West Brom are on the lookout for a new Head of Academy Recruitment following the departure of long-term youth chief Steve Hopcroft.
The Express and Star report that the Baggies have accepted the resignation of Hopcroft’s position at the club after 16-years of service, which has seen West Brom establish themselves as one of the top producing clubs in England.
Hopcroft had a hand in the Baggies discovering this likes of Sadio Berahino and Izzy Brown during his time at the Hawthorns.
As per the report, Hopcroft could join Birmingham rivals Aston Villa, with the Premier League side already poaching the likes of former Academy Manager Mark Harrison last summer, as well as former academy coach Paul Gardner.
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Hopcroft was also responsible for bringing the likes of Jonathan Leko and Rekeem Harper to West Brom’s academy, with the duo, who have a combined Transfermarkt valuation of £3.6m, asserting themselves well in the Championship despite their young ages.
The departure of Hopcroft could prove to be a massive loss for West Brom, who pride themselves in keeping a steady stream of players moving up from the academy and playing in the first-team, with this season seeing the likes of the aforementioned Harper, Nathan Ferguson and Kyle Edwards play important roles in Slaven Bilic’s squad.
With several key figures in the academy scene departing the club over the past 12 months, West Brom face a difficult battle to keep up the level of quality they have produced over the past few years from the youth team, yet a promotion to the Premier League, and the financial benefits that come with it, could prove to be the Baggies’ saving grace.
