Jett Murphy West Ham signing is complete, with West Ham United bringing in the 18-year-old forward on a two-year deal. He will officially join on 1 July and then link up with the U21 development squad for pre-season.
Murphy’s Chelmsford City route
Murphy said the move was a lifetime dream for him and his family, and that line fits the path he has taken. He came through Chelmsford City’s academy, made his senior debut away at Chippenham Town on 5 April 2025, and came off the bench in a 1-0 win.
He was part of Chelmsford City’s 2024/25 National League Alliance Division A title-winning side, then kept pushing through the end of the season. Chelmsford City’s profile says he featured in the final-day win at Weymouth and scored late, while also scoring against National League side Brackley Town during pre-season.
West Ham United and the U21 development squad
The move sends him into West Ham United’s U21 development squad rather than straight into the senior picture, which fits a club that has long leaned on identity as much as output. For Murphy, the immediate job is simple: turn a senior non-league breakthrough into a development-stage place at Rush Green and keep the scoring touch that brought him here.
He scored twice for the U18s against Norwich City while on trial, and Chelmsford City said he became the youngest National League South goalscorer for four years. That is the sort of return West Ham was buying into, not just the age or the contract length.
Soccerbase and Chelmsford City numbers
The numbers attached to his Chelmsford City spell do not line up perfectly across public stat feeds. Chelmsford City’s departure note says he made 27 appearances across all competitions and scored ten goals, including seven in 25 National League South appearances, while Soccerbase lists 10 starts, 19 substitute appearances and nine league goals from April 2025.
For West Ham United, the club’s own version of the move is the one that matters most right now: an 18-year-old forward arriving on a two-year deal, joining on 1 July and then stepping into pre-season with the U21 development squad. How fast he moves beyond that stage is the part this signing does not answer yet.
