Reece Oxford has revealed that Tottenham Hotspur rejected the chance to sign him before he joined West Ham United.
The promising midfielder made his Premier League debut on Sunday in the 2-0 win at Arsenal aged 16 years and 236 days.
Despite being West Ham’s youngest ever first-team player, he justified what had appeared a risky selection from manager Slaven Bilic by displaying a maturity beyond his years to largely nullify the collective threat of Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla.
Given the reputations of each, there is little question that Oxford’s contribution was key to their victory. He joined West Ham at Under 13 level after leaving Tottenham and, ultimately, Spurs’ loss could repeatedly prove their rivals’ gain.
EPL team of the week: West Ham debutant Reece Oxford and Liverpool match winner Coutinho both star
“I was at Tottenham for a while, but they did not want me, and I went to West Ham, which was the best option for me,” said Oxford, who is scheduled to receive his GCSE results next week.
“I was a striker back then” at Tottenham, adding that the West Ham youth academy “is great”.
“West Ham have been giving the young players a chance who are coming through.
“Last season I was on the bench a few times, so I expected to be around the team again this season, but not starting against Arsenal.”
Though West Ham have long had a reputation for developing promising young players the last England international the club produced was Glen Johnson, in 2002/03.
Before then, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand were part of a successful, separate generation and, Oxford, who can also play in defence but anchored West Ham’s midfield on Sunday, is already being compared to the latter.
When asked about being “the new Rio”, Oxford said: “I have heard that a lot. It is good, he was great, so me being compared to him is an honour, really.”
Reflecting on hearing he would play in Sunday’s game, Oxford said: “I found out on Saturday night, I was speaking about Match of the Day, and said that tomorrow I could be on it.”
“Bilic asked me to sit and talk to everyone to help get them into position, not to let Arsenal catch us out on the break, to keep it simple and not try to do too much.
“The manager said my performance was good; it was a dream debut for me.”
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