11 November 2023 , 11:55
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David Moyes is urging Divin Mubama to commit his future to West Ham and avoid the mistakes made by several youngsters who have forced their way out of east London.
Striker Mubama, 19, is refusing to sign a contract at the club he joined as an eight year old because he wants to play regularly. But Moyes believes he must be patient because there are few current examples of players his age breaking through in the Premier League.
And the Hammers boss says Mubama, whose deal expires in the summer, could do worse than look at others who have “made incredibly wrong decisions” when in similar situations. Grady Diangana, Jeremy Ngakia and Sonny Perkins have turned their backs on the club during Moyes’ second spell in charge only to so far fall short of their own expectations at new sides.
“We really like Divin. He’s an east end boy and a West Ham supporter, a great lad. We love him to bits,” Moyes said. “I feel the best thing for Divin is to sign a contract at West Ham. He’s got competition in front of him but he’s only young. He’s doing really well. He’s coming on, involved with England.
“We like him a lot. If I could get him more opportunities I would. But he’s a 19-year-old centre-forward and there’s not many of them playing in the Premier League.
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“What’s the average age of getting into the first team now? My feeling is it’s 21. A lot of them are getting impatient but the bigger problem is their agents want to take them away and get games elsewhere.
“So many are making the wrong decisions. There’s a few boys left here who have made incredibly wrong decisions. They’re in a great environment here. We’re a football club who want to put young players in.
“There’s a few who left and made big mistakes. If they are not careful, they can get bad information about what they are doing and how their career path should go.”
Moyes admits West Ham found it hard to sign a striker last summer, leading to winger Jarrod Bowen moving inside recently. And with Michail Antonio and Danny Ings entering the twilight of their careers, an opportunity could arrive soon.
Antonio has not found the net since August and ahead of tomorrow’s meeting with Nottingham Forest, Moyes said: “We need Mich to score goals. He started the season really well but we need him to score. If you’re going to be a No9 you need those goals.”