An explosive wide player, Emeka Adiele joined West Ham United at U9s. As he progressed through the age groups, making his England youth debut at U17s, Adiele stood out for his trickery, end product and unbelievable pace.
Signing his first professional contract on his 17th birthday, in July 2024, he had made the full-time transition to the U21s development squad a year early, stepping back into the U18s team for their 2024/25 Premier League Cup-winning campaign.
With a full season playing above his age group and a pre-season trip with the first team under his belt, Adiele has come into his own for the U21s this season. Despite mainly operating as a left-wing-back, he has led the squad in goal contributions, scoring three and assisting six goals in 12 appearances.
This is his West Ham story…
Playing grassroots with Lambeth Tigers — 7 years old
“This was my local team, Lambeth Tigers, in South London. I don’t remember much from that time, except for the fact that we won a trophy.
“At that age I was trialling for different clubs. I played at Crystal Palace and then joined Millwall for one season. At the end of that season, we played against West Ham and I joined at U9s and have been here ever since.
“So from that age group, quite a few of us have made it all the way through to the U21s. The likes of Elisha [Sowunmi], Ezra [Mayers] and Jethro [Medine]. It’s good vibes, and we all get along.”
Playing for England youth for the first time — 16 years old
“I didn’t really expect this call-up to be fair. I had been on a few standby lists, so this one came as a bit of a surprise. I got told after training at Chadwell Heath by one of my coaches and I was so happy, I called my Dad straight away to tell him the news.
“My first call-up was with Jethro, for the U17s in September 2023. We went to Murcia, Spain, which is also where we went when I was called up to the U18s squad the year after. It was a good experience.
“In this photo you’ve got Jay Robinson from Southampton, Kian Noble from Manchester City and Callum [Olusesi] from Tottenham.
“Funnily enough, Greg Lincoln (Academy Head of Coaching and Player Development) was actually my coach for that camp.”
Signing professional terms — 17 years old
“I was happy to be celebrating with my family - my Mum, Dad and brother. Growing up, they’ve always been there, supporting me, guiding me and making sure I’m doing the right things and staying focused.
“It was a nice moment signing my first pro deal, especially with West Ham, the Club I’d been with for so long.”
Starting in the EFL Trophy for the first time — 17 years old
“This was my first full 90 minutes against senior opposition, at Newport County in September 2024.
“These are the games that matter, especially at this stage in your football career, because you’re going to be playing against men. You want to get out and learn as much as you can, and then these are the games that the teams that perhaps you want to be going out on loan to will be paying most attention to.”
Winning the U18 Premier League Cup — 17 years old
“After getting knocked out of the FA Youth Cup in the third round, I think we all just kind of told ourselves mentally that we had to win something last season. We expected to get pretty far, so to be knocked out of the Youth Cup in our first match [at Grimsby Town] was a tough one to take.
“In the Premier League Cup, we just kept winning games, and the closer we got to the final, the more we believed. In the final against Reading, we knew they were a good side, but one we could beat, and we ended up winning.
“I was pretty nervous. I think we all were, but I think that’s normal, especially in football. Once the game starts, you don’t really feel the nerves anymore, you just kind of play it off a bit. I think we all coped well, everyone played well, and I think we deserved the win.”
Travelling with the first team — 17 years old
“This one’s from the pre-season trip to Germany with the first team, in summer 2025. The call-up was actually a bit of a surprise, but it was a great experience - learning from the older players, seeing how I can improve my game, seeing the difference in level and what it takes to actually be there. It was just nice to go along and train with them.
“I feel like I’ve definitely improved since signing my pro contract. There’s still plenty of room for improvement, so I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing, training well, playing well, and hopefully I’ll get more opportunities.”
