After their disappointing play-off loss in the previous season, Carlos Corberan is hoping to assemble a team that can challenge for promotion, therefore West Brom is getting ready for a big summer window.
Since joining The Hawthorns, the Spaniard has performed a fantastic job of turning Albion from a team in the relegation zone to one of the league’s most reliable teams, as evidenced by their most recent position in the top six.
Furthermore, he has accomplished this on a tight budget—Corberan has astonishingly failed to sign a player for a transfer fee since taking over.
Plans for West Brom’s summer transfers
That will undoubtedly alter in the upcoming weeks as Shilen Patel’s purchase of the Baggies from Guochuan Lai earlier this year gave the supporters the takeover they had been waiting for.
Therefore, attention will be focused on who enters, and Corberan will want to make a few adjustments to make sure the team is capable of competing with the best in the Championship once more.
But Albion will also want to keep developing its own players so that they may eventually leave their mark on the starting lineup. It won’t all be about signings.
However, some players find that a loan move is beneficial for their growth. Here, we look at TWO players who ought to explore for short-term exits before the summer deadline.
Caleb Taylor
The giant centre-back has been on the fringes of the first-team in the past, and he has made a handful of appearances in the blue-and-white stripes.
With Cedric Kipre looking set to move on, and doubts over the future of Kyle Bartley, there are some who will argue that Taylor should be part of the first-team squad next season, and that could certainly happen.
But, the 21-year-old is unlikely to be in the XI, and he is at a stage in his career where he needs to be playing week in, week out. So, a loan move could be ideal, but the Baggies need to ensure they find a club where Taylor gets game time.
After excelling with Cheltenham in the past, Taylor was mainly a sub after joining Bolton in January, so he needs to find a club that will allow him to flourish.
If Taylor does play every week next season, even if it’s in League One, he could be ready to push for a place in the West Brom team for the 25/26 season.
He has all the tools to be a good defender in the Football League, but he could benefit from another season of regular football to improve on certain aspects of his game.
With his deal expiring in 2025, a new contract would need to be sorted before Taylor departs, although that shouldn’t be much of an issue.
Zac Ashworth
It’s a very similar story for another academy graduate in Ashworth, who is also on a contract for another 12 months, so fresh terms need to be sorted with the left-back as well.
Like Taylor, Ashworth was at Bolton last season, spending the entire campaign with the Trotters as they reached the play-off final, and he featured in 16 games.
That experience will have helped Ashworth, and he is another who could easily become part of Corberan’s plans next season, but the reality is a place in the best XI seems unlikely with Conor Townsend at the club.
Therefore, he is another who should look to go out on loan, with the focus on finding a club that will make him a regular starter every game.
Similar to Taylor, Ashworth has room for improvement in several parts of his game, but he too has the raw ability to be a viable Championship option.
At age 21, this is a pivotal time in his career, and Albion ought to consider loaning the player out before reevaluating him the following year. There’s a good chance the two might wind up being significant players in the future.
