#13 Reece Oxford
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English talent over the years has had a tendency to become overhyped by the media causing an inflation in their market value. And West Ham is sitting on a pot of gold, but are highly unlikely to let this hot property leave as of now. Reece Oxford is one of the most anticipated talents in English football at the moment.
A central defender by trade, Oxford has set the record for the youngest player to appear for West Ham when he debuted at the age of 16 years and 198 days. In fact, he was an unused substitute in a league cup match a year earlier.
Born and raised in Edmonton, London, Oxford has had a personally complicated career so far. An Arsenal fan by heart, he started out at Tottenham’s academy, their North London rival’s before being dropped. At the age of 11, the youngster joined another local rival and his present club, West Ham.
As mentioned earlier, his rise through the West Ham youth ranks has been meteoric. In the season where he was training with the first-team squad at the age of 15, he earned the Dylan Tombides Academy Player of the Year, given to the best player at the age group.
His style of play has been often compared to former Hammer Rio Ferdinand. He is good with the ball at his feet, while maintaining aerial strength and is very versatile. His versatility can also be a weakness as he could not switch roles effectively in different matches.
It’s not often that teams in the first division of English football give debuts at such an early age. And Oxford has rewarded the club by recently signing a 5-year contract extension valid till 2021. For the time being, that has put the transfer rumours to bed, but it won’t be long before the bigger clubs begin their attempts to lure him away again.
The current West Ham squad has been leaking goals this season. In the first 15 games this season, West Ham conceded 29 goals, almost two per match and have only just managed to stabilise the defence in the past three games. There is a clear need for a calm and composed ball player at the back that would support the club vice-captain, Winston Reid.
Their current manager, Slaven Bilic gave him his Europe league debut and has expressed his appreciation for Oxford’s potential. It should not be long before he is moved up in the order to provide a larger role in West Ham’s backline.
