adminGeorge Earthy has joined Reading from West Ham in a late move before the transfer window closed.
The League One club confirmed that an agreement was reached between the two sides as the 1 September deadline approached.
The 21-year-old previously had a loan spell at Bristol City, but now drops down to the third tier to link up with the Berkshire side.
During his time with the Robins, Earthy made 47 Championship appearances, 13 of which were starts. He was also an unused substitute in West Ham’s 2-2 draw with Burnley last Sunday.
He has now sealed a permanent switch to the third division, with the midfielder no longer featuring in Nuno Espirito Santo’s plans.
The departure follows the arrival of Arne Engels at the London Stadium from Celtic, and Earthy becomes the second academy graduate to leave this summer after Freddie Potts moved to Club Brugge.
West Ham criticised over Earthy exit
Speaking to FLW, West Ham fan pundit Ryan Horn described the sale as a poor decision, arguing that letting go of another promising young talent from the academy was shortsighted.
He suggested that both Earthy and Potts could have offered useful minutes to Espirito Santo’s squad this season, especially given the need for depth in a promotion push.
“It’s absolutely stupid,” Horn told Football League World.
“I get Earthy will get consistent game time because he’ll be stepping down a league, he’ll shine, he’s got bags of potential, I really like him.
“I feel the same with Potts, why are we selling them? We need depth, they’re young, they’ve got experience in the Championship as well.
“Potts was Portsmouth’s player of the season when he was in the Championship, and we’ve sold him, bought Engels in — which is brilliant — and [Edson] Alvarez wants to leave.
“We need depth in the Championship, we struggle with depth in the Premier League, and in the Championship there are more games.
“I know we’ve got just under two weeks of the window left, but Marshall being sold as well, are we just selling all our youth players? I don’t get it, I really don’t.
“I do like that there are a lot of academy players being given minutes, which is brilliant, but I just don’t think it sends a good message.”
Earthy made four Premier League appearances for West Ham, all as a substitute, with his last outing coming in a 1-0 defeat to Fulham last December when he came on late in the game.
He now heads to Reading, where manager Leam Richardson will hope he can contribute to a promotion push in the 2026/27 campaign.
West Ham’s summer activity
The Hammers were relatively quiet early in the window but have made several signings in recent weeks, including Engels from Celtic.
Manor Solomon has joined from Tottenham Hotspur, Joel Veltman arrived as a free agent, while Joel Piroe (on loan from Leeds United) and Keiber Lamadrid have also been brought in.
Next up for West Ham is a home fixture against Charlton Athletic on Saturday, kicking off at 3pm.
Earthy exit benefits all sides
While Earthy could have had a role at West Ham this season, his minutes would likely have been limited, which wouldn’t have helped his development.
His drop to League One reflects how he is currently viewed by the club, but the move to Reading offers him the chance to play regularly.
West Ham have secured a fee for a player unlikely to feature heavily, while Reading gain a young talent with the potential to grow in value.
It’s always a shame to see academy products move on, but in this instance, the transfer appears to make sense for everyone involved.
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