George Bennett and Lewis Cox sat down to discuss Reyes Cleary's loan move from West Brom to Walsall.
The young striker, who has made a name for himself in the youth sides at Albion with his goal record, has signed for the Saddlers on a season long loan deal.
The young striker, who has made a name for himself in the youth sides at Albion with his goal record, has signed for the Saddlers on a season long loan deal.
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00:00I'm delighted to say that I'm joined by our very own West Brom reporter Lewis Cox to talk
00:10about Walsall's new signing Reyes Cleary. It's been a long time coming with the Hump
00:17for a centre forward, rumbling on for some time, but they've got a deal over the line
00:21and firstly let's start with what can we expect from Reyes?
00:28Hi George, good to join you, good to be here. He's an excellent young prospect. I mean
00:3420 now, isn't he? 20, so no longer a teenager, no longer 17, 18, heading out on that first
00:40loan. He's been around that under 21, under 23 as it used to be known, set up for a good
00:47three, four seasons now, to be honest. And I know you've reported, as I did earlier in
00:52the summer, that the sort of goal record he's been used to scoring really over the
00:57years. And I think Matt Sadler probably referenced it as well, didn't he, when the loan went
01:01through. So yeah, he's definitely ready. This loan comes at the absolute right time for
01:07him. To be honest, it should have happened 12 months ago and would have, but for injuries.
01:12But here we are now and, you know, as I say, he's 20, absolutely the time for him to take
01:16his chance. And this first loan for him is, I believe, perfect in several ways, really.
01:23I mean, the timing of it, the location, you know, the relationship between the clubs,
01:27all of that is perfect. You know, a local boy, I call me lad, so it's ideal. In terms
01:33of him as a player, obviously attacker, a forward, my experience of watching him and
01:39sort of hearing people at the Hawthorne speak about him is he's best from the left, left-sided
01:44forward and cutting on his right foot and a thunderous shot from range, direct, skilful,
01:51creative, all of that. So that's how I see him as a player and perhaps his future. But
01:57from what I've read and heard speaking to you, whether that quite fits within Warsaw's
02:02formation and framework, I'm not so sure, with wing-backs that Matt Sadler's playing.
02:06So two up top, is it, for the Sadlers, whether we see Cleary as maybe a more reserved one
02:11of those, a deeper forward of the two, you know, supporting whoever is the nine as the
02:16lead centre forward would probably be the one I could imagine most within that framework.
02:21But, yeah, that's what he is as a player. He's small, you know, not any height to him,
02:28really. I mean, we'll get on to Mo Fowell, won't we? Another young Albion striker who
02:32the Sadlers will know well. He's a big rangy lad, isn't he, Mo Fowell? At least six foot,
02:38I would have thought, isn't he? But Cleary's nothing of the sort, really. I mean, I don't
02:43think he'd probably have much on five-seven, five-eight, real sort of diminutive player,
02:49but quick, powerful, you know, sort of stocky, but can shift. You know, he's all about that
02:56direct dribbling. He's definitely, I saw some of Matt Sadler's comments this week, and it was all
03:02about, look, he's an attacking, direct attacker that runs at defenders that will get fans off
03:07their seats. And that's exactly what I've seen. I mean, he's well beyond 21's football now. He's
03:13talent level for it is excellent. I mean, the goals he scored, the number of goals he scored,
03:20but the calibre, quality of goals he scored at that level is frightening, really. Goals from
03:25distance, goals where he's dribbling through defenders. He's beyond that. Like I say,
03:29he lost a year to a couple of muscle injuries last year, and that's the challenge this year,
03:34I think. You know, that is just a vital loan for him and his career and potential. Go out,
03:39play as often, regular as you can, experience that senior football, the importance of it, the,
