There are a great deal of talented young players who have come through West Ham’s Academy of Football (Transfermarkt), Declan Rice is undoubtedly the biggest name of the lot at the moment but the likes of Grady Diangana, Domingos Quina and Marcus Browne are all good examples, as is the talented Josh Cullen.
The 23-year-old Republic of Ireland midfield man is enjoying a solid season in the Championship at the moment on-loan at Charlton Athletic, but his future is well and truly up in the air, as many clubs have taken note of his impressive displays this season.
The likes of Leeds United, Norwich City, Bournemouth and West Bromwich Albion all fancy taking Cullen on in the summer according to The Daily Mail, leading to the Hammers taking out an option to extend his deal to 2021, but they still face a long-term battle to keep him.
Does Cullen have a future at West Ham?
Yes
No
This season alone has seen the Irons’ loanee rack up 25 appearances in the middle of the park for Charlton in the Championship and he’s scored and assisted once each during that time (Transfermarkt), leading to interest from plenty of interest from other clubs.
The Mail report states:
‘West Ham are facing a fight to hold onto midfield prospect Josh Cullen amid growing interest in the Ireland international. ‘
‘Premier League duo Bournemouth and Norwich plus the Championship’s top two Leeds and West Brom are all keen on prising the 23-year-old away from the London Stadium.’
‘Cullen has caught the eye this term during his second season on loan at Championship Charlton, emerging as one of the division’s standout midfielders despite the Addicks’ struggles.’
‘West Ham have activated an option to extend Cullen’s stay by a further year to 2021 in light of the mounting interest.’
‘But they have yet to reach an agreement with the Essex-born youngster over a longer-term deal, which has encouraged his suitors.’
‘Cullen made his West Ham debut back in the 2015/16 season and has featured nine times in total for the Hammers’ first team, building up the bulk of his senior experience during loan spells at Bradford, Bolton and, most recently, Charlton.’
‘He has also broken into the senior Ireland setup and is due to be part of Mick McCarthy’s squad for their upcoming Euro 2020 play-off against Slovakia.’
