West Brom fans in disbelief at disappointing exit news – ‘Villa bound’
West Brom released their retained list on Tuesday, leaving fans to question one of the decisions made.
West Brom won’t need anyone to tell them this, but this summer is going to be huge for them if they are to have any chance of sealing promotion back to the Premier League next season.
First and foremost, the managerial situation at The Hawthorns needs to be sorted as a matter of urgency, before attentions then turn to recruitment.
With that in mind, Albion have already made a decision on who will leave this summer, and the inclusion of one name has sparked some major concern in the Midlands.
The Hawthorns set for summer rebuild
West Brom’s retained list doesn’t throw up too many surprises, with Grady Diangana and Semi Ajayi among those departing at the end of their contract.
John Swift is another to be leaving this summer, having endured a fairly wretched time as a West Brom player, but one of the other names on the list has raised eyebrows.
Fenton Heard will be leaving the Baggies ahead of the summer, in news that has been the cause of an immense amount of confusion.
| West Brom academy | Games | Goals | Assists |
| Heard | 15 | 0 | 2 |
Heard wasn’t afforded the chance to shine in the Championship, though he certainly has potential, and several West Brom fans think he is set for a move to Aston Villa.
Fear that Fenton Heard will go to the Villa. I think he supports them
— Oskar 🇸🇪🏴 𓅪 (@NilsOskar_) May 20, 2025
released fenton heard and ted cann????
— Cammo𓅪 (@WBAFC_Cam) May 20, 2025
Why’s heard gone????
— will 𓅪 (@will_wba8) May 20, 2025
Heard going is a surprise thought the academy rated him highly
— Dylan (@627828293939_) May 20, 2025
Out off all the departures…
— Baggie (@BaggieSix) May 20, 2025
Only Fenton Heard for me is a bad one, when I’ve seen him play he always seemed solid! Can only see him going up and up! All the best Fenton!
Fenton Heard is disappointing, can’t help but feel we’ll regret that one :white_frowning_face:
— BaggiesBeard (@BaggiesBeard) May 20, 2025
Can’t believe they have released Fenton Heard
— Woody. 🇬🇧 🏴 (@Digforgold1) May 20, 2025
Why release Fenton Heard?
— EliteReq💎𓅪 (@EliteReq) May 20, 2025
fenton heard 🤦🤦🤦
— Alfie 🤯🤯 (@wba_ah) May 20, 2025
Thanks for everything Grady and Semi. Bit shocked we got rid of Heard but fair enough
— Jaᴋe (@_jakehomer) May 20, 2025
West Brom have a huge summer ahead
With several first-team players leaving, West Brom have a remarkable amount of work to do in the coming months to get prepared for the new Championship campaign.
Diangana and Ajayi, especially, have been regulars when fit for Albion, and despite some poor performances throughout the campaign, they won’t be easy to replace.
However, that will be a job for the new manager to have a say in, though with very few updates from The Hawthorns, it seems any appointment is still some distance away yet.
As for Heard, West Brom will keep a close eye on his next move, with hopes that he can start showcasing the potential that everyone at The Hawthorns knows he has.