Freddie Sears has tipped his fellow Hammer and former Ipswich Town teammate Flynn Downes to make his mark in Claret and Blue.
The ex-West Ham United forward spent six seasons at Ipswich between 2015-21, the final four of them playing and training alongside Downes.
The pair lined up together 49 times for the Tractor Boys, sharing the pitch for over 2,000 minutes, and Sears developed into a big fan of his young colleague.
As someone who grew up a Hammer and had the honour of representing his boyhood Club himself, scoring on his debut as an 18-year-old against Blackburn Rovers in March 2008 and going on to play 58 times for the Irons, Sears knows the qualities West Ham fans want to see in their own – and he believes Downes possesses them.
“Flynny – what a player!” enthused Sears, who is now 32 and still producing the goods during a second spell with Essex club Colchester United in EFL League Two.
“I think you could tell when he came through at Ipswich that he was going to go all the way and he had all the attributes to take him to the top. He’s a good footballer, good on the ball and a really good athlete.
“He gets around the pitch well and loves a tackle. He obviously did really well at Ipswich, then went to Swansea and kicked on again and now he’s got the move of his dreams to his boyhood club West Ham.”
While Sears grew up in a West Ham-supporting family in Hornchurch, Downes did likewise in nearby Brentwood, and the forward says his grounding in Claret and Blue will help the midfielder settle as he acclimatises to life as a Premier League player.
“He’s a Brentwood boy and his family love the Club,” Sears confirmed. “His old man Micky is a big West Ham fan. They’re really good people and Flynn is a great kid and he’s going to be buzzing to be playing at London Stadium in front of all the fans.
“I think the fans are going to love him. He’s a West Ham player, wears his heart on his sleeve and gives 100 per cent and he loves a tackle, as I said, so I’m sure the fans will love him as soon as he gets in there.”