03:45you know, three points is everything. You know, obviously, 21's lacks that. So,
03:51crucial for him and his future career. And I do think if he can settle in senior football,
03:57which is a big if, it could be excellent for all parties. It really could. I think he can
04:03excite fans. Look, he's not going to be the complete package yet. He's going to have to
04:07learn the hard yards and the tough school of football league, you know, senior competitive
04:12football. Just hasn't experienced it yet. He's trained very regularly with Carlos Corbijn's
04:17senior team at Albion, but that regular match day is what it's all about, isn't it? So,
04:23hope it can really bring him on. Hope he can be brilliant for the Sadlers. You know, score, create,
04:28just play regularly, build up that fitness, sharpness, become popular with the fans. I
04:33think it has real potential for that. And you mentioned there, you know, that it may take time
04:38for him to kind of get into his stride and sort of learn the ropes, I guess. And he's got a good
04:46reference point in Mo Fowle. Very different strikers. Someone that maybe he could speak to
04:52from Albion in terms of maybe helping him through those early days. You mentioned him
04:58and you mentioned him just there in his quotes after he signed that kind of Mo Fowle had good
05:05things to say. So, also what it suggests is there's a good kind of rapport and relationship
05:11built in between the two clubs. Yeah, I think we're seeing that. I know that Matt Sadler
05:17is particularly close with the manager of West Brom's under-21s, Richard Beale. They're both
05:23Brommies and I think they go back. So, yeah, they're close mates and I dare say that's how
05:28the Mo Fowle move last year would have, at least in part, come about. Look, we all know Mo Fowle
05:33had a cracking loan at Donny, didn't he? And that would, you know, clearly would have notified an
05:39interested Walsall. But yeah, the doorstep thing, the neighbours thing, you know, if you're Walsall,
05:44you've got to be aware of the talents in the academy, you know, the 21s of the local clubs
05:50that are higher ranked than you, haven't they? Because they can be no-brainers and they can
05:54really, really come off. So, yeah, a good, healthy relationship at the minute, good
06:00communication, I would say. As I mentioned, very different players, very different players. And
06:07there's no, you know, Mo Fowle's what, I don't know, is he 6'1", 6'2", maybe even taller?
06:13I think he's even taller now, I'm pretty sure. He's 6'4". He's a big guy.
06:18Yeah, he is. You wouldn't necessarily call him a target man, though, would you? I mean,
06:24I'll get onto this, but last week I was in Fleetwood, another League Two side, to watch
06:28Albin in the League Cup, the EFL Cup, and they went out disappointed. It was a full 11 changes,
06:35a youth side played, and Fowle started and scored the first goal of the game. Fleetwood came from
06:40behind to win. Clearly only got the last 20 off the bench. I know you've reported this, George,
06:44and he was electric in that cameo. He was really good. He was, you know, Albin were 2-1 down and
06:49he was the best sort of source for an equaliser. Nearly helped create one late time. He really
06:54made an impression in that 20 minutes against, I would say, a good League Two side in Fleetwood,
06:58just come down. But yeah, I think, you know, there's no saying that, you know, Fowle is any
07:05more ahead of Cleary in terms of potential to make it at Albin. I mean, Fowle's had a couple of loans
07:12that have gone really well, and that's what Cleary's lacked, and he needs that this year.
07:15Like I say, the plan was for him to have it last year, but they're very different players. I would
07:20suggest playing very different positions. Remains to be seen what happens to Mo Fowle. There's been
07:25sort of talk of Barnsley, and our understanding was he was going to go out on loan again,
07:30probably to League One this time, having done so well last season. But
07:35I was really excited to see how Cleary can adjust, you know, to that sort of,
07:39say, the everything of men's senior football, you know, the three points and the pressure.
