‘He’s had 1-&-a-half decent games, if that’ – Exclusive: West Ham player savaged by ex-striker
Noel Whelan has blasted the agent of West Ham youngster Jeremy Ngakia for the reported contract standoff between player and club.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider assistant editor Russell Edge, the former Premier League striker claims the 19-year-old right-back has been “let down massively” as he heads into the final month of his current terms.
The Daily Mail report that Ngakia’s representatives are demanding a £20,000-a-week, multi-year deal after turning down a one-year, £5,000-a-week offer from the Irons.
Whelan insists that the teenage defender is “worth nothing” after just four first-team games and blames the player’s agent for not prioritising the youngster’s development.
Whelan told Football Insider: “Look, this kid’s obviously got a bit of a brass neck on him, obviously feels he’s an up-and-coming star.
“You’re only a star when you’ve had 150 Premier League appearances, you’ve been in the squad continuously for three, four, five seasons. A player’s only worth what he’s actually produced on the field.
“Now four games is nothing, out of the four games he’s probably had one-and-a-half decent games if that. I don’t think he’s gone about it the right way, I think his agent’s probably let him down massively on this one.
“It should be about progression, staying at the club that you love and whatever they offer you, you take because you’ll only be offered what you’re worth at the time. He’s not worth anything, his worth four games, that’s it, four games.”
Ngakia made his debut for the Hammers against Liverpool earlier this season, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2-0 defeat.
He started the Irons’ last three Premier League games before the league was shutdown, with injuries to Ryan Fredericks and Pablo Zabaleta handing him his chance.
In other West Ham news, a Newcastle player has been told to turn down a “perilous” move to the London Stadium.