A new name has stolen the attention of fans of West Ham in pre season game this season after back to back impressive performance against Reading and his former club Cletic.
He is 19 year old Irish-Nigerian forward Armstrong Okoflex who only joined the team this summer from Cletic. A team he scored against yesterday as they ran out 6-2 winners in a pre season game.
His short career has seen him play for Arsenal for a year after turning down an offer of contract extension he signed where Celtic. He was there for two years and made his first team bow at 17. He however didn’t accept fresh terms and decided on a move to West Ham.
Okoflex has put himself in pole position for a first team role at West Ham when the season resumes something which wasn’t envisaged when he signed as he was supposed to be with the U23 for a while.
In 2019, his father Reginald Okoflex Inya who sees himself as Irish Nigerian revealed there is an international tug of war between England and Ireland for his son, whom ex Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers once compared to a young Raheem Sterling at 17.
The father also revealed that Nigeria is another option for his son who is largely seen as a modern day forward with the attribute of not just scoring but also creating goal scoring opportunities for his teammates.
“To be honest, he was first called up and played with England before Ireland even called him. He already played for England, then Ireland called him up. He is still playing with the two”, he told Balls.ie.
The FAI did wake up and call in Armstrong subsequent to his initial England appearances, and he has represented both at U15 and U16 level.
“We just want to see how his future works out. He has a chance to play. You know what? Anything about international is a pure longshot right now to even think about.”
