Jonny Drury and Lewis Cox sat down to discuss the latest transfer talk - with Albion linked to a handful of European players.
In recent days, Albion have been linked with moves for players in Germany, Sweden and France.
Lewis and Jonny discuss the latest talk - and debate whether fans can expect the club to return to the days of signing unknown gems from other countries.
In recent days, Albion have been linked with moves for players in Germany, Sweden and France.
Lewis and Jonny discuss the latest talk - and debate whether fans can expect the club to return to the days of signing unknown gems from other countries.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Coxy, fans will have been seeing little rumours and whispers about potential incomings at
00:12Albion. A couple of names that have been reported have been players from abroad, Moussa Diarra
00:18in France, Eric Smith in Germany. Two players are sort of well regarded out there and have
00:23been linked with a handful of different clubs and it seems very much that that could be
00:28the way that Albion go this summer after the last few years very much being sort of recruiting
00:36from home really. Maybe not last year but certainly under Val and under Steve Bruch
00:41it was very much home grown players. Is this something we understand might be a concerted
00:48effort from Albion and could we see them go back to maybe those former successful days
00:53of recruiting players from abroad?
00:57Yeah, I certainly know and I'm aware of the clamour for it from supporters, baggies that
01:05will be watching this, hoping for that. Obviously the form of glory you mentioned, Jonny, what
01:0910, probably 15 years ago really when, let's face it, little known players were coming
01:15in. Some were roaring successes, weren't they? And have gone down as sort of modern day icons
01:22of the club. Others not so much, let's be honest. It's not a 100% win-hit ratio is it?
01:27But I think what we can conclude is there is value if you get it right. There can be
01:31a hell of a lot of value and profit and success to get out of it on the pitch if you get it
01:37right thinking back to, you know, your Jacobs and Correns and Malumbus of this world, all
01:43heroes of certain generations. And look, I think to a point it depends on your personnel
01:52that are in those roles at the time. At the moment we know obviously Ian Pearce, head
02:00of football operations, and he oversees the scouting department. And it will be the task
02:05of obviously him but the people underneath him to scour markets and they won't just be
02:11domestically. You're right in the management with Steve Bruce, someone who's managed decades
02:18in English football. The manager's player profile and to a most point knowledge is here,
02:25is on these aisles. So you're going to go where your knowledge and trust and faith is
02:30I think when you're under someone like Bruce. Different situation with Val, I suppose, being
02:36a foreign national, but we saw his recruitment, didn't we? Albeit we saw Ishmael's recruitment
02:43only over two windows, really, wasn't it? The summer obviously he came in and then the
02:47winter in which DK arrived, I'm right in saying, aren't I? DK being an example of obviously
02:53an overseas talent, but one being aware of on the English markets obviously from a period
03:00over here. So I think it's interesting to have a look at a brief study of what Corbran's
03:08done maybe in his window so far. I mean you look at Josh Madger last year. We must remember
03:12within the context of all of this that Corbran's just had hands tied, hasn't he? He's not been
03:17able to do much at all. Last summer there were three arrivals, one permanent, Josh Madger,
03:22and two loans. I think that you look at someone like Madger, he's an interesting case because
03:28he's grown up in England, isn't he? He's not an English national. I think he's had
03:33a Nigeria cap, hasn't he? I think I'm right in saying. But yeah, grown up in England,
03:37been at English clubs, gone overseas to try and sort of crack it. It was French second
03:42tier, wasn't it, in his case. And Albin have kept tabs and been able to make it work. Maybe
03:47they see value out there in terms of... I know Madger was the big sole target in terms
03:53of the big target in terms of the permanent signing last summer, and Albin were able to
03:57make it work despite the struggles. Now, I suppose someone like Pippa came in, didn't
04:03he, on loan last summer, and again, overseas player from an overseas club, but someone
04:09Corbran had knowledge of from Huddersfield. So a bit of a link there, I suppose. I guess
04:16the hope, the minimum expectation that supporters should have, and how I believe it is at the
04:22moment certainly, is that you're just across these markets where value could turn up. As
04:30you said at the top, we reported on a link between a defender in France, Toulouse, wasn't
04:34it, Diara's club in France. And earlier in the summer, there was reported interest in
04:40Eric Smith, a Swedish defender, playing in Germany's second tier where he won the title.
04:45So they both bring that intrigue, don't they? Let's be honest. They both bring that. There's
04:51that little bit of, we haven't seen them before, you know, for clubs over here to be
04:55keeping tabs and interested, they must have something about them, that kind of thing.
05:00I think if Albin are in the conversation and are scouting them, in my experience, these
05:06links tend to generate if they've been scouted, you know. If Albin have done their work either
05:11in person there, either via video link there, if they've had a scouting presence on these
05:16players, you tend to get agents and maybe foreign clubs throwing clubs' names in just
05:22to generate that interest. I think Albin were tipped with Leeds, weren't they, for Eric
05:27Smith. So it's difficult because we haven't yet had the opportunity, certainly so far
05:35this summer, we've been waiting for the chance to speak to people. But obviously, as soon
05:39as we can, it'll be top of the agenda to really find out and ask the questions that the scouting
05:45network is on this, has got these nearby overseas markets. And when you get to like
05:52the second tier of them even, that they've got them under watch really, that they're
05:58monitoring them, they're seeing where the stars are that might have a bit of value with
06:02only a year on the contract left or something like that. Because I'm sure there are occasions
06:06you're going to get a talent from over there who's as capable as a championship talent
06:11for maybe a reduced price, that sort of English inflated tag. So yeah, one little interesting
06:17factor about this is how I've been led to understand it in the past is the changes post
06:26Brexit. We mentioned some former Albion icons sort of earlier, happened before that, 2016
06:32wasn't it, the referendum, I believe. And yeah, the whole sort of work permit obtaining
06:38now has changed. It's a points based method now, pretty much based, I had it described
06:43to me on the location of the club where you're from, it's level, it's quality, obviously
06:50international experience, anything like that, European competition, the move up. So there
06:55are a lot of factors when it comes to that. We're not, as far as I believe, a place where
07:02it's go and plug X from X country that we might not be aware of. It's difficult now
07:10to do that, and that's frustrating, but that's the laws and legislations. But I think it's
07:16fair to say that doesn't stop, that doesn't need to stop Albion from being across the
07:20major countries, if you were, like the ones we've mentioned, or their second divisions,
07:25their second and third tiers, just to be on top of talents coming through that are obtainable
07:30via this points based system. It doesn't mean that, these rules of reg shouldn't mean
07:35that Albion are just kept to the English market. And I think fans just want to see ultimately
07:40that the recruitment and the scouting network are being as thorough as they can be. Don't
07:45want a gem who's cheap from abroad arriving at the rival, having a stunning season, helping
07:50them in the championship, and Albion sitting on their hands missing out, do you? Now, look,
07:54we know, as I mentioned in previous videos, it's all on, also, clearly, finance and what
08:00your club can afford at the moment. And Albion, as we know, sailing very close to FFP, aren't
08:05they? So there's also a world here where Albion can't compete with rivals for some of these
08:09or certainly abroad clubs for some of these. But let's just be, I think, as thorough and
08:16on it as much as you can when it comes to these talents that do exist overseas.