West Brom gem to follow in Sam Johnstone’s footsteps as announcement made
Sam Johnstone had a lasting effect while he was at West Brom.
Johnstone was part of the Baggies side that gained automatic promotion to the Premier League for the 2020/21 season.
The goalkeeper produced several heroic saves throughout the season, including stoppage-time saves to deny Raheem Sterling and Ilkay Gundogan against Manchester City.
Fast forward to the current day and West Brom could earn Premier League promotion under Ryan Mason after an unbeaten start to the Championship.
Despite Albion’s draw against Portsmouth, where Mason saw red, the Baggies have been convincing for the most part.
And one youngster who has yet to make his first-team breakthrough could follow in the steps of Johnstone very soon.
Joe Wallis included in New Zealand’s U-20 World Cup squad
Albion have seen several young stars prosper in the academy. The latest is Ollie Bostock, who recently signed a new contract at West Brom.
However, shot-stopper Joe Wallis is the current talk of the town. West Brom announced on Friday, 12 September, that he has been included in the New Zealand squad for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup tournament in Chile.
The gem will follow in Johnstone’s footsteps, as he represented England at the 2013 FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
- Johnstone debuted in England’s 2-2 opening draw with Iraq
- The goalkeeper played in all three games before England exited at the group stage
Wallis, no doubt, will want to go further in the competition than the former Albion keeper. Nevertheless, the recognition alone demonstrates that the youngster is on the right track.
Noah DuPont also included in New Zealand squad
Fellow West Brom academy defender Noah DuPont has also been named in New Zealand’s squad for the tournament.
The 17-year-old has been at Albion since he was six years old. Indeed, there’s a level of maturity to his game which saw him play alongside the Under-21s last term.
As well as this, the young defender also played a huge role in the Under-21s in the 2024/25 FA Youth Cup, where they were eliminated in the quarter-finals. As such, DuPont signed his first professional contract at West Brom.
With several young stars already making a name for themselves, the Baggies are set for years to come.
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