West Brom figure speaks out as New Zealand gem pens Hawthorns deal
West Brom have been handed a boost as several promising young talents have now penned new deals at the club.
West Brom’s academy has produced some excellent players over the years, and there is a lot of excitement now as three scholars have all signed professional contracts.
Matthew Crowther, Rio Parmar and Noah DuPont have all put pen to paper on contracts, and the three are considered to be some of the best talents coming out of the academy.
DuPont is particularly highly rated, and he has now earned praise following his contract signing, with the defender’s best qualities highlighted.
Richard Stevens praises DuPont after West Brom contract signing
New Zealand youth international DuPont is rising up the ranks at The Hawthorns, and has trained with the first team on several occasions.
DuPont is a centre-back who has featured for the Under-18s and Under-21s sides, and he has now been praised by academy director Richard Stevens.
“As a centre-half you need certain qualities, and Noah has those,” he told West Brom’s website after contract news was confirmed on Friday (25 April).
| Stat | DuPont |
| Appearances | 31 |
| Goals | 3 |
| Yellow cards | 12 |
“He’s strong, competitive, has a good frame which will make him a really good, modern-day defender, and he’s shown he can cope against the levels above his age group.
“Training with the first team when they’ve needed players, playing for the 21s and particularly when they’ve competed in the National League Cup, he’s shown he can play against men and stand up to those challenges.
“The attributes he has will develop him into a good footballer and I believe our programme is going to help him do that.”
West Brom can use the academy more
Academy prospects are always useful for managers even if they are just stepping in to provide extra bodies in training, but West Brom could benefit from putting increased focus on it.
Tom Fellows graduated from the academy to first team, and could end up moving for over £20million, which in Profit and Sustainability Rules, would count as pure profit.
A talent like DuPont, 17, could eventually break into the first team, and if they end up becoming regular players, they could save West Brom a lot of money in the transfer market.
DuPont has made 31 appearances for West Brom Under-18s, and by signing professional terms, he will now hope that more regular game-time in the Under-21s can follow in the coming years.