West Ham academy prospect George Earthy
West Ham academy prospect George Earthy
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The 21-year-old has been at the club since joining the Academy of Football at U6 level and was part of the brilliant FA Youth Cup-winning side of 2023.
But his long association with the Hammers now appears to be coming to an end.
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According to ExWHUemployee, via The West Ham Way, Earthy is undergoing a medical with Reading today ahead of completing a permanent move to the League One club.
It's always disappointing to see one of our own leave.
Especially someone who once looked capable of becoming a regular first-team player.
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But as brutal as this decision may feel, it's becoming increasingly difficult to argue against it.
George Earthy was once tipped for big West Ham future
There was a lot of excitement surrounding Earthy when he first broke into David Moyes' first-team squad.
He had just played a key role in West Ham's 2023 FA Youth Cup triumph, scoring against Burnley and Stoke before finding the net again in the 5-1 demolition of Arsenal in the final at the Emirates.
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His first Premier League start never arrived, but he certainly made an impression when given opportunities.
Earthy's league debut against Fulham in April 2024 ended horribly when he suffered a nasty head injury just minutes after coming on.
Less than a month later, he returned to score his first senior West Ham goal with his first touch against Luton Town at London Stadium.
After that Luton game, Moyes described Earthy as a "really talented player" and insisted he had been "special for a long time."
West Ham clearly thought highly of him, too.
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Earthy was named Mark Noble Young Hammer of the Year at the end of that season.
It felt like the beginning, but unfortunately, it never really was.
Earthy proved himself in the Championship
Earthy's loan spell at Bristol City in 2024/25 should have put him firmly in contention for more opportunities at West Ham.
He made 40 appearances as the Robins reached the Championship play-offs, scoring three goals and registering one assist.
Bristol City supporters even voted him their Young Player of the Year.
That's not a bad season for a young midfielder getting his first sustained experience of senior football.
But opportunities at West Ham still didn't arrive.
Earthy made just one Premier League appearance during the first half of last season before returning to Bristol City on loan in January.
Now West Ham have been relegated to the Championship and he's still seemingly not part of Nuno Espirito Santo's plans, which tells us everything we need to know.
West Ham Earthy decision makes sense
If ever there was going to be an opportunity for Earthy to finally establish himself at West Ham, this season was it.
Mateus Fernandes and Freddie Potts have left and the squad has been stripped back considerably.
Earthy was even on the bench for Sunday's 2-2 draw at Burnley, yet West Ham are still prepared to sell him to a League One club.
It suggests Nuno clearly doesn't see Earthy becoming an important part of his team.
And at 21, another season sitting on West Ham's bench or playing academy football does absolutely nothing for his career.
He needs to play regularly a hat's exactly what a move to Reading should give him.
Another FA Youth Cup winner leaves West Ham
There's still something disappointing about seeing another member of that 2023 FA Youth Cup-winning side move on.
That team created genuine excitement about what might be coming through the academy.
Earthy looked like one of its brightest talents.
His senior goal against Luton only increased that belief.
But academy success isn't ultimately measured by how many players are kept around simply because supporters want them to succeed.
There has to be a pathway, and if Nuno has decided Earthy isn't going to make the step into his first team, even after relegation to the Championship, then allowing him to build a career somewhere else is the right thing to do.
West Ham's summer clearout has been enormous, and there are other departures that deserve far more scrutiny.
Earthy is a lifelong Hammer, an FA Youth Cup winner, a former Young Hammer of the Year and somebody Moyes once called a "terrific football player."
So seeing him leave will sting.
But perhaps the biggest indication that this move is necessary is the fact West Ham are willing to sanction it now.
If Earthy wasn't going to get his chance in the Championship after everything that's happened to this squad, that chance probably wasn't ever going to come.
Hopefully Reading is where he finally gets the platform to prove just how good he can be.