Alan Pardew looking to recall West Brom loanees

The Baggies sent 13 of their best academy stars out to other clubs in the summer, but Pardew has recently brought the likes of Jonathan Leko, Rekeem Harper and Kane Wilson back into training.

He’s warned the teenagers their personal development could be put on hold while everyone clubs together to get Albion out of the mess they find themselves in.

“We brought the guys on loan back in because I thought it was important I saw their personalities and have a look at what they do on the training ground rather than seeing their little performances on video,” explained Pardew. “Some of them are only subs at the moment.

“It’s so that I know in January I’m making the right call. And I said to them all when I got them in, unfortunately for you guys the club is in a position where your personal development might have to go to one side for five months.

“Not completely, because we’re going to develop them here, but in terms of going out on loan. The club comes first, and they understood that. If I call one or two of them back to boost the squad, it will be to increase our numbers, and not necessarily to be in the starting XI.

“But it may be an opportunity for them at some time to grab a substitute’s jersey and grab a first-team place. That’s the message I gave them.”

Pardew is also planning to look at 18-year-old Tyler Roberts once his six-month loan with Walsall ends on January 26.

Rangers have become the latest team to register an interest in the promising young forward, and because his contract runs out in the summer, they could snap him up then for a set compensation fee of £300,000.

Albion have already rejected multi-million pound bids for Roberts and have offered him a new contract, but his future remains in doubt because he is yet to agree to one yet.

Injuries forced Pardew to name an under-18 player on the bench in his first few games in charge, but he wants all hands to the pump now.

“Because of the injuries, obviously I had a couple of young players on the bench and that wasn’t ideal,” he said. “Those loan players would have gone on that. There was a lot of circumstances around that.

“Those on a season-long loan, some of them do have clauses in there, if they haven’t played enough games there could be a situation where I could call them back. We’re looking at all of those.”

Former boss Tony Pulis was eager to get as many of his youngsters out on loan as possible because he didn’t think academy football properly prepared them.

Even though Pardew is now planning to recall one or two of the best, he didn’t think too many had been sent out.

“Looking at the quality of the group at the start of the year, I think that was maybe the right decision,” he agreed.