Looks like Tulloch may sign a new deal after all, with Fitzwater expected to be released at the end of the season. Story from the Athletic;
https://theathletic.co.uk/1859826/2020/06/09/rayhaan-tulloch-west-brom-contract-bilic/Rayhaan Tulloch will be in West Bromwich Albion’s squad for the final nine games of the Championship season amid increasing optimism that he will commit his future to the club.
The teenage winger, one of the most highly-rated players to emerge from The Hawthorns academy in recent years, has returned to training with Slaven Bilic’s first team ahead of the proposed restart of the Championship season on June 20.
And the 19-year-old is now expected to sign a long-term contract at Albion, having appeared likely earlier in the season to leave as a free agent as the parties struggled to find common ground in negotiations.
Intriguingly, young centre-back Jack Fitzwater is also among the group training at the club’s Walsall training ground despite being almost certain to be released at the end of the season.
The 22-year-old will provide cover for regular centre-backs Semi Ajayi, Ahmed Hegazi and Kyle Bartley, although it is likely that Dara O’Shea and Darnell Furlong, who have operated at right-back this season, would be preferred to Fitzwater at centre-back initially should Albion suffer an injury crisis.
Fitzwater, who has spent three separate spells on loan with Walsall in League One, is almost certain to be released at the end of the campaign but, with centre-back the one area of his squad where Bilic is short of cover, Fitzwater could yet get the chance to impress scouts as Albion attempt to clinch promotion to the Premier League.
The academy graduate performed well in the FA Cup victory at Charlton in January but has yet to make a league appearance for Albion.
Tulloch, meanwhile, seemed certain to leave before football shut down in March. Discussions over a new contract had stalled with clubs in England and Scotland, including Rangers and Aston Villa, expressing an interest.
Albion had concluded that the player’s wage demands were too high to justify a professional contract. However, the likely changed face of football after the coronavirus shutdown combined with productive talks during lockdown means a deal is now virtually completed and Tulloch could yet play a part in the hectic end-of-season schedule of nine behind-closed doors matches in four and a half weeks.
The winger will find himself behind Matheus Pereira, Callum Robinson, Matt Phillips, Grady Diangana, Kamil Grosicki and potentially Kyle Edwards in the scramble for places but, with all clubs expecting a higher-than-normal rate of muscle injuries due to the lengthy lay-off and shortened ‘pre-season’ schedule, Tulloch could yet come into Bilic’s thinking.
Tulloch has impressed observers with his displays for Albion’s under-23s and, once he has signed a long-term deal at The Hawthorns, can be expected to play an increasing role in Albion’s future plans.
If the club are promoted to the Premier League for next season, Tulloch could be loaned to a club in the Championship or League One depending how the EFL landscape appears in a post-COVID world.
Two more players whose contracts expire this summer are also expected to figure for Bilic’s side in the remainder of the season. Long-serving captain Chris Brunt has already confirmed he intends to play on until the end of the season despite announcing he will leave Albion this summer.
Gareth Barry, whose deal is set to expire on June 30, has returned to training and is also expected to agree a short-term extension to complete the season. The contractual situation regarding Nathan Ferguson is less clear with the defender having made clear his desire to leave Albion when his deal expires.
However, the point is likely to be moot given Ferguson’s rehabilitation from knee surgery is expected to last into the late summer. He is expected to start next season at Crystal Palace, whether he joins them on July 1 or remains technically an Albion player until the new end date for the 2019-20 season.
Show Posts
