West Brom offer new contracts to young defensive trio
Albion have offered promising young defender Jack Fitzwater a new contract.
The 20-year-old has been rewarded for an impressive loan spell at Walsall during the second half of last season.
Fitzwater cemented his place in the Saddlers team and scored three goals en route to helping the club stay up in League One.
He has now been offered a new contract, alongside fellow defenders Max Melbourne and Dara O’Shea, who are both 19.
Melbourne played in the Scottish Premiership last season during a loan spell at Ross County and O’Shea helped Hereford win the Southern Premier League.
Albion have published their retained and released list this morning for their academy players.
Midfielder Alex Bradley and goalkeeper Bradley House, both 19, have both had their contracts extended for another year.
So has Australian keeper Jasko Keranovic, 20, who has just completed a six-month loan spell at Steve Clarke’s Kilmarnock side.
Kyle Edwards, who scored for Exeter City at Wembley in the League Two play-off final, and Kane Wilson, also on loan at the Grecians, have been retained.
Also staying at the club are defender Nathan Ferguson, midfielder Rekeem Harper, defenders Kyle Howkins and Kyle Jameson, winger Jonathan Leko, striker Callum Morton, goalkeepers Alex Palmer and Ben Pierce, and young England internationals Jamie Soule and Rayhaan Tulloch,
Chinese striker Yuning Zhang, who spent last season on loan at Werder Bremen, has also been retained.
However, Tahvon Campbell, 21,Robbie McCourt, 20, Evan Pierce, 19, and goalkeeper Ethan Ross, 21, have been released.
The club said: “Albion would like to place on record their thanks and best wishes to all four players.”
Head coach Darren Moore is hoping to integrate the younger players into his squad much more next season.
He has promoted James Shan from under-23s boss to first team coach and one of his tasks will be to help the youngsters acclimatise to first-team action.
The Baggies still need to decide whether to offer new deals to the four senior players who are out of contract – Boaz Myhill, James Morrison, Gareth McAuley, and Claudio Yacob.
