Football's debt to West Brom's talent factory
Long read on Albion's development work ...
It was impossible not to watch and admire Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba starring on his European debut for Aston Villa last night. It was also impossible not to listen to Morgan Rogers extoll the 19-year-old’s virtues without thinking how impressive the 23-year-old England international has become. It was also impossible to see these Villa talents and not feel for West Bromwich Albion fans who lost such players from their academy.
Born in Birmingham, Jimoh-Aloba spent a decade being developed by Albion before signing for Villa in 2023. The attacking midfielder made his debut against Arsenal last month, and now his Europa League bow with the winner against RB Salzburg. There was talk of Jimoh-Aloba returning to West Brom on loan this window but his current form, and Villa’s injury issues, may ensure greater involvement at Villa now. One thing is very clear: how much players improve under Unai Emery.
Rogers, whose development has definitely accelerated under Emery, was born in Halesowen, also spent a decade in West Brom’s academy, came on for Wes Hoolahan in the FA Cup against Brighton in 2019, before heading to Manchester City’s academy, eventually Middlesbrough and now Villa and England. It is not outlandish to suggest that Rogers, whose contract runs until 2031, is probably in the £100m bracket now. One other thing is very clear: West Brom’s Cat 1 academy is a talent factory.
The frustration is that they rarely held on to them for financial reasons or because there are opportunities for more significant and elite footballing challenges elsewhere. That’s the pyramid for you but the Premier League should never forget the importance of the EFL in talent development. Even when a club drops out of the Premier League their academy often continues developing talent.
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West Brom travel to Fratton Park this Saturday, and defeat there, and a win for Blackburn Rovers at home to Hull City, will see Albion tumble into the Championship relegation zone. Portsmouth will raise some memories. Back in 2012, Chris Wood was cleaning Do-Heon Kim’s boots and doing a B-TEC at Sandwell Academy one moment, the next he was being marked by Portsmouth’s Sol Campbell in the Premiership at Fratton Park. At just 17.
Wood’s debut was so sudden that the club had to ask Portsmouth’s kit-man to print Wood’s name and number on a shirt. Wood was sent on loan six times, did manage 27 games for Albion, before being sold to Leicester for £2m. His total fees since are £55m. Albion, who need a striker, could do with him now – at 34.