Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson has revealed that he was rejected by West Brom in the early years of his footballing career following a failed trial with the Baggies.
Appearing on Sky Sports’ Saturday Social, the England international revealed via The Birmingham Mail that West Brom was one of several clubs to turn him down after a trial period, with Wilson saying that the Championship side didn’t think he was good enough at the time to be signed to a full-time contract.
The decision ultimately led to Wilson joining his hometown club of Coventry City, who he impressed with in League One, scoring 21 goals in 37 appearances for the Sky Blues, winning the striker a move to Bournemouth and playing an influential role in the south coast team’s stunning rise into the Premier League.
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Yet Wilson, who the Cherries now value at around £75m as reported by The Daily Mail, is seemingly grateful for the times he was rejected by clubs during his younger years as a player, with the attacker saying: “I went on trial at a lot of different places. I went on trial at Nottingham Forest and they told me that I wasn’t good enough. I then went on trial at West Brom and they said I wasn’t good enough.
“I went on trial next at Coventry City and they put me in a trial game and I scored a hat-trick against Stoke City, so they offered me a contract straight away. I said yes, but only if someone can give me a lift to training and back.”
With Wilson flourishing into one of the top English strikers in the Premier League in recent years, West Brom missed a trick in passing up on the now 28-year-old striker who has gone from League One football to representing England in the span of five years, and next season, the attacker could be lining up against the Baggies should Slaven Bilic’s side win promotion to the top-flight as well as Bournemouth managing to avoid the drop.
