[gazberg]

Everyone gone as expected apart from Pieters who is in talks to stay.

West Bromwich Albion can confirm their retained and released lists following the conclusion of the 2022/23 campaign.

The Baggies are in talks with first-team defender Erik Pieters over a new deal, while goalkeeper Ted Cann has earned a one-year extension to his current contract, which now runs until June 2024.

PL2 quartet Jamie Andrews, Mo Faal, Aaron Harper-Bailey and Brad Foster, as well as second-year scholars Fenton Heard, Akeel Higgins, Layton Love and Narel Phillips, have all received offers to remain with the club.

But three senior players will be leaving The Hawthorns this summer.

Long-serving club captain Jake Livermore departs following six-and-a-half years in B71, and he said goodbye to Baggies fans earlier this month via an open letter.

Tom Rogic and Kean Bryan are also leaving the football club.

Former Celtic midfielder Rogic, who signed in September 2022, exits having scored twice in 23 games across all competitions last season and Bryan departs after making three appearances in two years at The Hawthorns.


Youngsters Quevin Castro, Rico Richards, Ramello Mitchell, Cianole Nguepissi, Sammy Okoka, Sam Oluwatobi, Beau Hudd, Tobias Hurlock, Femi Olofinjana, Archie Oliver and Jesse Wangusi are also set to leave the Baggies when their current contracts expire.

The club would like to thank all departing players for their efforts during their time at The Hawthorns and wishes them every success in the future.

[baggie82]

Everyone gone as expected apart from Pieters who is in talks to stay.

West Bromwich Albion can confirm their retained and released lists following the conclusion of the 2022/23 campaign.

The Baggies are in talks with first-team defender Erik Pieters over a new deal, while goalkeeper Ted Cann has earned a one-year extension to his current contract, which now runs until June 2024.

PL2 quartet Jamie Andrews, Mo Faal, Aaron Harper-Bailey and Brad Foster, as well as second-year scholars Fenton Heard, Akeel Higgins, Layton Love and Narel Phillips, have all received offers to remain with the club.

But three senior players will be leaving The Hawthorns this summer.

Long-serving club captain Jake Livermore departs following six-and-a-half years in B71, and he said goodbye to Baggies fans earlier this month via an open letter.

Tom Rogic and Kean Bryan are also leaving the football club.

Former Celtic midfielder Rogic, who signed in September 2022, exits having scored twice in 23 games across all competitions last season and Bryan departs after making three appearances in two years at The Hawthorns.


Youngsters Quevin Castro, Rico Richards, Ramello Mitchell, Cianole Nguepissi, Sammy Okoka, Sam Oluwatobi, Beau Hudd, Tobias Hurlock, Femi Olofinjana, Archie Oliver and Jesse Wangusi are also set to leave the Baggies when their current contracts expire.

The club would like to thank all departing players for their efforts during their time at The Hawthorns and wishes them every success in the future.

Not surprised at all by that as Pieters was excellent for us, is left-sided and can cover both centre back or left back. If he is willing to take a 12 month deal on sensible wages then it is a no brainer to keep him if we can.

[gazberg]

Not surprised at all by that as Pieters was excellent for us, is left-sided and can cover both centre back or left back. If he is willing to take a 12 month deal on sensible wages then it is a no brainer to keep him if we can.

It depends on the wages offered to him by our top notch management team. Going on what they have conjured up previous I'm scared.

[OhBilics]

I agree with offering Pieters a new deal. Hopefully just a year long one though.

I'm surprised about Rico Richards going, I thought he was highly rated. Kind of disappointed that Bryan is going because I thought he might work well in a Corboran defence. I doubt he (CC) has really had a chance to look at Bryan and see whether he would or not. The poor bloke hasn't had much of a chance with us. Of course, for all I know he was made an offer and turned it down.

[smethwickw]

Pieters had a decent season but we really shouldn't be offering new deals to players of his age. It doesn't matter what wage we give him or the fact that he covers more than one position. Keeping him just blocks the path of other players. We never learn.

[hardtobeat]

With the possible exception of Richards there are no real surprises. Will be interesting to see if any of the younger ones that have been offered a contract choose to leave

[gazberg]

Pieters had a decent season but we really shouldn't be offering new deals to players of his age. It doesn't matter what wage we give him or the fact that he covers more than one position. Keeping him just blocks the path of other players. We never learn.

Yep. Our brains are not too brainy.

[Adder]

Would have liked to have seen Richards stay. With him and Rogic going we need someone to bolster the attacking midfield / No. 10 options....others can fill in there but really it's just Swift who's a natural fit.

[Dan]

Pieters had a decent season but we really shouldn't be offering new deals to players of his age. It doesn't matter what wage we give him or the fact that he covers more than one position. Keeping him just blocks the path of other players. We never learn.

Does he even cover more than one position? Don't think he really has the legs to play a full back position nowadays, any pacey winger would roast him.

If we have any ambition he should be moved on, not good enough for a play off side, and centre back is a position you can improve for little money with decent scouting of the free and loan market. Plenty of centre backs would do in Corberan's system. Pieters gets bullied too easily by physical teams in this league.

[baggie82]

Does he even cover more than one position? Don't think he really has the legs to play a full back position nowadays, any pacey winger would roast him.

If we have any ambition he should be moved on, not good enough for a play off side, and centre back is a position you can improve for little money with decent scouting of the free and loan market. Plenty of centre backs would do in Corberan's system. Pieters gets bullied too easily by physical teams in this league.

