West Brom have handed professional contracts to academy duo Sam Mantom and Paul Downing.
Baggies academy produces more young talent
West Brom have handed professional contracts to academy duo Sam Mantom and Paul Downing.
The pair are yet another example of the Baggies' pledge to produce home-grown talent - following in the footsteps of Chris Wood, George Thorne, Romaine Sawyers and Lateef Elford-Alliyu.
This is the highest number of youngsters to have signed senior deals in the space of 12 months, and academy coach Keith Downing says it's a good reflection of the youth system at The Hawthorns.
"The work the academy has done over the last five years is paying off," he said.
"The academy as a whole is looking quite strong and we've got a few more players coming through the ranks."
The academy has also seen winger Kayleden Brown and goalkeeper Ryan Allsop have their scholarships extended into a third year after impressing in the reserves.
However, second-year scholars Lee Lynch, Ashley Malcolm, Ashley Lovell and Tom Waghorn have been released along with defender Dwayne Samuels following the end of his first professional contract.
