With three weeks of training and five matches against senior opposition under their belts, West Ham United U21s are stepping up their preparations for the 2025/26 season with a warm-weather training camp in Benalup-Casas Viejas.
A small town in the province of Cádiz, southern Spain, Benalup regularly sees temperatures exceeding 30°C at this time of year, ideal high-intensity conditions for building fitness ahead of another demanding season.
With several development players currently in the United States with the first-team for the Premier League Summer Series, lead coach Mark Robson and his staff are working with a reshaped U21s squad, featuring a number of players who have progressed from the U18s after lifting the Premier League Cup under Lauris Coggin in April.
As they prepare for a busy schedule that includes fixtures in Premier League 2, the Premier League International Cup, the EFL Trophy and the National League Cup, the development squad will also face Atlético Sanluqueño in a training fixture on Friday morning.
Based in the coastal town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Sanluqueño have spent all but one season in Spain’s third tier since their first promotion in 2021. Friday’s match will mark the beginning of their 2025/26 campaign, with their Primera RFEF season kicking off on 31 August away against Atlético Madrid B.
