“Come back to bite you”: West Brom blasted for contract delay.
West Bromwich Albion may regret not awarding Ethan Ingram a contract sooner.
The 21-year-old turned down a new deal and is ready to relocate to Dundee.
Palmer believes the club should have communicated their intentions earlier, offered him a contract, and sent him on loan.
Carlton Palmer believes West Bromwich Albion may come to regret not offering Ethan Ingram a contract at the Hawthorns earlier.
The 21-year-old has left the Baggies after rejecting an offer of a new term, with a move to Scottish side Dundee thought to be on the cards, according to The Mirror’s live transfer blog (July 3).
The youthful star spent the previous season on loan with League Two club Salford City, appearing 23 times for the Ammies in the fourth division in his first complete professional season.
The Albion youth product was still waiting for his first taste of league football with the Black Country club, having made only three EFL Cup outings before leaving this summer.
Carlton Palmer examines the West Bromwich Albion conundrum over Ethan Ingram.
Having not had much of a taste of first-team football for West Brom at the age of 21, Ingram determined he would not be playing second fiddle at the Hawthorns beyond this summer, with a move north of the border due to be completed.
Although Albion offered him a new contract to stay with the club, Palmer believes the club might have communicated their intentions earlier in the season if they wanted to keep the defender.
Palmer told FLW exclusively: “It’s a difficult one; he wasn’t playing regularly at the football club, he’s 21, and he came up through the youth team ranks.”
“He impressed on loan at Salford City last season, but I’m not sure why West Brom left it so late to attempt to renew his deal; they eventually offered him a contract, which he declined.
“Obviously, the youngster wants to play frequently, but at his age, you should have just given him a contract and sent him out on loan. He is unlikely to play consistently for West Brom, although he could command a fee in the future.
“When you’ve got these young players with talent, you’ve got to give them years on the contract – it is a bit of a gamble at times for clubs – but you’ve got to give them those years and that bides you a bit of time while they go out on loan.”
West Bromwich Albion face a defensive issue ahead of the 24/25 Championship campaign.
Ingram was one of several Baggies defenders whose contracts were up this summer, with Cedric Kipre and Kyle Bartley also considering their options at the Championship club.
Bartley has since signed a new one-year contract with the club at the last minute, with the option for a second season thought to be contingent on the number of games he plays next season.
Cedric Kipre [pictured] is also thought to be considering a transfer away from the club this summer, having failed to agree fresh terms with the club and receiving attention from big clubs in England and elsewhere.
With Ingram also departing, Carlos Corberan will need to strengthen his defensive line for the upcoming season, as Palmer points out.
He went on to say, “We’ll see what happens; you never know when these players will leave. They could come back to bite you, because if you have to go out and buy a full-back and it costs you millions, you’ll be kicking yourself for not signing him to a longer-term contract.”
“Only time will tell whether Ethan Ingram is a significant loss to West Brom, although he performed admirably on loan at Salford last season, suggesting he may have a bright future in the game.
But, obviously, West Brom want to get promoted to the Premier League, and they’re searching for players who can help them right away.”
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