A look at some of those who could temporarily depart The Hawthorns this summer
West Brom’s 2023/24 Championship season to an end in agonising circumstances in the play-offs last week.
Following a fifth place finish in the regular season, and a goalless draw at home to Southampton in the first leg, a 3-1 defeat at St Mary’s ended their hopes of promotion back to the Premier League.
As a result, the Baggies now find themselves heading back to the drawing board, as they look to go one better in the 2024/25 campaign.
With several senior players having been released following the expiration of their contracts at the end of the season, there will be plenty of work to do on Carlos Corberan’s squad for that to happen.
However, there could also be more departures to come, in the form of players who could benefit from loan spells elsewhere, in order to further boost their own future prospects.
So with that in mind, we’ve taken a look at three players who West Brom might want to consider loaning out in the summer transfer window, right here.
Mo Faal
Following an impressive stint out on loan in National League North with AFC Fylde during the 2022/23 campaign, Faal was again sent out on loan this season. The striker spent the campaign in League Two, enjoying spells with Doncaster Rovers and Walsall.
During that period, Faal scored 13 goals and provided one assist in 45 league appearances for those two clubs. That highlights the goalscoring potential he does possess, although it would be a big ask for him to go straight from that, to leading the line in a Championship promotion push for West Brom next season.
With that in mind, another loan move to a potentially higher level that allows him to develop further, standing him in good stead to possibly make an impact for West Brom in the years to come could make sense.
Caleb Taylor
Another player loaned out by West Brom this season who could benefit from another temporary stint elsewhere next season, is Caleb Taylor.
The defender spent the second half of last season on loan in League One with promotion chasing Bolton Wanderers, who ultimately missed out on a return to the Championship after losing the play-off final to Oxford United.
For his part, Taylor’s opportunities with Bolton were limited to a handful of appearances by injury, meaning he did not get the full experience of regular first-team football he was likely looking for. As a result, West Brom could perhaps be tempted to give him the chance to get used to that sort of challenge under his belt again, with another loan spell for next season.
Caleb Taylor 2023/24 Bolton Wanderers League One stats – from SofaScore | |
---|---|
Appearances | 7 |
Starts | 4 |
Minutes per Game | 42 |
Pass Success Rate | 83% |
Interceptions per Game | 1.1 |
Tackles per Game | 1.3 |
Balls Recovered per Game | 2.4 |
Layton Love
This season could potentially be a big one for Layton Love, who had the option to extend his contract triggered by the Baggies in their end of season retained list.
As a result, at 19-years-old, this may be the time when the attacker needs to prove he can cut it at senior level, as he enters the very last year of his deal at The Hawthorns. While he has impressed in the academy, his only senior experience is a handful of outings for Brackley Town in the sixth-tier during a brief loan earlier this season, and a late substitute appearance for West Brom in their FA Cup win over National League side Aldershot Town back in January.
A loan move this season could therefore be sensible, both to give Love more experience, and the chance to show he can make an impact at first-team level, in order for West Brom to be able to make a more informed decision over whether or not to offer the teenager a longer-term contract.