Report: West Brom begin search to replace youth chief after exit
West Brom have started their search for a new head of academy recruitment after Steve Hopcroft handed in his resignation, according to the Express & Star.
The newspaper reports that academy manager Richard Stevens will be leading the search to replace Hopcroft, who has spent the last 16 years working for the Baggies.
Hopcroft has been responsible for discovering some of Albion’s top academy products in recent years with Saido Berahino, Jonathan Leko, Rekeem Harper and Izzy Brown all rising through the ranks thanks to him.
However it is now the end of an era at West Brom, with Hopcroft exiting and potentially heading to Aston Villa to reunite with Albion’s last academy head Mark Harrison, who quit The Hawthorns last year.
It remains to be seen why Hopcroft has left the Black Country club but he is not the only one to walk away in the last 12 months.
As well as him and Harrison, Mike Scott, Jamie Smith, Jimmy Shan and Mark Naylor have also quit.
Luke Dowling made a number of changes at the training ground last year which coincided with those exits and might have played a role.
In other West Brom news, Albion should cut their losses on this Tony Pulis signing in the summer.