Keenan Appiah-Forson 18, put pen to paper on his first professional contract, following a successful two-year scholarship at the Academy of Football.
The contract came at the conclusion of a promising campaign for the energetic and tenacious holding midfielder, who made 17 appearances for coach Kevin Keen’s title-chasing Under-18s side.
The young midfielder also gained his first taste of senior football, coming on at half-time during West Ham United U21s’ memorable 5-4 comeback win over Newport County in the Leasing.com Trophy in September.
Speaking to West Ham in house media Appiah-Forson spoke extensively about his professional contract and thank his coaches.
“It was great to sign my first professional contract,” he said “It’s everything I’ve been waiting for.
“I’d like to say thank you to my coaches: Kevin Keen has brought something different into our team, and Mark Phillips, who was my mentor, taught me a lot as well. I felt like my first scholarship year didn’t always go as I wanted it to, but he kept telling me to stay focused, keep working hard," he added.
“I’ve been dreaming about this moment since I was young. All that hard work has got me this contract, so I’m really happy,"
“When it’s safe, I really just want to get back into it and show the coaches what I’m about. I want to see all my teammates, and start all that hard work again. I just miss it, so I just want to get back to it more than ever now!”
Appiah-Forson revealed that the first-team debuts of fellow Academy graduates and holding midfielders Declan Rice and Conor Coventry as evidence that working hard yields opportunities with West Ham United.
“I really hope to make it into the first team one day,” he said. “It’s everything I’ve ever wanted and it shows that Academy graduates are given opportunities here, so that’s something I’m looking to achieve one day.
“My dream in football has always been to play men’s football professionally. That’s my dream. This season coming, I just want to work hard, try and stay injury-free, and get as many of those opportunities to develop as possible.” he concluded.