Carlos Corberan set for talks with West Brom loan duo Cedric Kipre and Alex Mowatt
Carlos Corberan will speak to Alex Mowatt and Cedric Kipre about their Albion futures when pre-season training begins next week.
The Baggies boss made time during the summer to study video of the pair while they were out on loan last year, to help decide whether they could play a part in his plans.
Midfielder Mowatt made 31 appearances at Middlesbrough, while Kipre turned out 43 times for Cardiff with both having departed The Hawthorns before Corberan replaced Steve Bruce in the dugout last October. Both still have a year remaining on their contract.
Corberan will work with Ian Pearce, promoted last week to head of football operations, to thrash out an outline plan for the summer.
Albion intend to make maximum use of the free agent and loan market having hit the target with Jed Wallace and Okay Yokuslu 12 months ago but squad planning is made more complicated this time around by the need to sell players to both ease financial concern and free up funds.
Players out of favour such as Karlan Grant, who still has three years remaining on his contract, are the type the Baggies would ideally like to offload. The 25-year-old, who saw a loan move to Swansea break down late in the January transfer window, has been attracting some interest from Rangers.
But the reality is the club must consider reasonable offers for any member of the playing squad. Albion’s business, at least in the early weeks of the window, will be dictated by the market.
Players will return for pre-season in two groups for testing on Tuesday and Wednesday before Corberan holds a first full training session on Thursday, the same day the fixtures for the Championship season are announced.
The EFL yesterday confirmed the draw for the first round of the Carabao Cup will also take place on the same day. All 72 league clubs, including newly-promoted Notts County and Wrexham, will be in the hat with ties due to take place during the week commencing August 7.
