The average squad that Valerien Ismael inherited in Barnsley last October was around 23 years old. That was only so high because of a 31-year-old central defender who was four years older than his second-oldest team-mate.
He needs energy, athleticism and openness when rolling out his philosophy. He got that straight away at Barnsley and the results over the season spoke for themselves.
At West Brom it is certainly a different group. There’s more experience, a dash of Premier League quality, an older head or two, and maybe initially patience if they accept his way of working.
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Much was done about the future of Sam Johnstone and Matheus Pereira and how their transfers would open Albion’s summer windows. It takes the cap on the types of deals Albion could do and the types of players they can afford to take to another level.
It is clear that there are gaps in the squad, coverage needs and additional competition in multiple departments, but right now Ismael is enjoying the idea of being able to incorporate a number of young players he has been watching very closely since stepping in the door.
It was an intent he outlined on arrival to check out the academy’s hopefuls hoping for a first-team shot. In the case of Nathan Ferguson, it worked out fine.
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Taylor Gardner-Hickman, the all-round player, and striker Rayhaan Tulloch are among those who have been inspected, as are Rico Richards and Caleb Taylor. You were in the friendlies and you can expect that to continue on with Walsall and Blues.
It’s been a long time since the club got a lot of young players through at once, and Ferguson and Dara O’Shea have been the exception rather than the rule in recent years.
The last harvest to come through under Tony Pulis included Rekeem Harper, Sam Field, Jonathan Leko and Tyler Roberts, but this summer marked the end of that “era”. It is now time for more opportunities, and Ishmael is inclined to offer them.
West Bromwich Albion head coach Valerien Ismael during his team’s friendly game with Watford
(Image: Catherine Ivill / Getty Images)
“We’ll see, I think at the moment I said that the good thing is that our young players are doing well and they have given us time,” said Ismael when asked how the recruitment offensive went. “There is no rush in the transfer market, we want to see the young players and [at Watford] It was a very important game for us.
“We had to evaluate the players, but we saw that the performance was there. They understood the principle and I think it’s better for us if we can push some young players out of the academy.
“We will do it when we have the opportunity and when the performance and commitment are there, we will do it. Otherwise we will certainly show what we can do on the transfer market, but there is no rush at the moment.
“We are working on the preparation behind the scenes. We are already preparing a lot, but because of the good performance of the young players, we are in no hurry. “
