West Ham’s Barcelona-born starlet earns rave reviews after ‘excellent’ display

West Ham United under-18 goalkeeper Felix Lewis-Ayesta has impressed coach Luke Smith after recording two clean sheets in his first two appearances for the team. The 17-year-old Barcelona-born shot-stopper kept shutouts during a 3-0 win against Birmingham City and a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa, where Jude Longman scored the decisive penalty. Smith praised Lewis-Ayesta for producing several excellent saves to help preserve the result.

Lewis-Ayesta stepped into the starting role after regular goalkeeper Tommy Goodger joined Isthmian League side Aveley on a short-term loan. The consecutive clean-sheet victories have moved West Ham up to fifth place in the Premier League Under-18 South table, placing them level with Arsenal and five points behind leaders Chelsea.