West Ham have struck a deal with Dutch second division side VVV-Venlo that will see young players loaned between the two clubs. The Hammers announced the deal on Tuesday after extensive research from academy manager Terry Westley to find what he considered the right match-up.
Westley’s son, Sam, has already moved to Venlo on loan earlier this season and more talent from West Ham is now likely to move to Holland in the coming months. The move also opens up the prospect of Slaven Bilic’s side having the option to sign any hot prospects from the Eerste Divisie outfit, with Westley pleased to have finally secured such an affiliation.
“It’s something we have looked at for 12 months,” he told West Ham’s official website.
“We have been to Slovakia, France and Holland.
“We have met with different clubs and we chose Venlo in the end after doing our homework and looking at the environment and what the staff are like.
“We managed to get the link after I went over to Holland and met the club’s director to form a football partnership. We feel the high technical game which they play could suit our players.”
