West Brom boss Slaven Bilic has predicted a positive future for the club as he revealed his pride at the club’s academy, which he claims is one of the best in the country.
In truth, it has been an area of frustration for fans over the years, with the likes of Izzy Brown, Yan Dhanda and most recently Louie Barry just some of the talented younger players who left Albion for bigger clubs in the past at a young age. Even academy prospects who did go on to make the first-team, such as Saido Berahino, who caused constant headaches for the club before leaving and Nathan Ferguson, who wants to join Crystal Palace, haven’t managed to establish themselves as favourites at The Hawthorns because of their conduct.
Nevertheless, it shows the talent is there and Bilic explained to the Express & Star why it’s a good thing for the Baggies and suggested it will continue to play a big role in the years to come.
Will West Brom be in the Premier League next season?
Yes
No
“West Brom has got, I don’t know why – whether it is the area, West Brom has got one of the best academies. We are going to produce the players.
“But at the same time, we are in the Championship. We are not ashamed of that, we love the Championship, there is nothing wrong with the Championship. But our aim is to win promotion and get to the Premier League.”
The likes of Rekeem Harper, Dara O’Shea and Kyle Edwards have all made an impact to some degree this season and that has shown to other youngsters that there is a pathway to the first XI with Bilic in charge. As he says though, the primary focus of all connected to West Brom is to win promotion and Albion are six points clear of third-placed Fulham with just nine games scheduled to play in the second tier.
