West Ham United's flying start in the Premier League – taking ten points from their first 12 – can be attributed to their successful summer of spending, using the 105m from the sale of Declan Rice to bring in the likes of James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez and Mohammed Kudus.
Instead of splashing their war chest of funds on one big money signing, the Hammers went about their transfer dealings in admirable fashion, spreading their funds on quality additions to fill more than just the void left by the departing Englishman.
While several incomings were brought in to start their new chapter in east London and embark on a season of Europa League football, those youngsters in the Hammers' academy will all have dreams of achieving similar in the coming years, saving the club a lot of money in the process.
Who is in West Ham's academy?
West Ham are a club built on the opportunities provided to players emerging from the youth setup and while Rice is the most notable of those in recent times, this doesn't rule out other talented youngsters making inroads into the first-team.
The biggest of those talents making his voice heard is 18-year-old Divin Mubama, who has been scoring goals for fun in the Hammers's underage groups, leading to opportunities in the first team.
David Moyes handed him his debut in the Europa Conference League group stage last season as a trip to Bucharest saw him mark his debut with an assist, and he has since kicked on from there, appearing on three occasions in the Premier League.
Mubama's sharp rise towards first-team contention has paved the way for other youngsters to follow in his footsteps and one of those is Joshua Ajala.
Who is Joshua Ajala?
Much like Rice, who joined the Hammers from Chelsea at 14-years-old, Ajala has made the switch from west to east London this summer and if his journey in claret and blue is similar to the 24-year-olds, West Ham will have unearthed another gem from their London rivals.
Speaking after Ajala signed his scholarship with the club, former West Ham striker and current U16s coach Carlton Cole spoke highly about the youngster, saying: “Joshua is a young forward who has impressed and we’re all excited to see him play in Claret and Blue going forward.”
Since making the switch to East London, the 16-year-old – a 'pacy forward' as per West Ham's official channels – has certainly translated that excitement onto the field, showcasing his character in big moments to the benefit of his team.
Although Ajala would have been disappointed to have not made the starting XI against Arsenal, he responded in fine fashion by coming off the bench – while his team were down to ten men – to rifle in a venomous strike and salvage a point for his team.
He followed that up by dispatching a penalty in a 3-0 victory over Fulham and has since reflected on his tremendous start to life at the club, outlining his aspirations to follow in the footsteps of recent academy graduates, Rice, Mubama and Ben Johnson.
He said: There is a really good pathway to the first team at this football Club and that played a big part in my decision to move here.
“I’ve seen a lot of players progress through the youth ranks from the outside, such as Divin. I know that if I keep working and keep performing that I will have an opportunity to do the same.”
With Ajala desperate to carve his own pathway towards the senior setup, continuing his rate of goal-scoring won't do any harm to his chances of achieving that dream.
