Why West Brom's Paddy McNair move makes sense and what it means for Caleb Taylor

Express & Star

Lewis Cox and Jonny Drury sit down to discuss Paddy McNair's surprise loan move to West Brom. McNair has arrived at Albion on loan until January - after penning a deal with new MLS side San Diego. The ex-Man United youngster will add defensive cover to Carlos Corberan's side ahead of the new season. Lewis and Jonny discuss why the surprise move does make sense and what it means for youngster Caleb Taylor.

Transcript

00:00Coxie, Albion announced a surprise sort of sign-in earlier this week. Paddy MacNair has

00:13come in as Albion's fourth catcher of the summer. Former Sunderland and Middlesbrough

00:18man just signed a deal with San Diego, but will come to Albion on a short-term loan deal

01:25in 2025.

01:26It struck me as an opportunistic move from Albion, I think, and that chimes with the

01:34noises we had from owner Shillam Patel earlier this summer when he said Albion have to think

01:38outside the box, be resourceful. Basically, words first. We've got no unlimited cash to

01:45throw at this window. We need to really have a think about different kind of deals and

01:49how we do this.

01:51Yeah, opportunistic. I mean, it's obviously been long known that Paddy MacNair was ending

01:55his long spell at Middlesbrough. I think he had six years there at the Riverside and that

01:59was coming to an end at the end of his contract this summer. Probably long known that he was

02:03taking the opportunity to go out to the States. He's actually joining a brand new club, a

02:08new franchise in the MLS in San Diego. But of course also, San Diego's kind of MLS tenure

02:16doesn't start until the opening months of next year, as I mentioned, January, February.

02:22So sort of period, I guess, of relative inactivity for MacNair. I think I've read reports from

02:28the States that San Diego were trying to sort out a little loan, a short-term loan, a few

02:33months for him to play competitively, stay as a regular. And look, I'm sure that drew

02:37interest from championship clubs for Albion, obviously, and more really. It's smart. Like

02:44I said, it makes sense. I think it's opportunistic. And I think Albion could reap the rewards

02:50of it. I like it. As I say, when we heard about it yesterday, it sort of drew a bit

02:56of puzzlement and you're sort of thinking, well, what's this one about? But we know,

03:00as we reported, that Corgan wanted more cover at centre-half. That was a big one. He wanted

03:05certainly one more in there. He's got it for half a season. And look, in Paddy MacNair,

03:10it's funny, isn't it? Because he's a name that's been around forever. And you kind of

03:14think he must be well into his thirties, you know, maybe not quite Eric Peters' age or

03:19a Martin Kelly age, but he must be getting on. But he's 29, Paddy MacNair, and he's not

03:25long-term 29, only in April. So, you know, relatively speaking to a defender at centre-half,

03:30I know he's versatile, but in his best years, really. And he wasn't sort of bombed out by

03:35Middlesbrough last year, you know, played 20-odd times in championships. So you have

03:40a full and very regular international, 69 caps, I think, for Northern Ireland. So yeah,

03:45I think it takes the experience and sort of leadership and know how he will bring, I think

03:50could be really, really sort of valuable for Albin. I think it's a smart one. I think it'll

03:54be, it's low risk, isn't it? Low cost, really, and what Albin would have to cover wage-wise

03:58from obviously this new deal he'll have in the States. So yeah, I think when you actually

04:04think about it, it makes sense in many ways, really. He's quite smart and astute.

04:10There's another centre-half coming through the door, or centre-half that can play in

04:13central midfield as well until January. Obviously, Torben Heggum has come in as well. I'm sure

04:19Carlos Corbijn, you know, will be targeting more players in that area.

04:23Earlier this week, Caleb Taylor signed a new long-term contract he spent at the end of

04:28last season on loan at Bolton. He's been very much in and around it this pre-season. What

04:33does it mean for him? And would you be surprised if he now went out on loan till at least January?

