Bristol City recently completed the signing of boyhood West Brom fan and academy graduate Taylor Gardner-Hickman.
The West Brom academy has produced some talented youngsters over the past few years; Finn Azaz, Nathan Ferguson, and Tim Iroegbunam to name a few, though all were poached by Premier League clubs at a young age.
One Baggies graduate who managed to make it into the first-team though was Gardner-Hickman.
The central midfielder made his league debut for West Brom in the 2021/22 season and went on to make 52 total league outings for the club before leaving on loan to Bristol City last summer.
That move surprised a few, given West Brom’s lack of squad depth and Gardner-Hickman’s strong 2022/23 campaign, and he’s since impressed at Ashton Gate; so much so that the Robins have made his stay permanent.
Taylor Gardner-Hickman sends farewell message to West Brom fans
The 22-year-old has since taken to social media to say his goodbyes to West Brom; the club that signed him at a very young age and gave him his upbringing in football.
He posted a story on his Instagram page, posing next to former Baggies boss Roberto Di Matteo as a youngster, with the message:
“Just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone at West Brom, and to you fans who have supported me during my journey.”
Needs must, but West Brom need to stop player exits
Gardner-Hickman may well have had a bright future at West Brom under Carlos Corberan; we’ll never know.
His sale is a sign of the times for the Baggies who remain in a very perilous financial position, though their ongoing takeover is making good progress.
And the new owners need to stop the rot, particularly in terms of player sales.
Whilst Gardner-Hickman was no longer a youth player at the club, but still a young player, West Brom have made a nasty habit of selling their impressive youngsters before they’ve even broken into the first-team.
Giving these players exposure in the first-team could not only entice them to stay but also boost their transfer value.
There’ll be a number of areas for the prospective new owner or owners to tackle, and re-building the first-team squad will be one with the club having a number of players currently out of contract in the summer.
That and keeping hold of their key assets for longer.