West Brom suddenly have defensive issues after Caleb Taylor loan agreed
The Championship season begins on 30 July (next weekend) but West Brom could suddenly be facing a major squad depth problem.
With Matt Clarke back at Brighton and Cedric Kipre sent on loan to Cardiff City, Steve Bruce had to think long and hard about the future of 19-year-old centre-half Caleb Taylor but he has now made his choice.
The Baggies academy graduate has been sent to League One outfit Cheltenham Town for the season, as announced on the official West Brom Twitter account, where Josh Griffiths also played earlier in his career.
The teenager’s exit from The Hawthorns leaves just three senior central defenders available for selection in Semi Ajayi, Dara O’Shea and Kyle Bartley.
The latter of that trio has also only just returned from his own extensive period out through injury and may not be at 100 per cent when the opening game against Middlesbrough comes around.
A lack of central defenders seemed lightyears away last season when Kipre and Clarke were both at the club and allowing Bruce to play a back three for much of the campaign.
Darnell Furlong and Conor Townsend can do a job in the middle despite being natural full-backs but that would only be in a back three, not a four.
West Brom may be forced to play a traditional back four against Boro and for the start of the season unless they can find another centre-half because it would be far too risky to play all three for every single game.
The decision to loan Taylor to the Robins may be something that West Brom come to regret because he had shown great potential in his limited appearances for the Albion.
In other West Brom news, a rival Championship manager has been waxing lyrical about the Baggies boss as his side chase a transfer for one of The Hawthorns’ enigmatic attackers.
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