Goalkeeper Ted Cann agrees new West Brom deal and aspires to replicate duo
Goalkeeper prospect Ted Cann wants to follow in the footsteps of Alex Palmer and Josh Griffiths after agreeing a new Albion deal.
Cann, 23, has put pen to paper on a new one-year contract at The Hawthorns after his existing terms ran out this summer.
His new contract includes the option of a further 12 months in Albion's favour, should the club decide to take it up.
Academy graduate Cann has been a part of the Baggies' senior goalkeeping cohort since Carlos Corberan's appointment a couple of years ago, and even prior to that.
He trains with first-choice keeper Palmer and deputy Griffiths under senior goalkeeper coach Marcos Abad, who Corberan brought in last summer. Both Palmer and Griffiths are also Albion youth set-up graduates and Cann follows Griffiths in agreeing fresh terms at the club in recent days.
North west-born Cann, who is yet to make his senior Baggies bow, said: “It’s another year to prove myself here and I feel I’ve come on massively. I know I didn’t play many games but in training I’ve had great feedback from Marcos, the gaffer, and we have a really good goalkeeping group here.
“Me, Josh and Palms are close on and off the pitch. Palms did amazing last season and I look at both of them, coming through the academy, getting to first-team level, and I want to do the same."
It remains to be seen whether Albion decide to send Cann out on loan for senior experience for the new season. To date the former Liverpool youngster, who joined the club in 2017, has had three stints out in non-league.
He had a couple of spells with National League Yeovil, totalling seven appearances, before time in National League North, the division below, with AFC Telford United and Leamington. It was the latter, in the season before last, where Cann had his biggest exposure, with 19 appearances.
Cann said of his development: “I made massive improvements and I’m excited to see where that takes me this year, whether that’s here or out on loan playing games, but we’ll see.”
The Baggies are well-stocked with talent throughout their goalkeeping ranks and have seen impressive progression through the youth ranks in recent years.
As well as Palmer, 27, Griffiths, 22, and Cann, the youth ranks boast highly-regarded duo Ben Cisse, 18, and Ronnie Hollingshead, 19, who have been England and Wales youth team football respectively.
