West Brom loan watch: Alex Williams recall assessed as early success achieved already

West Bromwich Albion have a young talent on their hands in Alex Williams.

The Baggies loaned the right-back to Hibernian earlier this summer, in the hope that a tough test in Scotland would help mould him into a Championship-ready player.

Interestingly, he played 90 minutes for Albion in their 3-2 Carabao Cup defeat to Newcastle, and was included in the squad to face Middlesbrough.

Williams played twice for the Black Country Club in the 2025-26 campaign and is highly rated internally.

James Morrison is currently light in the right-back position, with Nolan Galves set to be out for several months after suffering a knee injury.

West Brom fans have been wondering if Williams can be brought back to The Hawthorns early from his loan with Hibs, but he may want to stay in Scotland anyway.

Alex Williams ready for rival clash in semi-final fixture after debut success

West Brom do not have a recall option for Williams until January at the very earliest.

The same can be said for Alfie Gilchrist, who is currently out on loan with Leyton Orient.

This leaves the Albion with Brayaan Pereira as their only fit, senior right-back option.

Williams made his debut for Hibs in their Scottish League Cup quarter-final clash against Ross County.

The former Wales U21s star came off the bench to play for 11 minutes, helping see out a 3-0 win for his side.

The Hibbies are now set for a semi-final clash against rivals Hearts at Hampden Park, which holds over 50,000 people for footballing events.

Hibernian will take on the Jambos on 31 October, and Williams will be hoping to play in the high-stakes encounter.

The West Brom youngster now has a chance to break into the starting side between now and then, with Hibs' next game coming against Kilmarnock on Tuesday.

Does Williams have strong competition to start for Hibernian?

The reality is, West Brom must leave Williams at Hibernian for the full season, unless things haven't gone his way by January.

The 21-year-old needs time to settle in Scotland and is surely set for more playing time than he is at The Hawthorns, especially when Morrison has all his right-back options available.

But Williams does have his own competition to worry about at Easter Road.

He has to push none other than ex-Borussia Dortmund defender Felix Passlack out of the side, who already has four goal contributions in 13 games for the Hibbies.

Williams may need to adapt to become a wing-back too, with Hibs manager David Gray currently opting for a 3-4-3 formation.

Hopefully, Williams comes back to West Brom ready to fight against the likes of Pereira and Galves for a spot.