Carlos Corberan explains West Brom's Caleb Taylor consideration and what could ensure 'survival'

The 21-year-old academy product is set to start for the Baggies in the EFL Cup first round at League Two Fleetwood tonight as head coach Corberan described him as 'one of the club's assets'.

But a decision has yet to be taken on whether the tall defender will head out for another loan or stay around as part of Corberan's first-team squad. Albion replaced Cedric Kipre and Erik Pieters with Paddy McNair, on a half-season loan, and Torbjorn Heggem over the summer and Taylor was an unused substitute at QPR on Saturday.

"We always need to evaluate and re-evaluate the situation, because maybe what I expect today can change tomorrow, because the situation changes. Or maybe one week ago it can change," Corberan said.

"I can tell you what Caleb needs – Caleb needs minutes.

"That's why we loaned him in January. Unfortunately the minutes he needed in January he couldn't achieve because he had an injury and when he was fit he couldn't be involved in Bolton's last part of the season.

"So it means his situation didn't change from January. He still needs minutes. Depending on how we can manage the situation we will make the decision, but my priority is he needs minutes before he can be ready to help the club in the Championship."

Taylor signed a new four-year contract at The Hawthorns this summer six months after fellow academy prospect agreed a long-term deal of his own. The club view the extension as some of their most important work of the off-season.

The centre-back enjoyed a superb loan out at Cheltenham in League One in 2022/23, where he was a mainstay in League One. He was kept in Albion's ranks until January last season where a loan to third-tier promotion-hunting Bolton was agreed, but an injury early into the stint scuppered the chance of minutes.

"Sometimes you can do the ideal process, sometimes not, let's see in the next week how we see the situation with him, but I can tell you what he needs as a player," Corberan added.

"And as a player we're really happy he extended his contract here with us because he's a product of the academy, an amazing lad, I enjoy working with him with a very good attitude in every aspect and he is one of the assets that we have as a club. As a product of the academy it is important for us to keep working with them."

Corberan, meanwhile, has admitted one of the plus points from a challenging summer of financial concerns has been the opportunity to closer inspect the youth ranks.

The Spaniard said that one of his more enjoyable days of the summer was when a fledgling Baggies squad made up of youngsters ran League One Cambridge close at their Abbey Stadium a couple of Fridays ago, losing 1-0 to a penalty.

Head coach Corberan insisted that a thriving academy able to product first-team talent could be the difference between survival or not for clubs acting under financial restraint.

Taylor, Reece Hall, Harry Whitwell, Fenton Heard and Mo Faal are all poised to be involved with the senior side at Fleetwood tonight.

"Still there are players we need that I don't know who they are going to be," said Corberan. "Probably I don't know the name of some of them! Maybe this afternoon appears a name and we decide it is the one. So imagine that.

"I would like to have used pre-season for players who are going to compete with me but this pre-season has been one that has allowed us to know more in detail about our academy players.

"We have been working with many of them, some of them have surprised me positively. I was very pleased with the game the young players did against Cambridge. It made me feel very proud to see very young players compete at the level they did that day, with a lot of respect, desire and some good quality.

"Cambridge was one of the more enjoyable days of pre-season, because I saw that if we protect our academy then players from our academy can arrive to the first team. Especially in our special restrictions and situation, the investing to protect the academy needs to be the maximum because it can change the future of this club.

"When you are operating under strong financial restrictions, normally the academy of the club is the difference for whether the club is to survive or not survive, to create a good future or not.

"When you don't have restrictions, you can go to the market and buy whatever you want, and if you lose some money in the road you don't care because you have a pocket full, but when it's not like this you need to invest strongly in what can guarantee you the sustainability of the club and always this is the academies."