Former West Ham wonderkid Reece Oxford has lifted the lid on his departure from the Hammers as his career has stalled.
Oxford, now 21, penned a big-money contract in east London on his 18th birthday worth £20,000 a week as former manager Slaven Bilic managed to hold on to the precocious talent to fend off attention from both Manchester clubs and Arsenal to sign the teenager.
However, three years later and Oxford is struggling for game time with German side Augsburg, having not featured for them since November last year and was an unused substitute as the Bundesliga made a return this weekend.
Augsburg were beaten 2-1 by Wolfsburg behind closed doors as football made a long-awaited comeback amid the coronavirus pandemic that has swept across the globe.
Oxford was linked with a move back to England in January with Crystal Palace reportedly showing an interest but a switch didn’t materialise.
Now, speaking to TalkSport, Oxford has opened up on his departure from West Ham before the start of this season having failed to push on in the capital.
“West Ham was my boyhood club. They brought me through. I respect West Ham 100 per cent because, without them, I wouldn’t be the player or person I am today," Oxford said.
“They gave me my debut in the Europa League and against Arsenal, so they made me who I am today.
“I just thought, personally, if I wanted to move forward I had to go to another team and try and push to where I want to be in my career. I just felt there were too many players and I didn’t feel like there was a path anymore.
“So, I thought if I take another path, hopefully I can reach my goals. It’s not me having any issue with them, it’s just me trying to fulfil my dreams really.”
The departure of Bilic in November 2017 after a 4-1 defeat to Liverpool compounded the problems for Oxford as he struggled to make an impression on David Moyes or Manuel Pellegrini.
The former Hammers manager is now at Championship side West Brom and they too were linked with a move for Oxford before he opted to follow the likes of Jadon Sancho, Ademola Lookman and Ethan Ampadu in heading to Germany.
Bilic handed Oxford his Hammers debut as a 15-year-old and his first Premier League start in that famous victory over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium
“I keep in contact with him [Bilic] and we have spoken before after he left West Ham,” Oxford added.
“I think he’s a great manager and I’m happy about how much he’s helped my career because he’s shown me a lot. Bringing me into the first-team at 15 was a big step to do for a young player, but I’ve learnt a lot.
“If we do meet up again, it will be great. Right now, I’m focusing on the league here and playing here. Hopefully it all goes well and I play and do some good things.”
