West Ham has announced the release of Irish duo Mipo Odubeko and Armstrong Oko-Flex. Both players, hailing from Dublin, have represented Ireland at various youth levels. Oko-Flex is currently part of Jim Crawford's Ireland U21 squad.
Odubeko, 20 years old, made two appearances for West Ham's first team. He featured as a substitute in their FA Cup matches against Stockport and Manchester United in early 2021. He had loan spells at Huddersfield, Doncaster, and Port Vale, scoring four goals in 27 appearances for Port Vale last season.
On the other hand, Oko-Flex, 21 years old, has already made two first-team appearances for Celtic. He also made a sole senior appearance for West Ham as a late substitute in their 3-0 victory over Viborg in the Europa Conference League last August. During last season, he made 13 appearances for Swansea in the Championship before being recalled from his loan in January.
We have issued the Club's Retain List of players at the end of the 2022/23 season.
— West Ham United (@WestHam) June 16, 2023
Conor Coventry, a former Ireland U21 international, remains with the club. He spent last season on loan with Championship side Rotherham.
The notable departure from the club is Argentine star Manuel Lanzini, whose contract expires at the end of June. The 30-year-old midfielder joined the Hammers in 2015 from Al Jazira in the United Arab Emirates. He made 226 appearances and scored 32 goals for the club. Lanzini is set to return home and join the famous Argentine club River Plate.
A statement on West Ham's website expressed gratitude to all the released players for their hard work and commitment during their careers in Claret and Blue. "West Ham United would like to thank all those players departing for their hard work and commitment during their careers in Claret and Blue and wish them the very best in the future," said the statement.
