West Ham youngsters will be given a genuine opportunity against Portsmouth on Saturday after Nuno Espírito Santo confirmed academy players will feature in the club’s first competitive game of the season.
Pre-season has already given several young Hammers valuable minutes, but the Carabao Cup changes the context. Results now count, and Nuno’s selections should reveal which players he genuinely believes can contribute during the Championship promotion push.
Here are five players with a particularly big opportunity.
Lewis Orford
Orford may be the most obvious name.
The midfielder has pushed strongly throughout pre-season and scored an excellent goal against Stevenage before supplying the corner from which Max Kilman scored against Magdeburg.
ReadWestHam has already highlighted the midfield decision Nuno faces against Portsmouth, with Orford competing for minutes alongside James Ward-Prowse and Mohamadou Kanté.
The 20-year-old also has some senior experience behind him. West Ham’s official profile confirms Orford returned from a Stevenage loan last season before appearing in the FA Cup against Burton Albion.
Portsmouth represents an opportunity to show he can move beyond promising pre-season performances and become a genuine Championship option.
Mohamadou Kanté
Kanté is further along in his development.
The French midfielder made 14 senior appearances last season, including 11 in the Premier League, and started FA Cup victories against Burton and Brentford.
West Ham’s official profile details Kanté’s breakthrough 2025/26 campaign, and his first-team involvement makes him one of the academy-linked players most likely to carry responsibility this season.
With Freddie Potts gone and Tomáš Souček currently unavailable, there is a clear midfield opportunity.
A strong competitive start against Portsmouth could help Kanté establish himself as more than a squad player.
Airidas Golambeckis
Golambeckis is arguably the most intriguing defensive prospect.
The 18-year-old captained West Ham’s U21s last season and regularly trained with the senior squad. He was also named the club’s Premier League Scholar of the Year after a campaign in which he appeared on the first-team bench six times.
That versatility should appeal to Nuno.
Joel Veltman’s arrival increases the senior competition in defence, but the Championship season will demand depth. A convincing cup appearance would strengthen Golambeckis’ case to remain around the first team rather than pursue minutes elsewhere.
Ezra Mayers
Mayers has already shown he can handle senior football.
The defender made his Premier League debut last season before earning his first senior start in West Ham’s FA Cup victory over Queens Park Rangers.
West Ham’s account of that QPR performance shows how quickly Mayers progressed into Nuno’s thinking.
His ability to operate across the defensive line gives him another advantage.
West Ham need enough depth to survive a 46-game league campaign alongside cup commitments. Mayers can make a strong case against Portsmouth that he should be part of that solution.
Josh Ajala
Ajala has perhaps the most open-ended opportunity of the five.
The England youth international has been involved around Nuno’s senior group during pre-season and was among the academy players named in the squad for the trip to Stevenage.
Attacking opportunities could become particularly valuable.
West Ham are still working to strengthen Nuno’s forward options before the transfer window closes. Any youngster capable of offering energy, movement and depth in the final third has something tangible to play for.
Portsmouth will not decide any of these players’ seasons.
It could, however, provide the clearest indication yet of which West Ham youngsters Nuno believes are ready to become part of his promotion squad.
