Walsall re-sign Jack Fitzwater on loan from West Brom
Walsall have kicked off what is expected to be a frantic day of transfer activity be re-signing defender Jack Fitzwater on a season-long loan from Albion.
The 20-year-old joined the Saddlers on a temporary basis last season and went on to play a key role in keeping the club in League One.
Fitzwater impressed in 16 outings for Walsall, scoring three times. He is now expected to go straight into the team for tomorrow’s League One opener against Plymouth.
Boss Dean Keates had been desperate to land a defender with Jon Guthrie the only senior centre-back available after Kory Roberts suffered a double leg break in the friendly against Stoke.
But the arrival of Fitzwater means he now has someone who can slot straight in at the heart of the defence – with the youngster having played alongside Guthrie last season.
“It’s good to have Jack back at the club,” Keates said.
“It’s been an ongoing situation for us to bring in a right-sided centre-half and I’m grateful with how West Brom have helped us out.
“He knows the football club and how we operate.
“You could see the quality he has last season. He went off at half-time against Wimbledon when we were 2-0 up and you could see how much we missed him.
“He’s a young lad who is still developing and he came on leaps and bounds here last season.
“Darren Moore was more than happy with how we helped him last season.
“All parties are happy with the deal in place and hopefully we can help each other going forward.”
The Express & Star understands Fitzwater's arrival is just the start of a busy day for the Saddlers - with two more arrivals potentially on the cards.
