“Deserve a lot of credit” – Former EFL boss hails West Brom’s transfer decision on 21-year-old | OneFootball

Former Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley has commended West Bromwich Albion’s decision to send young goalkeeper Josh Griffiths out on loan on numerous occasions, speaking to Birmingham Live.

The young stopper has been able to ply his trade lower down the EFL in recent years – and was a key figure in helping Cheltenham Town to secure promotion to League One at the end of the 2020/21 campaign, with Gloucestershire outfit winning the league title.

He then made the step up to Lincoln City last season, though he wasn’t able to secure back-to-back promotions on his CV with the Imps feeling the effects of the departures of Brennan Johnson and Morgan Rogers, both of whom returned to their respective loan clubs.

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It looked as though he would have a real chance of competing at the top end of the third tier this season though, being sent out on a season-long loan spell to Pompey where he worked alongside Cowley.

Unfortunately for the south coast outfit, he was recalled by Carlos Corberan in January and has proved to be an important option for the Baggies, with Alex Palmer being ruled out of action with an injury setback and David Button not enjoying the best time between the sticks this season.

Having previous EFL experience going into his full debut against Blackburn Rovers yesterday evening, this may have benefitted Griffiths and Cowley has commended Albion’s decision to allow him to ply his trade elsewhere in the past.

He said: “Josh’s pathway has been brilliant.

“What West Brom deserve a lot of credit for is that they’ve allowed him to go out and get experience.

“He’s had three positive loans, and for someone as young as Josh – I don’t think there can be another goalkeeper his age in the country who has as much game experience as him.”

The Verdict:

It seems obvious to send someone like Griffiths out on loan because he didn’t previously look as though he was going to get any first-team opportunities and would have developed better elsewhere.

However, many clubs decide to keep their young players in the building and that isn’t always the best decision, so the Baggies should be commended for their bravery in sending him out.

It probably wasn’t an easy decision because he’s in line to receive a lot of abuse if he makes a mistake at a senior level, something he wouldn’t get if he was playing for Albion’s U23 team.

But he needed to become accustomed to that level of criticism sooner rather than later, so the Baggies have probably made the right decision by letting him play elsewhere.

That may help him if or when he becomes a regular first-choice stopper at The Hawthorns, with his experience potentially paying dividends for him if he’s competing with Alex Palmer for a starting spot next season.

What division the Midlands outfit are in may determine whether he has any chance of starting next season.