07:46There'll be a bit of expectation on him, I think, from the stands, won't there,
07:48from the Walsall faithful. They'll have read and heard about the ability he's got and,
07:55you know, the goals he's scored at youth level and, you know, go back a few years when he was
08:01still a teenager, I think 17. The clubs he was linked with, you know, we'll probably get into
08:05that. But he really drew headlines at that age before he'd ever signed an Albion deal. And then
08:12I think it was 2022, penned that first pro contract and obviously came to an end this summer,
08:17which, you know, he agreed a one year extension with a year's option. So there's a lot gone on
08:24in his three or four years sort of in the quote unquote limelight. And to me, a couple of years
08:30ago, it was really apparent sort of ability wise outgrown that 21 set up and really needed to go
08:37out, test himself and sort of robbed of it last year, I think, for one reason or another. But
08:42everything I've heard this summer from people close to it is that since coming back from the
08:47sort of setbacks, the injury layoffs, he's in a really good place, you know, so psychologically
08:53determination is higher than ever because this is his time. You know, this is at least 20 now.
08:58By the end of this season, he'll be 21. This is a time when he has to
09:03find some consistency, regular football experience. You know, if it's going to go well for Albion in
09:10the championship or beyond, you know, he needs to have a good crack of it this season, doesn't he?
09:14So I think Walsall fans can be really excited. The partnership's a good thing, I think, between
09:19the clubs. And he's definitely a player that can excite fans. You hope he gets the opportunity.
09:24Won't be given any free passes or easy rides, obviously, by Matt Sadler. But
09:28yeah, I'm interested to see how it goes.
09:30Yeah, and that one-year extension, obviously, sorry, option year provides him with an extra
09:35incentive, really, to try and hit the ground running and do well at Walsall. And in terms
09:40of that background, you know, you mentioned there that his goal score and record and performances
09:44at youth level were very impressive and caught the eye of many clubs,
09:50many high-profile clubs at the time.
09:52Yeah, yeah. It was a couple of years ago now, and he just, I think, probably had one or two,
09:59yeah, maybe a couple of prolific seasons for the 21s, scoring all manner of goals,
10:06some quality goals, real sort of, you know, highlight reel kind of efforts. And he would
10:12have only, you know, just turned 18 by that summer, I think, the ones we're talking about.
10:18And it was still to agree that first pro contract at the Hawthorns from memory,
10:22and there were high-profile links, as you mentioned. Now, sort of with this kind of
10:28thing, you almost sometimes have to take a pinch of salt in terms of agent-driven
10:32chatter and, you know, pressure for youngsters to sign pro deals and whatnot. But, you know,
10:39we're talking, there was mention of German giants, you know, Bayern Munich and Dortmund
10:43circling when he was 17, as well as the likes of Spurs and Arsenal, you know, and Nisho. So,
10:49I do know that, you know, there were genuine sort of conversations in terms of interest,
10:54you know, from the likes of those clubs in him. I'm not saying it ever got as far as
10:59contract offers or anything like that. You know, it's not wholly unlikely, is it, that young
11:05English talent goes to Germany? Like, you know, we've seen it, sort of, Jadon Sancho all those
11:10years ago seem to kick-start it, and it's quite regular now from clubs. But, you know, with the
11:16record he managed at 18s, at 21s level, to me it's absolutely no surprise that elite clubs were
11:22looking, because that's just what happens, isn't it? And, yeah, obviously, Albin got him to sign
11:29a pro deal back in 2022, and here we are, kind of one decent to good season after that, and one
11:35injury plague season, sort of, as I say, robbed him of that loan experience he should have had at 19,
11:40and now here we are. Now it's time to prove himself, you know, and you made a good point
11:44about that sort of one-year contract. Yes, there's an option, which, you know, Albin probably have in
11:49terms of a club option, but he really got to make use of this time on loan, you know, and
11:56really impress his parent club, obviously impress his loan club, impress other watching clubs in
12:02League 1, League 2, if he wants to really, you know, kick-start a senior career, I would say.
12:06And what do you feel, sort of, West Brom's expectations are for him, and also what do you
12:13feel he needs to do to try and state that claim at Albion? Because I'm sort of looking at the
12:18options now, and Walsall have Jamil Matt and Josh Gordon, Albert Doman's played as a makeshift
12:23striker, which kind of creates another option for Walsall that perhaps a couple of weeks ago they
12:28didn't even realise they kind of had really, because he initially came in probably to play as
12:34a right wing back, but his versatility was clear to see, and provides Walsall with a
12:40completely different asset. And then there's Danny Johnson, who hasn't played during pre-season,
12:47hasn't featured during the opening stages, there's kind of no time frame around at the moment when
12:52he could be available. So, at the moment, he's kind of out of the equation, but will return
12:59into the mix eventually. So, there's options there. So, how do you feel in terms of what game
13:05times expected of him, and what he needs to do to try and state that claim? It's always a little
13:10hard to answer, isn't it, when youngsters coming on loan, different clubs work differently.
