West Ham United gem Lewis Orford has agreed to a new five-year contract at the London Stadium, according to Sean Whetstone.
The 6ft 2 editor reported via the West Ham Football X account (21 August) that the teenager is set to pen a new deal in East London having previously been targeted by Premier League rivals Aston Villa.
Hammers legend Mark Noble, technical director Tim Steidten and David Sullivan were all involved in discussions and helped get the young midfielder’s new contract over the line alongside his representatives.
ExWHUEmployee had previously reported that Orford was set to sign a new contract with Julen Lopetegui’s side having been used as a makeweight in the Irons deal to try and sign Jhon Duran [The West Ham Way, 31 July].
Will Lewis Orford sign a new West Ham contract after Aston Villa transfer developments?
Several West Ham fans were incredibly frustrated when news broke that Orford could be heading to Aston Villa as part of the deal to bring Duran to East London, so this contract update is a huge step in the right direction.
The young midfielder is an incredibly promising prospect and there is an expectation that he will go on to be a key player at the London Stadium, so tying him down to a long-term deal feels like a masterstroke from the Irons.
Not only does it give the player some security around his future, but it also ensures any club looking to tap him over the coming seasons will have to pay a considerable transfer fee to secure his signature.
Hopefully, an official contract announcement should be made by the club sooner rather than later so that any fears over a potential summer exit can be put to bed before the transfer window slams shut at the end of August.
Lopetegui will likely be keen to hand Orford and some other young players some minutes in his first team once he gets his feet under the table at the London Stadium.
In other West Ham news, a senior Hammers source has responded to a new Tammy Abraham transfer update at the London Stadium
WEST HAM RELATED NEWS
Mohammed Kudus’ second-half goals gave West Ham a 2-0 win over Manchester United in the Premier League’s early game on Saturday, as the Hammers briefly moved into the top six.
Bowen bundled home from close range in the 72nd minute after a lovely one-two with Lucas Paqueta, who played in Kudus six minutes later to settle the game with a sharp finish.
West Ham, recovering from a bruising 5-1 defeat to Liverpool in the League Cup in midweek, move up to sixth on 30 points. United, who have not scored in their last four games in all competitions, drop to eighth on 28 points.
“We didn’t start particularly well but we kept ourselves in the game,” Hammers boss David Moyes said.
Moyes said his side’s return of 30 points at this stage in the season was “a brilliant number of points for us”.
He added: “We are not going to be a club who’s going to be rattling right at the top – we’ll try to – but until we grow, keep growing, keep improving, try to improve a bit every year, that’s all we can do.