04:40I think last time we did these videos, one of the key points we spoke on in one of them

04:46was Caleb Taylor, wasn't it? I think we were speaking about the youngsters in general and

04:50maybe who can replicate the Tom Fellows and stand a step forward. And you would have to

04:56have said, and I did at the time, that Caleb is, I think for me, the one most primed and

05:01ready to do so. And for that as well, going off words from Carlos Corbijn himself last

05:06year saying that he'll be around, he'll be a part of the squad next term, which was maybe

05:10a little bit of a surprise at the time. But look, perhaps the McNair, now we always knew

05:15another centre-half was coming in, but perhaps this half a season of McNair, and we know

05:20it will only be half a season, you know, he will go to his new club in the new year. Perhaps

05:25it does open up that window of opportunity for Caleb Taylor. Now, I'd like to see Caleb

05:29Taylor play in the League Cup at Fleetwood, hopefully have him get through and then play

05:33in the next round of the League Cup, which is towards the end of August, maybe and then

05:37get his deadline day loan or whatever. Now, we know a loan away isn't maybe ideal if you

05:43haven't had pre-season with the loan club, but if you can get a couple of Albion appearances

05:46in that kind of thing, in Cup competitions, I think that's good for him. I would say it's

05:50by no means an absolute guarantee that he'll go out just because McNair's coming in. I

05:54think League One clubs up and down the land, I think Scottish Premier clubs would, you

06:03know, rip your hands off for a Caleb Taylor loan. I think he's that highly rated, you

06:06know, I imagine Bolton would do it again if they could, you know, real ambitious third

06:11tier clubs would go for it. So there wouldn't be any shortage in suitors. I think it'd be

06:14on Albion's terms if they and Carlos Coburn decide they've got enough cover now and, you

06:21know, they sort of come to the agreement that the best thing for Caleb's development is

06:25to go again for, you know, play regularly for three months, four months, whatever, then

06:30I think it will happen. As I say, you know, McNair now will obviously compete with Carl

06:35Barley, with Shamir Joey. I suppose the one sort of little question mark is on the new

06:40boy Hagen, Torbjörn Hagen, and just where is he going to be more of a regular? Pre-season,

06:47he came to the club left-sided defender, centre-half, you know, left-footed. Pre-season, although

06:53we haven't been able to go to behind-closed-doors friendlies yet, unfortunately, he's played

06:56both as far as I can tell so far. So no real permanent clues yet as to whether he's going

07:02to be. Look, full-back, obviously Connor Townsend's out there, experienced, regular

07:08part of the side. Full-back, wing-back, centre-back in a four, left-sided centre-back in a three.

07:16When we get the chance to quiz Carlos Coburn for the first time, which will hopefully be

07:19in the coming days, hopefully next week before the first public friendlies, we'll finally

07:23get a feel for where he sees Hagen in terms of a home. Now, if he sees him more out as

07:29a full-back, then you possibly need a Taylor as another centre-back option, but in Hagen

07:35there's someone who can play in the middle as well. Good size, isn't he? Big size. So

07:39I think as it looks now with McNair, who can be a regular still, you know, in good years

07:45in terms of his career, I think now the scope to send Taylor out, I do, and I think him

07:49playing 20-odd times in the first half of the season could be really, really beneficial.

07:55And who knows how that goes. It might go brilliantly and that might need him for injury cover or

07:58might need him once McNair returns, or it might go smoothly. Albion might look at another

08:03loan in January and might keep Caleb out for the season. But look, as we know from that

08:07new deal he mentioned earlier this week, Johnny, Caleb Taylor is hugely regarded at the Hawthorns

08:13and certainly by the head coach. So he's got a big future regardless, but it becomes an

08:17interesting season for him now. And yeah, it looks to me like a good crop of centre-halves

08:23and it'll be interesting to see how Albion sort of start that first game at QPR, won't

08:28it, in terms of, you know, we'll see. Will it be the four? Will it be a three in terms

08:33of centre defenders? And who makes the cut really? You know, you've got... Cedric Kipper

08:38has obviously gone and he was the sort of one given last season, wasn't he, along with

08:41Bartley for the most part. So does Bartley stay in as a starter? Obviously advancing

08:46years now, we'll see more of Shami Ajayi than we've seen in a couple of years. Where will

08:51Higgins play? Will Paddy McNair come in and be a regular, even though he's only a half

08:54season loan?

08:55A few questions, but interesting nonetheless.

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