13:16And maybe it depends what level the parent club is at, compared to what level the loan club is at.
13:22But I wouldn't say for a second there's any absolute expectation, expectancy that, you know,
13:30Cleary has to start every game, or this many games, or feature in this many games. But look,
13:37for the loan to work for all parties, obviously, ideally, he'll be playing as often as possible,
13:43and trying to affect and influence games as often as possible. But like I say, I don't think Matt
13:49Sadler's the type, you'll know more than me, but I don't think Walsall will allow a free ticket,
13:55as I mentioned earlier, or pass into the side if it's not working for him. You'll have seen loans,
14:00I'm sure, over recent years, George, where young lads have come in from good clubs,
14:06decent reputation, and sink or swim, isn't it, when they go out to League One, League Two,
14:10and then they might settle, might not. And, you know, you're not going to get in over a seasoned
14:16Football League player if you're not showing it, you know, if you're not got the right attitude,
14:20mentality, or quality, or ability. So it will be interesting in terms of the quality or ability,
14:27I have no doubt of Cleary's quality, you know, comparatively to League Two players,
14:32quality is brilliant. That is not a question mark for me. And the attitude, mentality,
14:39can he get that right? And I'm not saying it's been wrong, but you know, it will take
14:43a certain level for him to feature regularly, won't it take a certain amount of determination,
14:47discipline, which I, you know, hopefully he can bring, and I'm sure that is what it rests on.
14:55And, you know, all parties, you know, none more so than Cleary, and he's, you know,
14:58I know he's a good kid, you know, family, that passionate, involved care, that, you know,
15:04they'll all be pulling in the right direction to try to get this work to work. I think,
15:10you know, if he, on the assumption that he spends the whole season at the best Scott, then,
15:18you know, he makes what, in excess of high twenties, thirties appearances, you know,
15:24starts fairly regularly, you know, if he's playing well, he's more he's going to play,
15:28isn't it? You know, if he's sort of showing his quality, ability, assists, goals,
15:33he's going to get in the side more, and then it's gone well, I would say, and you'll get,
15:39we'll get around that January period, won't we? And I know you made a good point when we were
15:43chatting earlier about how we played at Albion last week in the League Cup. So, you know,
15:49you can't play for three clubs in a season, can you? That's a rule. So I don't foresee a world
15:55with that. And that's something we can check out further down the line, but where a League
15:58One club, like a Freddie Draper situation, can poach a Cleary, I don't expect that because of
16:04that rule. Not if that's set in stone, but that's how I'd imagine it will work. So, look, if the
16:10loan goes well, starts well, continues well, there's no reason why Walsall can't profit for it
16:15all season. And it's interesting because they've got a lot of options, haven't they,
16:19as you mentioned, and I know Matt Sadler said before he'd wanted sort of two more forwards,
16:24two more strikers in, Cleary now being one of them. So there could be another one through the
16:28door down there. And that's another reason why Cleary's not going to automatically be a pick and
16:35automatically pay every week, is he? He needs to earn it. I don't see him as a wingback. We're
16:42talking about his position earlier in that formation. I don't see that. That would surprise
16:47me a little bit. So I see him in one of those two positions that might become periods in the
16:51season or in games with injuries and suspensions where, you know, Sads might dip out of that
16:56formation and he might, you know, go free up top or whatever later on or start with a back four.
