For the first time in five years, one of West Ham United’s own made their full debut in the Premier League.
Over two years on from making his senior bow during the Hammers’ UEFA Europa Conference League winning season, 19-year-old Ollie Scarles started for the first time in the league, becoming the first Academy graduate since Jeremy Ngakia to add his name to Chadwell Heath’s Wall of Graduates.
Scarles was joined by his parents, Academy staff who have supported him since he first walked through the door seven years ago, and Sporting Director Mark Noble as he unveiled the updated wall. He now sits alongside the likes of Bobby Moore, Sir Geoff Hurst, Noble himself, Declan Rice and countless other legends to have come through the Academy of Football.
“It's still sinking in, I think,” reflected Scarles, who was crowned 2024/25 Mark Noble Young Hammer of the Year following Sunday's top-flight clash against Nottingham Forest. “It's all you want as a kid. Everyone dreams of it, but I don't know if anyone sees it as a realistic thing. It was a proud moment for me and for my family.”
Starting the season with the U21s, Scarles caught the eye of then-West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui, scoring three times and assisting once in seven Premier League 2 appearances.
Having made his debut as a 16-year-old in a 3-0 Conference League win away to FCSB in November 2022, the left-back returned to the senior set-up in December 2024, coming off the bench in a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth alongside fellow Academy teammate Kaelan Casey. The 2023 FA Youth Cup winner then followed that with a start in the FA Cup third round against Aston Villa, collecting the Man of the Match award.
Following a handful of impressive cameos off the bench, Scarles made his long-awaited full Premier League debut under Graham Potter, playing the full 90 minutes and once again collecting the Man of the Match award as the Hammers handed Arsenal their first home defeat in the league on 22 February.
“I have good memories of the Emirates Stadium!” he recalled. “We won the FA Youth Cup there, and two years later I’m making my full league debut there and being part of the first team to beat them at their own ground in the league this season. It was an amazing feeling.
“I found out during the week that I was going to be starting. From then it was just getting myself locked in and making sure I was ready. I wanted to make sure my first pass was good, and then from there I grew into the game.
“I had a similar experience a couple of years ago when I made my debut in Europe. I knew what it was about, but it was a completely different scenario being in the Premier League and playing against one of the best teams in England. I thought I'd done well. The boys stuck together. We got a goal in the first half and managed to hold on to the end of the game.”
In attendance at the plaque unveiling, Noble remembers the first time he saw Scarles play during his time as Club captain, insisting he knew from very early on that he would eventually have his name engraved on the wall at Chadwell Heath training ground.
“I’m so proud of him, I love Ollie to bits," Noble smiled. "He's a great kid, with a great personality and great attitude. I think he's a great lad who fully deserves it. He knows that I'm here and he knows that I won't let him rest until he goes on and hopefully makes hundreds of appearances for the Club.
“I remember years ago seeing him in here, in this gym we're in now, training, and when I was captain of the Football Club and just standing watching and thinking what a good player he was at the time. I really, truly believed, at that time, we had a good player on our hands.
“Seeing him in the U18s and in the U21s, I always knew that Ollie was going to play for our first team. From the moment I saw him, I really did think that.”
A huge believer in the talent coming through at the Academy, Noble is confident Scarles’ involvement in the first team this season has given the young players and Academy staff a huge boost.
He continued: “It gives everyone in the Academy that bit of belief. You see the boys here that are U15s and U16s now, and they’ll be thinking, ‘I’m only two or three years away from that’.
“At West Ham, we love to see our own come through. We love to see the boys get a chance. Graham Potter has come in, and although we haven't had the most positive season, with Ollie breaking into the team and playing 15 times [in all competitions], it's fantastic for everyone associated with the Club.”
For Noble, the Wall of Graduates is both history and motivation, a celebration of the club’s DNA as well as a reminder of where West Ham comes from, and where its Academy must always aim to go.
He added: “One of my aims coming back to the Club, not as a player but as a Director, was to get some names on that board, and to not lose our best players.
“Obviously, there's so many things that need to come together to make it happen. You need a very good player. You need a little bit of luck. You need a manager who's going to chuck them in and play them. And I believe that with the likes of George [Earthy], Lewis [Orford], Kaelan [Casey] and Freddie [Potts] coming back from Portsmouth, who's had a fantastic season, we've got a real strong crop of players now that I believe can make that next step.
“We need to keep putting names on that board because it's so important for this Football Club, and as long as I'm here, I'll push to do that.”
