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This article is part of Football FanCast's Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news...
According to the BBC, West Brom will hand Saul Shotton a two-year contract after becoming a free agent following the expulsion of Bury.
What’s the word?
The young defender had his contract at the Shakers terminated upon news that the club would be expelled from the Football League.
Bury’s 125-year membership was ended last month as owner Steve Dale failed to sell the League One club.
Shotton originally joined the greater Manchester club in 2017 following his release from hometown side Stoke City and went on to make six senior appearances.
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Last week he featured for Albion in a reserve game and is now expected to sign a contract at the Hawthorns.
At 18, it remains to be seen whether he would be a first-team option for manager Slaven Bilic or yet another youngster for their promising academy.
The Baggies trend
The west Midlands could be the perfect place for Shotton to earn his stripes, considering just how good the youth setup is.
One defender that has reaped the rewards of the process has been Nathan Ferguson, who is also a defender and was promoted to the first-team by Bilic this off-season.
On debut, he earned the Man of the Match award in front of the live television cameras as West Brom defeated Nottingham Forest and has since shown how big of an asset he can be in defence by playing left-back in Kieran Gibbs’ absence.
He has also since featured at international level for England's youth sides, so it’s safe to say that the Baggies have a good one on their hands.
That’s not to mention in their squad they also have the likes of Rekeem Harper, Kyle Edwards and Dara O'Shea who are all playing in the Championship or could be set to feature in the Croatian’s first-team plans.
West Brom recently reached the FA Youth Cup semi-finals in 2018/19 too so it's clearly a good place to learn your trade.
A rising player at 18 years of age, Shotton could help to develop their trend even further if he arrives.