Former West Ham United goalkeeper Rob Green cannot shake the idea that the Premier League strugglers made a mistake letting so many experienced campaigners go in one fell swoop.
On July 1st, the respective contracts of Aaron Cresswell, Lukasz Fabianski, Vladimir Coufal and Danny Ings expired.
Graham Potter confirmed Michail Antonio’s own departure shortly afterwards. Add in former skipper Kurt Zouma, and West Ham United have in the space of one summer moved on five players who had amassed over 1,000 claret and blue appearances across a combined 35 years of service.
And as Rob Green watched Chelsea obliterate the Hammers on home soil seven days ago, the former England number one was left fearing the worst for a squad which may be a lot younger these days, but which may rue the invaluable loss of a few vocal voices on and off the pitch.
At youth team level, however, a lack of leaders is not something which could be thrown at Lauris Coggin’s characterful Under-18 outfit.
At least, that is the impression summer signing Callum Leacock has following his first few weeks at Chadwell Heath. A debut month in which the Northern Ireland youth star has already donned the captain’s armband.
Callum Leacock has already captained West Ham United’s youngsters
Coggins’ side kicked off the Under-18 Premier League campaign with a 2-0 defeat at Southampton in mid-August.
Leacock led his team out on the banks of the Solent despite having only crossed the Irish Sea some six weeks prior.
“It was a great feeling to make my Premier League South debut and captain the side,” a delighted Leacock now tells the official West Ham website. “I’m glad I could lead the team as captain, even though there are eleven leaders on the pitch.
“I think our team’s really good at that. We have leaders all over the pitch. I like being a leader in the group because they’re a great bunch of boys, and I’m grateful for the trust placed in me.”
If only the same could be said of Graham Potter’s rudderless roster.
The progress of West Ham’s next generation has, at least, been a consistent silver lining over the last couple of years, even as the dark clouds start to amass overhead.
West Ham won the FA Youth Cup in 2023, battering Arsenal in the process, while Mark Robson led an Under-21 side containing Lewis Orford, Kaelan Casey and Ollie Scarles to a fourth-place finish in the Premier League 2 table just last term.
Leacock, meanwhile, is one of a host of teenage talents who now call East London home.
Leacock joined fellow Northern Irishman Joel Kerr in July. Sporting director Mark Noble expects big things from ex-Celtic starlet Daniel Cummings, while Robson feels that midfield powerhouse Mohamadou Kante has shades of a young Patrick Vieira.
Kenny Brown says Northern Ireland starlet is ‘a very good footballer’
West Ham handed professional contracts to the likes of Kerr, Joe Scanlon and Chukwuemeka Obi a few weeks ago, with Leacock the latest to put pen to paper on a full-time deal.
“We’re all delighted that Callum has signed his first professional contract with West Ham United,” academy manager Kenny Brown says, while highlighting the attributes which earned Leacock the armband almost immediately after joining from Linfield.
“Callum is everything you’re looking for, not just in a player but in the way he carries himself on and off the pitch. He’s a very good footballer and leads by example, and his best football is ahead of him.
“It’s a joy because he comes in, he wants to learn and he’s coachable. He’s a good person in the dressing room and is already well liked and well respected, and from day one has just hit the ground running, and that’s full credit to him.
“Everyone’s excited to see what else he can bring to the table and how far we can get him because he’s already excelled in this environment every day. We expect a really bright future with Callum.”
Leacock, who can play as a right-back or at centre-half, understandably looks up to compatriot Callum Marshall. The senior Northern Ireland international also joined West Ham from Linfield and now finds himself on the fringes of the first-team following a fine loan spell at Huddersfield Town.
Leacock is also happy to highlight the ‘clear pathway here for players who excel in the academy’.
Ollie Scarles earned the Young Player of the Year award in May after being fast-tracked from the reserves to Potter’s starting XI.
Interestingly, while Leacock captains West Ham’s Under-18 side aged 17, Airidas Golambeckis is wearing the armband at Under-21 level despite the fact he is also yet to celebrate his 18th birthday.
