Who is Aji Alese? The highly-rated West Ham academy graduate who has become Sunderland's latest signing

Alese, 21, was rated highly by West Ham supporters after coming through the club’s academy, with many Hammers fans voicing their frustrations following the sale.

We’ve taken a closer look at the player and what he can offer:

What’s Alese’s background?

Born in London, Alese joined West Ham’s academy aged eight and signed his first professional contract with the club in 2018.

The defender has represented England at several age groups, up to under-20s level, and has spent time out on loan in the EFL.

Alese made 15 appearances in all competitions for Accrington Stanley during the 2019/20 season, before the campaign was cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic.

He was also loaned out to Cambridge in 2021 but only made two appearances in League Two.

Alese predominantly played for the Hammers’ under-23s side last season, while he made one senior appearance in the Europa League.

Where will fit in at Sunderland?

Alese is a left-footed centre-back so should help bring balance to the side, with Danny Batth, Bailey Wright and Daniel Ballard all more comfortable on the right.

Sunderland boss Alex Neil also highlighted that Alese is ‘really quick,’ while at 6 ft 4 he is a commanding figure.

The defender showed his power and ability in possession by scoring a fine solo goal in Premier League 2 for West Ham Under-23s against Swansea during the last campaign.

While he is still young and may not be a regular starter this term, Alese is clearly a player with lots of ability and potential.

Has he got much experience at first-team level?

Alese has started two of West Ham’s three pre-season friendlies so far this summer, and scored in a 2-0 win over Swiss Super League club Servette.

The defender also started the Hammers’ 2-1 win over Ipswich on Tuesday.

Alese has only made two competitive appearances for West Ham, playing 90 minutes in a 5-1 Carabao Cup win over Hull in 2020.

He also played the full match as a young West Ham team lost 1-0 to Dinamo Zagreb in their final Europa League group game in December.

The 21-year-old regularly trained with the first team last season, though, and was named in West Ham’s Premier League matchday squad 11 times.

What has been said about him?

During an interview with The Athletic in February, West Ham’s former under-23s boss Dmitri Halajko spoke incredibly highly of Alese.

“He’s quick, good on the ball, he has a nice left foot, good range of passing and defends well in one-on-one situations,” said Halajko. “He’s a reliable, mature young man. But, most important, he’s a quiet leader. His leadership skills are at a high level.”

In the same piece, England’s former under-19s manager Paul Simpson added: “He’s a very quiet lad but he impressed me and straight away you could see he had potential.

“He’s one of those players who used to come up to you after training and thank you for the session. He was a quiet lad but led by example. I can’t think of a time when Aji didn’t stay behind to work on his heading. It meant a lot to him to be involved in the squad.”

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