West Bromwich Albion could soon be reeling from another sense of deja vu at the Hawthorns this year.
The Baggies are well known for their academy setup, boasting players like Rekeem Harper, Nathan Ferguson and Kyle Edwards but far too often, their ties don’t last longer than a few years.
In the summer, the club lost out to two European heavyweights. Barcelona nabbed Louie Barry while they were powerless in stopping Morgan Rogers exit for Premier League champions, Manchester City.
Watch West Bromwich Albion Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below
A similar situation could soon be on Luke Dowling and Slaven Bilic’s hands.
The Daily Mail reported that AFC Bournemouth were keeping tabs on U23 starlet Rayhaan Tulloch as the highly-rated striker is yet to break into the first-team in the west Midlands.
Eddie Howe’s Cherries sent scouts to watch him on Monday night, and he duly delivered, scoring a goal in their 3-1 win over Fulham U23s.
It is the 18-year-old’s fifth goal of the Premier League 2 campaign while he has also notched two assists playing in pretty much every attacking position possible, via Transfermarkt.
Reports also claim that the club want to open negotiations over a long-term contract extension, but they could well have some persuading to do if the Premier League outfit does indeed chance their arm.
Midlands rivals Aston Villa are also said to hold interest in the emerging prospect.
Former Baggies boss Alan Pardew handed Tulloch his debut at the age of just 16, but since then, he’s only ever made one other appearance for the senior side.
Best of the decade: Quickfire Quiz on the last 10 years of Premier League football
Bilic has shown he’s willing to give youth a chance through the promotion of both Ferguson and Edwards during pre-season, but even the former proves that their previous mistakes haven’t been learned from as the Baggies could be forced to cash in on him in January.
The ongoing saga with Harper won’t provide much confidence either as the young midfielder has played just six minutes all season.
For fans at the club, this will surely feel all too similar and frustrating. Maybe they can start a new trend by keeping hold of the England U18 international.
Meanwhile, West Brom could lose another promising talent in January to a Championship rival…
