West Bromwich are considering a permanent move for on-loan former Arsenal man Chris Willlock according to the Express & Star.
The former Arsenal trainee has struggled to break into the matchday squad for Slaven Bilic’s side so far such are the options at the Croatian’s disposal, however he has impressed for the under-23 side.
The 21-year-old, who can play out wide or in the number 10 role, is yet to make a first-team appearance for the Baggies but in seven outings for the youth side he has had a string of impressive performances, contributing both goals and assists.
It is believed that West Brom will assess their options before deciding whether to make the loan deal from Benfica a permanent one.
His first-team opportunities at Albion have largely been limited due to the form of Grady Diangana, Matheus Pereira, Matt Phillips, Kyle Edwards and Filip Krovinovic.
However, Willock has far from given up on breaking into the first team and is desperate to continue impressing in order to force his way into Bilic’s plans.
“My main goal is to get minutes in the first-team,” Willock said. “Hopefully I can do that soon. I spoke to the boss a few weeks ago and he said I need to be to patient and wait for an opportunity and keep working hard.”
“That’s what I intend to do I think the team has a lot of quality and it’s show’s because the team is playing very well, the boss has a good relationship with all the players and hopefully the first-team can carry on with their recent form.”
It is important that West Brom keep hold of Willock as with Diangana’s loan deal still somewhat up in the air and with no absolute guarantee he won’t be recalled by West Ham, it may be that Willock is pushed further up the pecking order in the months to come.
