Ghanaian teenage sensation Gideon Kodua: The future of West Ham United

Ghanaian teenage sensation Gideon Mensah Kodua played a starring role in West Ham United U18 5-1 thrashing of Arsenal in the FA Youth Cup final.

West Ham battered Arsenal in the FA Youth Cup Final on Tuesday evening to win the trophy for the first time since 1999.

Gideon Kodua, the captain and scorer of the third goal, was one of the standout performers and is beginning to forge a massive future for himself.

The forward has been with the Irons since 2017 after being scouted playing for Newham District and made his U18s debut in a 4-1 thrashing over Reading in April 2021.

In the 2021/22 season, his first full campaign as a regular starter in the U18s he scored 13 goals in 28 appearances, operating as either a right-winger or central striker.

The following season, he was in even more potent form, as the attacker netted ten goals in 16 U18 Premier League games, playing a key role in the title victory.

The Englishman was also a pivotal figure in the FA Youth Cup as his side secured the domestic double.

Just before half-time, Arsenal defender Josh Robinson miscontrolled a pass in the centre circle and Kudoa ruthlessly punished the mistake with an awe-inspiring 35-yard chip to put the Hammers 3-1 ahead.

The teenager has an impressive crop to follow in the footsteps of with the aforementioned Carrick and Cole bursting through to become England regulars.

The same can be said of Declan Rice. Although he never tasted Youth Cup success like Kodua, he was the pride and joy of the youth set-up after moving away from Chelsea.

The midfielder is now an £80m player in waiting and one of the first names on the teamsheet for Gareth Southgate's Three Lions.

So "special" is Kodua - as per non-league manager Kiernan Hughes-Mason - that he could well live up to the same raw potential in the coming years.

Indeed, he has emerged as a mind-blowing blend of power, technique, and dynamism akin to that of Rice. We have been told to “remember the name” and this exciting starlet brimming with limitless potential will certainly be a prospect to closely monitor moving forward.