West Brom’s head of academy recruitment disappointed to lose Izzy Brown
West Brom’s head of academy recruitment Steve Hopcroft has expressed his disappointment in losing Izzy Brown to Chelsea 3 years ago.
"At the moment, it doesn't look a great decision," Hopcroft told the BBC. "I absolutely loved Izzy Brown. I thought he was the best of all the players that have left here.
"He could have gone on to play a similar number of games as Saido Berahino. He could have made his 100th appearance for West Brom and be in a better position than he is now.
"For whatever reason he chose not to go down that route. He chose to go down another route with a bigger club. We had a potential £20-30-40million player that the fans would have loved, full of flair and skill."
Izzy Brown spent last season on loan at Vitesse where he made 22 appearances, scoring one goal. Brown is now on loan at Rotherham where he has already opened his scoring account against Bristol City.
"He made a decision and his parents made a decision that West Brom wasn't for them at the time. I wasn't party to it, but I know really good offers were made. He's the one that got away for me. The manager at the time, Steve Clarke, was ready to make him an integral part of the team.
"I was bitterly disappointed, as was everyone in the Academy. He's still potentially a world-class player, the best we've lost, without a shadow of doubt."
