West Ham have confirmed that they have reached an agreement with the League One club for the permanent transfer of midfielder George Earthy, with the deal coming just days before the September 1 transfer deadline.
The 21-year-old previously gained valuable experience during a loan spell at Bristol City, but he will now continue his career in League One with the Berkshire-based side.
Earthy made 47 Championship appearances for Bristol City, starting 13 of those matches. He was also named among the substitutes but did not feature in West Ham’s 2-2 draw against Burnley last Sunday.
However, his future has now been settled, with the midfielder completing a permanent move away from the London Stadium as he appears to have fallen outside Nuno Espirito Santo’s plans.
His departure follows the arrival of Arne Engels from Celtic and makes Earthy the second West Ham academy graduate to leave the club this summer, following Freddie Potts’ move to Club Brugge.
The decision has not gone down well with some West Ham supporters. Football League World’s West Ham fan pundit Ryan Horn criticised the club’s decision to allow another promising academy player to leave permanently.
Horn believes Earthy and Potts could both have provided useful squad depth this season, particularly considering the demands of a promotion campaign and the number of matches involved.
“It’s absolutely stupid,” Horn said.
He admitted that Earthy could benefit from regular football after dropping down a division and backed the midfielder to make a big impact because of his potential.
However, he questioned why West Ham were willing to sell both Earthy and Potts when they could have provided valuable options within the squad.
Horn also pointed to Potts’ previous success at Portsmouth, where he was named the club’s Player of the Season, arguing that West Ham could need players with Championship experience as they look to build a squad capable of handling the demands of the season.
With Engels arriving but Edson Alvarez reportedly wanting to leave, Horn believes West Ham still need greater depth and questioned whether selling promising young players was the right approach.
