Carlos Corberan to assess qualities of West Brom youngsters
Carlos Corberan will offer returning Albion youngsters a chance to show their qualities in pre-season.
The Baggies shipped out several of their academy stars on loan for senior experience this season and some enjoyed useful campaigns with their respective sides.
The biggest success was highly-rated central defender Caleb Taylor, 20, who played a mammoth 49 games in all competitions for League One outfit Cheltenham Town.
Taylor, recently named the Robins’ young player of the season, has earned rave reviews. Another youngster given the chance to excel in the third tier was left-back Zac Ashworth, 20, who played 18 times for Burton Albion in the second half of the campaign as the Brewers steered clear of relegation.
The Hawthorns head coach admitted he and his staff will study whether existing young talent could prove better value than new recruits as Albion look to rebuild with financial limitations this summer.
“With Zac Ashworth, with Caleb Taylor we will do, with every young player we have out on loan, we have the responsibility to evaluate our players because before you go to the market you need to see what you have in your players,” Corberan said. “Always we think what is in another team is better than what we have. Maybe it’s not real. Maybe yes. That’s why we evaluate.
“That’s why it’s very positive for me to spend this time with my staff and this is what we are going to do.”
Winger Tom Fellows, 19, was a regular for League Two outfit Crawley, who just about staved off relegation. Fellows played 40 games. Striker Mo Faal, on the bench in senior matches towards the end of the season, had loans at step six National League North duo AFC Telford United and AFC Fylde, where he was prolific with the latter prior to a recall.
Quevin Castro, who turns 22 in August, played 20 games for Burton, Notts County and then Gateshead but just once with the latter prior to injury.
“My staff know that the first two weeks after the season are not holiday weeks, they’re weeks exactly to be watching every single player who has been on loan to watch in detail.
“Normally the players who are here, and who are in the B team, we know them better.
“I know because they’re working with us, and we follow their progress. Their (under-21s) game against Leeds, I haven’t the time to watch it, but I know that after I can watch the summary with the chances created, the chances conceded. My staff have players who they follow all the year to watch how they progress.”
Some academy youngsters, including Mo Faal, Jamie Andrews, Rico Richards and Quevin Castro are out of contract this summer, with a decision set to be made on their futures in the coming weeks.
