Which pathway will Ollie Scarles take? Will West Ham United’s 2024/25 Young Player of the Year follow in the footsteps of Declan Rice?
Will he one day become a regular fixture in the England XI? Will he reach the heights of the Champions League, or perhaps challenge for the Premier League title back home?
Declan Rice was named West Ham’s Young Player of the Year for four seasons running from 2017 to 2020.
Half a decade on, he is now the most expensive British footballer of all time. Real Madrid are still reeling, meanwhile, from the two sublime free-kicks Rice curled past Thibaut Courtois during a famous 3-0 Arsenal victory in the spring.
Rice, then, sets the benchmark for the brightest, baby-faced talent emerging from West Ham United’s academy these days. It was Michael Carrick, Joe Cole and Rio Ferdinand all those years ago. Now, Rice is the example for Ollie Scarles and co to follow even if that £105 million switch to London neighbours Arsenal did leave a sour taste in many Hammers mouths.
Another Young Player of the Year of the recent past is also earning a living in London as of Wednesday morning; Reece Burke completing his return to the capital.
New Charlton Athletic signing Reece Burke in action during Wolverhampton Wanderers v Luton Town - Premier League
Photo by Dave Howarth – CameraSport via Getty Images
Reece Burke joins West Ham United’s London neighbours Charlton Athletic
Centre-back Reece Burke was named the best young talent at West Ham United all the way back in 2015.
A tally five of Premier League appearances was as close as he would come, however, to nailing down a first-team berth. A tally Scarles overtook in the space of just a few months last season.
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For the first time since leaving West Ham for Hull City in 2018, meanwhile, the Newham-born Burke returns to the city of his birth. He joins a Charlton Athletic side whose stadium is situated just five-and-a-half miles from the Hammers’ cavernous home.
“I’m really pleased to be here,” Burke tells the official Charlton website after reuniting with the manager under whom he briefly played Premier League football at Luton Town; Nathan Jones.
“I’ve worked with Nathan before. It felt like we had a good connection. I felt he brought the best out of me. I know what sort of team he can build and that environment is something I want to be a part of.”
'We’re really pleased to bring Reece in – he’s a wonderful defender and a really good character. He comes to us with plenty of Premier League and Championship experience and will really add to the group.' 💪
The gaffer on our fifth summer signing ✍️#cafc pic.twitter.com/IRAdIACYVT
— Charlton Athletic FC (@CAFCofficial) July 9, 2025
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The wild-eyed Jones is hoping to repeat his remarkable Luton success story at The Valley. He guided Charlton – another former Premier League stalwart to fall on hard times under nightmarish ownership – back to the Championship in May via a play-off final victory over London neighbours Leyton Orient.
“We’re really pleased to bring Reece in,” smiles Jones. “He’s a wonderful defender and a really good character. He comes to us with plenty of Premier League and Championship experience and will really add to the group.”
Divin Mubama and Reece Oxford yet to reach the heights post-West Ham
Burke is, it should be said, one of the more successful of West Ham’s recent Young Player of the Year winners. A Football League veteran with 27 top-flight appearances on his CV.
Rice remains the undoubted pinnacle, though.
Divin Mubama joined Stoke City on loan after Manchester City decided against promoting him to Pep Guardiola’s first-team. Ben Johnson has struggled to nail down a spot at Ipswich Town, meanwhile. And Reece Oxford leaves Bundesliga outfit FC Augsburg following a series of devastating injury blows which have kept him on the sidelines since November 2022.
Speaking of Charlton, meanwhile, former West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski missed out on a potential switch to the Valley this month.