David Gold gives West Ham fans cause for optimism over youth policy
By Danny Wright
West Ham co-owner David Gold has told fans that the club are fully committed towards investing in youth.
The 80-year-old has recently come under fire from the supporters for his attitude towards youngsters that are vying for a place in Slaven Bilic's first-team plans.
Young defender Reece Oxford has been at the centre of the whole debate as, according to the Mirror, he is set for a loan move to Borussia Monchengladbach after spending a temporary stint at Reading this season which saw him fail to earn much game time.
However now, Gold has offered the fans some optimism over West Ham's view towards developing youngsters by revealing a stat about their spending on the academy.
"We are investing more money in young players than at any other time in the history of the club," he said on his personal Twitter account on Sunday.
The angry supporter's tweet came after Gold admitted that it will be hard for Oxford to find a place in the first-team with the likes of Jose Fonte and Winston Reid currently among the ranks.
West Ham fans clearly feel that their academy is something that is worth protecting and also worth investing in as it has developed some of the greatest names in English football over the years.
Legendary players like Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters were part of the 1966 World Cup winning squad while more recently players like Michael Carrick, Jermaine Defoe, Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard have all made the grade.
We’ve launched a << BREAKING NEWS FEED>> exclusively for your club. ‘Like Us’ on Facebook by clicking here if you want 24/7 updates on all West Ham breaking news.