Decisions will soon be confirmed on West Bromwich Albion's senior players whose contracts expire this summer. New Albion boss James Morrison revealed that initial future talks have been held with 'a couple' of the club's out-of-contract players.
Morrison, who was appointed on a permanent basis on Thursday, will oversee the final match of the Championship season at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday lunchtime. Six senior Baggies players see their terms expire at the end of June, and Morrison, along with the club's recruitment team, will come together for 'collective' decisions.
Morrison revealed he had spoken with some of those players whose terms expire, but that a process shall continue. 'Yes, there's a couple that I have spoken to,' Morrison said in Friday's press conference. 'But again that will be a process that we work together with and we see where we get to on that.' He added: 'Exactly that, I will give my opinion and then it will be the process.'
Players Out of Contract
Players whose contracts expire include attacking quartet Jed Wallace, Karlan Grant, Daryl Dike and Josh Maja. The others are goalkeeper pair Max O'Leary and Joe Wildsmith. Experienced club captain Jed Wallace is one player out of contract this summer. He has returned to training and is in contention to feature at Sheffield Wednesday, in what may be a farewell appearance for him and some colleagues.
The likelihood is that at least the majority of the group, most of whom have given several years' service to the club, will move on upon the end of their deals. The process of the Baggies' recruitment work will be led by director of football operations Ian Pearce, but it will be a 'collective' process involving the club's new technical director Dominic Price, who was appointed in March, and head coach Morrison.
Albion executive director Mark Miles confirmed the process at Friday's press conference, where he was positioned next to Morrison at the Baggies' training ground in Walsall. Miles said: 'Recruitment of players will be a collective, as so many things are at this club, and that will be Dominic, Ian Pearce and James will be part of that process as well.'
