West Ham Weekly Loan Watch

Hello, Hammers, and welcome back! With an abysmal start for the West Ham United first team, we thought we’d continue this series that keeps things a bit more optimistic and gives us a look toward the future of the club. Unfortunately at this rate the players on loan to Championship clubs will be back in the Championship next season in a claret and blue kit — and, no, we don’t mean Aston Villa.

A lot has changed in terms of the amount of loanees that were out last season, so let’s get this rolling!

Josh Cullen

After two incredible seasons with League One outfit Bradford City, the club decided it was time for Josh Cullen to move up to the big(ger) leagues where his mettle could be further tested, which saw the Irishman loaned to Championship club Bolton Wanderers alongside fellow young Hammer Reece Burke.

Cullen has already made five appearances for Bolton and it seems that he’s worked his way into the first team this time around too as he played all 90 minutes in the first four league matches and 59 in his latest appearance. Now, during the international break, Cullen is captaining the Ireland U21s. The kid just doesn’t quit.

Reece Burke

As aforementioned, Burke has also been loaned out to Championship side Bolton Wanderers. The 21-year-old had some injury problems last season while at Wigan Athletic, so this gives him a good shot to prove himself and get into the first team for Bolton. It seems that this has worked in the lad’s favor as he has made five appearances so far for the Wanderers. After subbing in for the squad’s first match of the season, it looks as if Burke has made himself a home in the starting lineup after playing 90 minutes in the latest four matches. The Championship outfit has only accrued two points out of those five matches so far, so things aren’t looking good, but it’s early — as long as West Ham’s players are developing and getting a lot of playing time, the outcomes don’t matter so much in the grand scheme of things.

Reece Oxford

Reece Oxford is one of the more well-known young names for the Irons. After an abysmal loan with Championship side Reading where the 18-year-old didn’t get much game time, it seems Oxford is having much of the same problem breaking into the first team with German side Borussia Mönchengladbach — granted, this time around it makes more sense as the Bundesliga is arguably the most competitive first tier league outside of the Premier League.

We’re pulling for the youngster to at least get some game time during this loan spell, and we all know he has the potential to make a great impact after he “pocketed” Mesut Ozil as a 16-year-old in his first league start for West Ham during the 2015/16 campaign.

Robert Snodgrass

Last, and definitely least, we’ve got Robert Snodgrass, the infamous panic buy who didn’t make much of an impact at West Ham. Snoddy was loaned to Championship side Aston Villa, and (surprise!) hasn’t made an impact there either. The Scotsman hasn’t even made an appearance for the side, but we’re sure he’ll make one eventually. Maybe.