17:03Then you might see Cleary out onto the left in a three-man attack or something like that,
17:07or a 4-2-3-1. So be expected to see that. But yeah, he loves to get on his right foot,
17:11loves to get a shot away and beat players as well. So, yeah, I'm hopeful that the Sadler's
17:16fans enjoy watching him and I'm just hoping that he can play as much as he can because,
17:20you know, if he's playing regularly, he's doing well.
17:22Yeah, it's a good point you make there, actually, because I think there was a couple of months where
17:26Walsall did revert or switch to a back four and Ramos served a similar purpose. His kind of second
17:34spell at the Sadler's was plagued by injury, but I think Sadler likes that option to have a striker
17:40that is also capable of playing out wide. He's clearly got that with the Doma as well,
17:45with him playing as a makeshift striker, but his history as a winger of the highest
17:51calibre really in the Championship. So, it's a great option to have there and you said about
17:57kind of the possibility of bringing in another centre forward. Matt Sadler did say he wanted
18:00two centre forwards. It feels like the loan market is probably the area where they'll look at now.
18:05Those options, which looked very sparse, actually, probably before the season started with
18:11Adoma's transformation, or transformation, him playing as a makeshift striker, creates that
18:19extra option. So, it does look a lot more solid up top now. But I would still probably expect
18:26possibly one to come in, but it feels like the loan market will be the route that they'll go down
18:31and loans have been good. So, hopefully that's something Cleary can benefit from. I think last
18:37season Draper is the perfect example, but also there were others that maybe didn't hit the ground
18:42running. I remember David Akagbe was at the club, had probably a debut to forget, to be honest. He
18:50was subbed off at half-time against Salford and then missed the next six weeks with an ankle
18:54injury. He then came in and was an ever-present for the rest of the season when he returned.
18:59Adebayega spent the first two months completely out of favour and then came in and played a
19:06crucial role when Walsall made that push for the play-off. So, Matt Sadler kind of leaves a door
19:11open for players when maybe at first it doesn't work. There's still an opportunity if they show
19:16the application to try and make amends and make good of their careers at Walsall. So, a good
19:23opportunity for him. I was just going to say, I think it's Tram here away, isn't it, Saturday?
19:27It is, yeah. Yeah, decent game for League Two, isn't it? Opposition-wise, stadium-wise, away day
19:33for the fans, all of that. I think I would be, given I started the season obviously flying high,
19:40I'd be a little bit surprised if he went straight into the starting line-up.
19:43But I'm happy to be wrong if he is. But, you know, I said he had that cameo at Fleetwood and he
19:49played a bit in pre-season friendlies. And he would have trained in terms of a pre-season, but
19:56maybe a couple of games behind colleagues in terms of match sharpness and having not experienced the
20:00Football League properly before. Played a handful of games throughout the last couple of years. But,
20:05you know, for him to come straight into a starting line-up is a big ask. I think certainly, you know,
20:10a team that, I mean, look at Walsall's last game, you know, it's hard to imagine him breaking
20:16straight in and that he might have to play the last 15 or 20 or maybe a bit longer if it's not
20:21going well. And, you know, come on and stake a claim, isn't it? Try and grab the shirt. He might
20:26have to, Walsall might be a couple of goals up, in which case it's a different scenario, isn't it?
20:31And you might have to give it a couple of weeks of doing that and trying to impress every time. And
20:36then, you know, if a defeat comes around, then you might get your chance in the next game. So that's
20:39how he's got to look at it and make it count. Yeah, exactly that. I mean, Josh Gordon picked
20:45up a slight hamstring issue last week. So that remains sort of a doubt at the moment, something
20:51I'll clear up at tomorrow's press conference. Sadler was optimistic that it's not serious and
20:55they've called it early. But obviously, then Albert Doma came off the bench and scored and
21:01impressed. So probably if Gordon isn't available, then he's going to look to him to partner Matt.
21:08So that's kind of his first challenge really is to stake that claim and break into the team. So,
21:12you know, a good first challenge for him to try and seize at Walsall.
21:17Absolutely. Yeah, I'm looking forward to following it. Obviously, I'll be reading your stuff and
21:21keeping an eye out.