West Ham manager David Moyes has expressed his disappointment towards the former Chelsea FC trialist Jeremy Ngakia’s decision to leave the club when his contract expires at the end of this month.
Ngakia joined the Hammers’ developmental youth setup at the age of 14 after being spotted by West Ham’s academy goalkeeping coach Jerome John while the youngster was playing for Surrey Quays-based youth club Ballers Football Academy.
He made his Under-23 debut in February 2018, while he was eventually handed his senior first team debut for West Ham by David Moyes earlier this year, against Liverpool in a 2 – 0 loss.
The youngster’s contract is set to end in June 2020 and he has reportedly rebuffed an offer worth around £5,000 a week and has also decided against signing a temporary extension to the end of this season.
“We are really surprised and disappointed that Jeremy is not going to stay at West Ham,” admitted Moyes. “We like him a lot, we’ve given him his debut and I’m a manager who has done that many times in my career, including Wayne Rooney, Ross Barkley, Jordan Pickford and others.
“Jeremy is another one and I feel he is making a mistake choosing not to stay with us. We’ve trusted him in big games and everyone likes him at the club.
“I also feel it’s a kick in the teeth for the academy, because they have developed a player for the first team and he’s not going to stay. We’re also really disappointed with his decision not to stay beyond June 30.
The right back’s decision will undoubtedly affect David Moyes’ plan for the remaining games as he’ll be left with just two right back options such as veteran Pablo Zabaleta (35) whose fitness level can be questionable, leaving Moyes with fully fit Ryan Fredericks for the remainder of the season.
