West Bromwich Albion have seen numerous players from their youth ranks leave the Midlands club over the past few years such as Tyler Roberts, Finley Thorndike and Tim Iroegbunam among others.
Looking ahead to the upcoming summer transfer window, it seems as though the Baggies could once again be in danger of seeing one of their youth prospects make a move away from the Hawthorns, which would surely upset a lot of supporters.
What’s the news?
According to a recent report from The Athletic, 17-year-old striker Reyes Cleary is yet to sign the professional deal offered to him by the club.
As a result, he is currently “wanted by a number of clubs on the continent as well as plenty in the Premier League.”
Disaster on the cards?
As a product of the Baggies’ youth academy, the teenager has made 42 appearances across their U18 and U23 side, scoring a combined total of 30 goals with four assists provided along the way.
This highlights not just how much of an exciting attacking prospect but also why the club have offered him a professional deal in order to deter other clubs reportedly after him.
Labelled as a “powerful” player by U18s boss Peter Gilbert, Cleary has only made one senior appearance for the Midlands club, which came during their third-round FA Cup defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion back in January.
In terms of his first-team opportunities this season in the Championship, the youngster has only been involved in one matchday squad which saw him remain as an unused substitute in the Baggies’ 1-0 win over Reading at the Hawthorns.
Taking into account Cleary’s obvious attacking talent and the potential he has ahead of him to become a long-term superstar for the Midlands club, it would be a significant disaster from the hierarchy at the Hawthorns to see their young talent not sign the deal they’ve offered him and instead join another club.
It would also presumably have a lot of supporters fuming if the attacker were to follow in the footsteps of some of the previous youngsters to have played in West Brom’s youth ranks only to move on elsewhere.
Having been described as being an “uncut diamond” by U23s boss Richard Beale, Cleary could possibly be persuaded to sign the professional deal offered to him if current Baggies boss Steve Bruce were to give him some minutes in the first team before the end of the current season.
This could be a good step towards convincing the youngster that he has a promising future at the Hawthorns in the first team.
In other news: WBA could face disaster on “accomplished” 28 y/o who’s “getting better all the time”