Toon poised to name Bruce
West Brom left fuming as 16-year-old starlet snapped up for just £235,000
NEWCASTLE are set to appoint Steve Bruce as manager today.
The 58-year-old Sheffield Wednesday boss was given permission to talk to United managing director Lee Charnley
WEST BROM are raging after Barcelona signed one of their rising talents, Louie Barry.
But both Championship club Albion and the FA have not ratified the move, which means the 16-year-old striker cannot as yet play for the Spanish champions.
Baggies officials, however, have conceded the move is now inevitable and are furious they will be entitled to just £235,000 in compensation, which is FIFA’s flat rate for payments to overseas clubs for young players.
The England teenager was offered a three-year contract at the Hawthorns but turned down the one-year scholarship followed by a two-year professional deal.
Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig were also keen after Barry rose to prominence last year when scoring 10 goals in five games for England Under-15s in Italy.
He also won the golden boot in November at the Val-deMarne tournament that was won by England’s U16s.
PSG offered him a five-year deal but Barry has instead opted to join Barcelona for three years.
A sharp striker, who can play out wide or down the middle, Barry was prolific with England age groups. He also represented Ireland at a schoolboy level, as he qualifies via two of his grandparents.
Albion are desperately sorry to see the Sutton Coldfield striker go because Barry, who attended Bishop Walsh Catholic School, has been at their academy since he was six.
There were high hopes he would be a future first-team star but those are in tatters now and there is an emerging trend of young English talent being lured abroad for cheap compensation fees.
Two of Barry’s England youth team-mates – Jamal Musiala and Bright Arrey-Mbi – have recently left Chelsea to join Bayern Munich.
Barry also joins team-mate Morgan Rogers in leaving Albion after Manchester City agreed a fee of up to £6million with the Baggies for the England U17 attacker.
But Albion were entitled to a big fee for Rogers because the rules for compensation are different between English clubs.
Now despairing youth development officials in the West Midlands are even questioning the point in nurturing kids if the cream are going to be poached by European clubs.