign the 16-year-old striker. 

The Republic of Ireland U-17 international is currently a free agent after leaving Man United earlier in the summer and he has been linked with moves to several Premier League clubs, including Newcastle and Burnley, while continental giants like Bayern Munich and Juventus are also understood to be hot on the starlet’s trail. (h/t The Sun)

However, as the story goes, West Ham are now in pole position to beat off competition from a number of top clubs in Europe and have the final say in the race to land the 16-year-old’s signature.

Odubeko is viewed as an exciting young prospect in English football and the Hammers are apparently keen to polish him into a future star. 

Odubeko started his career at St. Joseph’s Boys Club in Dublin before joining Man City in the youth ranks and moved on to rivals Man United to further his development when a spell on the blue half of Manchester came to an end. 

The 16-year-old caught the eye with his rapid development in the youth ranks at Old Trafford, having bagged as many as 35 goals for the Red Devils across various age-group levels last season.

Odubeko earned rave reviews from the youth staff at United and was regarded as a player with the potential to enjoy a breakthrough in the senior ranks in the future. 

United were keen to reward him with a new long-term deal for his progress but the youngster departed the club after negotiations failed to reach a positive end, The Sun understands. 

To put things into perspective, West Ham have every reason to look at Mipo Odubeko as someone who could go on to evolve into a future star in the years to come. 

That the 16-year-old earned plaudits at United and has been linked with Europe’s elites like Bayern Munich and Juventus are indicative of his vast potential and the Hammers’ decision to snap him up for free could reap rich rewards. 

Odubeko, of course, is viewed by West Ham as a long-term prospect and he still needs to go through several stages in his development before he is ready to make the transition to senior men’s football and ultimately make an impact at the highest level.

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For the time being, though, the Irish youth international would add much-needed depth and quality to the Hammers’ U-18 and U-23 ranks. 

All in all, snapping up a player of his potential for free would be a piece of daylight robbery that West Ham certainly cannot afford to miss out on.