‘Stop selling’, ‘Waste’, ‘Good riddance’ – These West Ham fans react to Oxford departure

Add as preferred source on Google

West Ham United have officially confirmed the departure of Reece Oxford. The 20-year-old centre-back has joined Bundesliga club Augsburg on a permanent deal.

The move brings to an end the young defender’s eight year association with the east London club. Oxford joined the Hammers’ youth academy in 2011, having been released by Tottenham Hotspur. He then rose through the ranks impressively, before making his first team debut for the Irons in July 2015. He was 16-years-old at the time, and became the club’s youngest ever player. 

Over the course of the 2015/16 season, Oxford got a fair amount of first team football and made seven Premier League appearances. However, since then he has fallen away from the first team picture at the London Stadium. A series of loan spells failed to revitalise his career with his parent club. 

Now, West Ham have opted to cut ties with Oxford completely. The England under-20 international spent the second half of last season on loan with Augsburg, and has now retuned to the German club on a permanent basis.

At one time, Oxford represented the future of West Ham. Given that, his exit has provoked a strong reaction from the club’s fanbase.