As always this time of year, a lot of talk is about new signings. But there is one player who feels like a new addition, despite technically being at West Ham for a while.
This is, of course, Andy Irving; the 24-year-old midfielder who we signed from SK Austria Klagenfurt and sent straight back to them on loan last season. At the time, his signing went completely under the radar, with no official club announcement and no media attention, feeling like some kind of secret signing.
However, since returning to the club, Andy Irving has grabbed the opportunity with both hands and seems to be on a mission to impress Lopetegui. When word originally spread that we’d signed some random player from the Austrian league and sent him straight back to play for them, many were confused at the thought process behind the decision. But now, we’re starting to wonder whether it’s been a touch of genius.
Irving has struggled to get regular game time for Klagenfurt, but hasn’t taken his eye off the ball, keeping fitness up while staying sharp, judging by his pre-season performances in claret and blue. In his first pre-season game against Ferencváros, he played well, setting up Aguerd’s goal in our 2-2 draw.
But it was his performance against Dagenham and Redbridge that really turned heads, as he scored an incredible left-footed strike from the edge of the box to get us the winner. Looking determined, he also impressed with his passing range, and his hard work has finally forced the club to start creating content around him.
Irving’s post-match interview gave us a bit more of an insight into what we can expect from him, speaking about how happy he was to get a goal and how welcome he’s felt since training with the team. He spoke about seeing it as a massive opportunity and said that he wants to show Lopetegui what he can do.
One of the biggest things I took from his post-match interview was his ambition and positive attitude, leaving many fans asking whether we could be seeing the makings of a cult hero in Andy Irving. Having travelled with the team to the USA, there’s never been a better opportunity for a player to make their mark. One thing is for sure if Andy Irving keeps performing like this, it’s certainly going to be hard for Lopetegui to ignore him.
We’re yet to see whether he has what it takes to become a regular in our squad, but in football there are rarely success stories so great. Could we see Andy Irving go from playing in the third tier of German football two years ago, to signing for £1.5million and playing a key role in West Ham’s Premier League season? Watch this space!
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