West Brom could have next Kyle Bartley with Caleb Taylor | OneFootball

West Brom have had a mixed season in the Championship so far, having started with Valerien Ismael in charge, the Baggies now have former Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce at the helm to see out the remainder of the campaign as strongly as possible.

With 37 league games played, the Midlands club have won 14, drawn 11 and lost 12, highlighting just how unpredictable they’ve been over the past months.

One player that has been a prominent figure for the Baggies this season is defender Kyle Bartley, who has appeared in 33 league games and earned himself an overall performance rating of 7.1, making him the second-highest rated player in Bruce’s squad according to WhoScored.

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Despite being such a regular player for his side, the 30-year-old is the oldest defender at the Hawthorns, meaning that he may not have too many years left at the club in terms of being a first-choice pick for the team.

With that in mind, Bruce may already have his ideal long-term replacement for Bartley in his ranks at the moment with 19-year-old defender Caleb Taylor.

As a product of West Brom’s youth academy, the teenager has made 59 appearances combined for their U18 and U23 sides as well as two first-team appearances, both of which coming in cup competitions.

In the disheartening 6-0 defeat against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup back in August, the youngster managed to show what he can do at the back, despite conceding so many goals.

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With 82 minutes under his belt against the Gunners, Taylor made two tackles, two interceptions and three clearances as well as winning four of the five duels he was involved in.

Labelled as a player that is “vocal, focused and leads by example with the way he conducts himself on and off the pitch” by the club’s U18 coach Peter Gilbert, these sorts of attributes could make the youngster a suitable long-term heir for Bartley, who has also been praised in the past for being a “good talker and a good leader” by former Baggies boss Sam Allardyce.

Even though the youngster hasn’t been included in any matchday squads since January, Bruce should definitely start getting Taylor more involved in the senior side to see if he has what it takes to eventually become a regular first-team player for his club.