Report: Talented West Ham gem to get chance in pre-season, Forest and Van Bronckhorst linked

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Nottingham Forest are Rangers were recently linked with a move for West Ham starlet Emmanuel Longelo. Now, it would appear that he’s set to earn a Hammers reprieve for now.

The Athletic has done a piece where every player is analysed, with a suggestion made on how their future will pan out.

For Longelo, the signs look good. He will be handed a chance to shine on pre-season, handing Rangers and the Reds something of a blow.

The 21-year-old made his first-team debut during the 2021/22 campaign. That came against Dinamo Zagreb in a Europa League dead rubber and he impressed during the game.

Longelo was a regular for the Hammers under-23 outfit last season. He registered five assists and also scored one goal for the young West Ham outfit.

The youngster might still leave the club. He has Aaron Cresswell and Arthur Masuaku ahead of him, whilst Ben Johnson has also filled in at left-back previously.

Longelo has been handed a significant boost though. The report claims that he will head off to Scotland for the pre-season training camp and the ball is in the court of Forest.

Interestingly, the Hammers man might not be the perfect fit for Forest anyway. He’s played most of his under-23 football as part of a back four and not at wing-back.

Steve Cooper will want a certain sort of player to come in as wing-back options. Longelo, in terms of age, fits the bill but perhaps he’d need coaching into position.

Forest linked Longelo to earn West Ham reprieve

This news won’t be welcomed by Forest. Longelo might have been viewed as a piece of low-hanging fruit that could have been picked off this summer.

The Hammers man will be buzzing to get a chance to star with the senior ranks. The ball is now in his court ahead of the West Ham pre-season tour to Scotland.

If he impresses he could earn himself a shot in David Moyes’ squad this season. If he doesn’t the club could opt to offload him but that will likely come later in the window.

Forest need to get a left-sided wing-back in place sooner rather than later. They can ill-afford to wait around and they certainly won’t be pinning their hopes on a youngster that they might not be able to sign until late in th transfer window.

Now, it will be intriguing to see what happens with Longelo. This could be his big shot to earn a West Ham chance and a bright future could beckon for Longelo.