West Ham United have confirmed the signing of ex-Chelsea youth player Daniel Kemp on a one-year scholarship, which will lead to a three-year contract next year.
Kemp, who was at Chelsea from the age of six, can play on the left wing or through the middle of the attack in the ‘number ten’ role. He said of himself:
I like to take people on and dribble. I like to link up and I just enjoy making people happy when they’re watching me.
I’d love to make my debut in the new Stadium, it’s an unbelievable stadium. Obviously it’ll be brand new, it’s already iconic. I actually went to a few of the events during the Olympics; three years ago I never thought I might be playing there one day.
The switch across London is a big coup for the Hammers as many other clubs are thought to have been keeping an eye on the tricky young player and he sees his arrival at Upton Park as a big opportunity:
As for this season, hopefully I’ll make a couple of appearances for the U21s, for now I just need to concentrate on training well, day in, day out. From there, I’ll see where that takes me.
Of the current Hammers squad, Kemp stated that he enjoys watching Manuel Lanzini and Mauro Zarate, who play in similar areas to him.
His first port of call could be with the under-18 squad, whose next game is an away trip to Leicester City this coming Saturday. Kemp will want to slot in at the club as quickly as possible and make an impact wherever he is used.
