Jonny Drury sits down with Lewis Cox to talk about Reyes Cleary's contract offer and his potential to be part of Albion's squad next season.
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00:00 One of the Albin youngsters offered new terms at Albin, someone who has been talked an awful
00:12 lot about among the fanbase despite the fact he's hardly played for the first time, he's
00:15 Reyes Cleary, someone who's banged goals in in the past for Albin's PL2 side and 21 side.
00:23 Injured for quite a long time last season but offered a new deal. How significant is
00:28 that offer of a new deal and does it show that at some point, whether it's this season
00:32 or the following season, Carlos Corbijn sees him as someone who can knock on the first
00:38 team's door and get in there, much like someone like Tom Fellows?
00:43 It's a significant offer and I think it's a significant opportunity for Reyes Cleary.
00:47 Now that's not to say for 100% that he's going to agree those terms, we don't know that yet.
00:54 I don't know for definite that there will be other interest in Cleary but obviously
00:57 I'm sure him and his team and his representatives, there has been obviously high profile previous
01:03 interest in Cleary going back years hasn't there, but I'm sure they'll survey the lay
01:07 of the land and see what's out there. But I think last season was a bitter blow for
01:13 Cleary I would say. You said he missed most of the season, I mean I think he pretty much
01:17 missed all of it really, which was a hammer blow. I think two different significant injuries,
01:23 both hamstring, if memory serves, obviously he's a great talent, that's never in doubt.
01:29 Anyone that's watched him play for the 21s, even younger, the volume of goals he's scored,
01:35 the calibre and quality of goals he's scored, we've been at games and seen that haven't
01:40 we? And sort of breaking on to the fringes of it under Bruce and a bit of Carlos Corbijn.
01:47 So he's very much in the thoughts and I don't think his quality with the ball can be doubted
01:51 really. I think he's got some natural ability that is fairly rare in young attackers. But
01:57 it's the other parts of the game I suppose, and fitness would be one, that will have to
02:03 be proven I guess. And I think last season we mentioned him spending far too long of
02:07 it on the sidelines. I think last season was probably like others, you mentioned Fellows
02:12 who went away and had a greatly important loan didn't they with Crawley. Caleb Taylor
02:17 had that massive loan at Cheltenham and tried again with Bolton last season. Ashworth, Ingram,
02:21 for the first time up at Salford. I think that was due to be Cleary's opportunity last
02:30 season. He was going to get a spell out somewhere and it just didn't quite materialise. It didn't
02:35 materialise because of those fitness, those injury layoffs did it? So my impression is
02:41 that Cleary will have the chance to take that loan at some point this season if he agrees
02:46 to extend his stay at the Hawthorns. Now it would be interesting to see whether that happens
02:50 late in the August window. So Cleary gets his pre-season opportunity in friendlies,
02:56 maybe in the first rounds of the League Cup. Carlos can have a proper look at him within
02:59 the first team. All being well, I think Cleary was meant to be back in and around it by April,
03:05 by the final games of Rich Bills under 21s. But he wasn't sort of risked in the final
03:11 game just in case anything happened before his summer, he pulled up with anything major
03:16 muscle-wise. So it's a big summer for him really to stay in good condition, in the best
03:20 shape he can to come back and hit a hard pre-season. We spoke about the amount of work Carlos Corbijn
03:27 has to do realistically on minimum finance in previous videos. I mean, perhaps there's
03:33 an opportunity there for Cleary. I'm talking about this, which probably he takes a loan,
03:38 but if he can come and hit pre-season absolutely running, hit the ground running, then why
03:44 can't he become an option? I mean, I'm not saying it's possible or impossible, but I
03:49 think it'd be hard to ignore if he can really, really impress the head coach, the staff,
03:54 the teammates. Obviously, this is all hypothetical on the opinion that he stays, but he's definitely
03:59 got something, hasn't he? And whether he can bring all of his game together, I suppose
04:04 remains to be seen. You feel like it maybe needs that loan to give him the experience,
04:09 give him the importance and the drama and the feeling of proper men's football to where
04:15 every point, every goal matters and see what he can do. I mean, he's a short lad, isn't
04:20 he? There's not a lot to him in terms of height. It'd be a challenge to drop down the leagues,
04:25 I think, and go up against gnarly, massive defenders who are just going to kick you up
04:30 in the air all game. But I think it'll really develop him and bring him on and hopefully
04:36 bring on that, maybe the physical level that he'll need to progress in his career. But
04:43 it will be, it's certainly a huge couple of months for him, assuming he stays around.
04:47 I hope he does, and I hope we can see him do well in pre-season and make an impression.
04:52 And if he has to take a loan this season, which you would say is most likely, then I
04:56 hope it's a good one for him. It's always a risk alone, isn't it? You need it to be
04:59 the right club, the right loan manager. So, yeah, is it impossible he makes an impression
05:04 on Carlos' squad this season? No. But I think there's certainly goodwill among the fan base
05:09 and I know a lot of anticipation in the fan base about seeing, finally trying to fulfil
05:15 that potential, really.
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