Slaven Bilic stepped in to help West Brom keep talented academy duo – report
West Brom have finally started to stop the trend of letting their younger players leave the club at the end of their contracts.
Rayhaan Tulloch looked likely to leave last season, but he put pen-to-paper on a new contract alongside Rico Richards at the Hawthorns.
That stopped the trend of the likes of Louie Barry leaving to join Barcelona for a minimal fee, with him now being at near-rivals Aston Villa.
How did the Baggies persuade the promising duo to stay though?
The Athletic journalist Steve Madeley released a profiling of Tulloch on Friday and revealed that one man was key behind the negotiations – Slaven Bilic.
It was reported that when discussions looked to be at the point of no return, the Croatian stepped in and persuaded Tulloch to stay at the club.
He was said to have spoken about the progression of players such as Nathan Ferguson and Dara O’Shea, something that clearly worked.
Bilic also gave the same talk to Richards, as he followed suit only months after to put pen-to-paper on a new deal with the club.
Bilic admitted he was “delighted” when Tulloch’s future was secured, and it was no surprise to see him involved in first-team training.
It may be described as being due to a lack of bodies in the first-team squad, but this is the perfect opportunity to catch the eye ahead of the Premier League season starting.
Tulloch featured in the FA Cup last season for the Baggies, and we expect to see him in-and-around the first-team for sure next season.
Where would we be without Slav?
In other West Brom news, loan offer tabled for in-demand for Baggies 26-year-old
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