West Ham United missed out on the signing of Bolton Wanderers teenager Regan Riley on deadline day, according to Football Insider.

The 18-year-old opted for Norwich City instead, penning a three-and-a-half year deal at Carrow Road with the option for an extension into 2025.

Riley made only a couple of appearances for the Trotters' first-team, but his abilities shown in their development squad were enough for Daniel Farke's men to take a punt on him.

The Bolton News has revealed that it was a £250,000 fee that Wanderers accepted, and sell-on clauses have been inserted into the deal so if Riley develops into a top player, Bolton will profit.

It might not have been Norfolk for Riley though if a certain Premier League club got their way on Monday.

West Ham apparently tried to come in with a late offer for Riley on deadline day, but it was too late as the midfielder apparently had his heart set on a move to Championship table-toppers and resisted the Hammers' approach.

That may be down to Norwich's policy of bringing through young players into the first team - you only have to look at the likes of Todd Cantwell, Max Aarons and Ben Godfrey in recent years who have made a big impact.

And whilst Riley will be heading into the under-23 squad of Norwich initially, he will be enthused to see the likes of Josh Martin break through into the first-team this season, knowing that it could be him in 12 months time.

Quiz: Did these 25 players make more or less than 100 West Ham appearances?

The Verdict

It looks like Riley has made a great decision to rebuff West Ham's interest in the end.

They tend to spend a decent amount of money on first-teamers, whilst the odd youth prospect comes through from time-to-time like Declan Rice.

His chances of senior football are definitely more likely to happen at Carrow Road, but it all depends on his application from now and if he's got the ability required to make a difference in the next few years.