Football can be a very cruel game. And, if there is an upside, it may be that one of West Ham United’s most talented youngsters has found that out very early on in his young career before returning to make his name at the Premier League outfit.
During a season in which so much progress has been made by so many of West Ham United’s 2023 FA Youth Cup winners, Gideon Kodua’s story would not have a happy ending.
While George Earthy earns a spot in Graham Potter’s pre-season plans due to his role in Bristol City’s top-six Championship finish, Patrick Kelly won the League Two title at Doncaster Rovers and Callum Marshall took home Huddersfield’s Player of the Year award.
Mason Terry has been picked to captain West Ham at this summer’s Soccer Sevens tournament in Hong Kong, by the way, after keeping 17 clean sheets in goal for Hornchurch in the National League South.
And this is without mentioning Luizao.
West Ham’s £4.2 million forgotten man made his first appearance since 2022 at senior level this month, impressing over in Poland with Pogon Szczecin.
But three years after Gideon Kodua captained The Hammers to victory over Arsenal in the FA Youth Cup final – his sublime long-range lob the highlight of a thumping 5-1 win – the Newham-born midfielder found out the hard way how it feels to be on the losing side of an end-of-season decider.
West Ham United loanee Gideon Kodua denied Wembley chance
Kodua played a key role as Wycombe Wanderers secured their spot in the League One play-off picture.
Scoring twice in 20 appearances – including a late winner at Rotherham United – the 20-year-old dynamo helped ensure The Choirboys were just three games away from a return to the Championship.
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But as the eternally high-octane Nathan Jones sank to his knees in a delirious mix of delight and relief -his Charlton Athletic side scoring the only goal of a two-legged play-off with only nine minutes remaining – Wycombe and Kodua would be denied a trip to Wembley in the most heartbreaking of circumstances.
“I knew, coming into the second-leg, it would be decided by a moment. And sadly for me, I’m the one who didn’t get that moment,” sighs Mike Dodds, the Wycombe boss’ hangdog expression in stark contrast to the wide-eyed Jones.
“Both legs were going to be decided by one moment. I’m not going to point fingers at anyone from my team, as I felt they gave everything. We just didn’t take our moment, and they had one they took.
“It is a harsh lesson in football. I told the players [at full time] that there was nothing I could say to change the mood. We will use this pain as fuel for next season, and we will come back a much better version as we want to get out of this league.”
Kodua faces uncertain future as West Ham contract runs down
Whether Kodua will be back to help Wycombe go one step further, only time will tell.
The West Ham loanee only played three of 180 minutes across the two legs, arriving on the scene in a last throw of the dice following Matt Godden’s decisive strike at The Valley.
And, with his Hammers contract due to expire in the summer of 2026, the former youth team skipper appears to be approaching something of a crossroads in his young career. After making 35 appearances across two loan spells at Wycombe, it would feel like a backwards step if Kodua was to return to the Premier League 2 stage.
Though whether he has impressed Dodds enough to earn a more long-term stay at Adams Park – injuries limited his involvement once the former Sunderland coach arrived in February – remains a question without an answer.
And, anyway, Dodds has a lot more on his mind right now than the transfer market. All of Wycombe’s hard work undone as they trip at the penultimate hurdle.