I suspect the manager disagrees with all of that. Pieters by any rational view had a great season for us, model pro.

[Dan]

I suspect the manager disagrees with all of that. Pieters by any rational view had a great season for us, model pro.

Considering the state of the clubs recent contract extensions, I wouldn't really take that as validation of player quality.... Suspect its more of an acceptance of a shift in our goals from now on, Pieters is fine for a side happy to battle for mid-table going forward.

Also strange to say he was "great". I don't think any player from this season was great, yet alone Pieters. Did a solid job filling in but our defence really didn't hold up very well in the run in. Suspect if we'd done better business in that area in the summer rather than Kelly and Pieters, we'd have had the quality to make the play offs. Coventry loaning in Callum Doyle from City, while we stuck an ageing left back as our left sided centre back for the bulk of the season looks particularly glaring.

[j125]

All pretty much as expected bar Richards. I guess there's a chance he didn't want to stay but it's still a shame to see him go as he has a lot of potential. Happy to see Andrews and Faal offered new deals however.

If Pieters is no longer first choice, then it makes sense to keep him for 12 more months as a rotation player at LCB. If he's going to be first choice next year (which seems quite possible given our lack of budget), then it's less than ideal.

[gazberg]

Pieters was ok. Nowhere near great. A solid 6.5/10 season for me. A 35 year old will get our topdogs hearts racing though

[Standaman]

No great surprise in this. Richards is still only 19 and was seen as the standout player of his cohort when he signed professional terms with Arsenal among others lurking in the background. Injury has robbed him of a chunk of development time but the truth is he probably has trained on (although this is not unique among his peers in the England U17 team most haven't)

I am not sure as to what to make of the Pieters news. I suspect I will be saying this a lot across the summer it depends on

a) The terms anything longer than a year is very bad.
b) Starter left footed Centre Back or utility back up?  I am keener as a starter rather than a back up for what is likely to be a not insignificant wage. The rationale being that players of his age drop off dramatically when they aren't playing regularly.
c) What else happens which to some extent will answer B.

[Mikkyk]

No great surprise in this. Richards is still only 19 and was seen as the standout player of his cohort when he signed professional terms with Arsenal among others lurking in the background. Injury has robbed him of a chunk of development time but the truth is he probably has trained on (although this is not unique among his peers in the England U17 team most haven't)

I am not sure as to what to make of the Pieters news. I suspect I will be saying this a lot across the summer it depends on

a) The terms anything longer than a year is very bad.
b) Starter left footed Centre Back or utility back up?  I am keener as a starter rather than a back up for what is likely to be a not insignificant wage. The rationale being that players of his age drop off dramatically when they aren't playing regularly.
c) What else happens which to some extent will answer B.

He was dropping off while playing regularly towards the end of the season - personally i'm not sure on this one.

I would've got rid of Pieters and those wages would surely have been able to cover Richards (who I would have kept) and a younger player in same position as Pieters.

[Standaman]

He was dropping off while playing regularly towards the end of the season - personally i'm not sure on this one.

I would've got rid of Pieters and those wages would surely have been able to cover Richards (who I would have kept) and a younger player in same position as Pieters.

Personally I don't think he dropped off much at the back end of the season. I do understand where you are coming from but there a couple of imponderables. We don't know how wedded Corberan is to playing a Left Foot Centre Back and I am not entirely sure there is a readily available alternative for the same or less than we are likely to offer Pieters.

[Albionfan1983]

Rico Richards wasn't rated. CC put him in the squad has a test and he was out of his depth so wanted him out. Castro was inconsistent in the Conference

Rumour has it we are selling O'Shea so Pieters was given an improved deal. Money is tight. We will not be getting in much aside from some loans.

[timdon]

We should move on from Pieters. His legs are going and his speed is also poor now. He definitely, definitely can't "cover 2 positions". He would be crucified at full back. He was okay for us last season but no more than that and it's downhill from here. I hope the talks fail.

[gazberg]

Pieters on an IMPROVED deal. 

[gazberg]

I can cover 11 positions but i won't be much cop at any of them.

[Adder]

Rico Richards wasn't rated. CC put him in the squad has a test and he was out of his depth so wanted him out. Castro was inconsistent in the Conference

Rumour has it we are selling O'Shea so Pieters was given an improved deal. Money is tight. We will not be getting in much aside from some loans.

So the test for Rico was 10 minutes game time ? Clearly a decision has been made so be it but he doesn't deserve the 'out of his depth' tag based on a 10 minute debut.

[baggiejohn]

Pieters on an IMPROVED deal. 

Got to say, that surprised me.

Tend to think it's likely to be a "nice to have if we can afford it" deal.

BTW, have you been following Dood today? He's got all the insider info again 

[Mo]

So the test for Rico was 10 minutes game time ? Clearly a decision has been made so be it but he doesn't deserve the 'out of his depth' tag based on a 10 minute debut.

I’ve seen Richards play a number of times recently and I haven’t seen anything  in him to suggest he’s worth keeping . He might aswell have come and stood next to me when we played Stourbridge in the cup such was his involvement in the game . A change of scenery might do him good. 

[Standaman]

Pieters on an IMPROVED deal. 

Where have you got that nugget from? (AND PLEASE DON'T SAY DOOD)

[gazberg]

Albion fan 1983 suggested it above my post.