Onariase Signs Professional Deal With West Ham

West Ham United highly rated Anglo-Nigeria teen Emmanuel Onariase has put pen to paper on his first professional deal with the English premier league side.

Popularly called Manny by people at West Ham, the towering South London born defender was rewarded for his outstanding development this season.

The 18-year-old, who stands well over six-feet tall, and is blessed with impressive technical ability, is delighted that the Hammers have invested in his future.

“I’m grateful because it’s amazing,” said Onariase, who was named on the substitutes’ bench for the recent Barclays Premier League fixture at Arsenal. 

“The Club has done so much for me and I’ve improved so much here, so I just need to get to the next level now and keep on excelling.

“It’s gone from almost zero to 100 this season, but that’s football. People get injured and you’re the next in, so you have to stay on your game and always be ready.

Rejected by West Ham at his first attempt to join the club, he was later picked up by the club as a scholar at age 12 and he has been with the hammers youth set up since then but he says his focus is now on breaking into the first team.

“To be involved was amazing and I want to thank all the first-team players for making me feel welcome and creating a great atmosphere,” he said

“I never try to second-guess things because you never know what is going to happen. I just have to continue working hard, doing my bit and the rest will follow.

“The Club obviously has faith in me, so now it’s about going out on loan and getting first-team experience, then coming back and seeing how things go.”

Despite the fact that he was born in England he is still eligible for Nigeria and they will be a jostle for his international future if his progress goes according to plan.