Second-year scholar Eseosa Sule has praised the club’s Academy system and digs families for his recent good form ahead of Albion’s PL2 meeting with Brighton on Friday night (ko 7pm).
The young Baggies make the long drive down to the American Express Elite Football Performance Centre with improved optimism having gone undefeated from their last two matches against Arsenal and, more recently, Southampton.
Glaswegian Sule scored a vital brace to ensure the U21s’ last league win against the Gunners, while the striker has also been enjoying himself in front of goal for Leigh Downing’s U18s team this term - notching eight goals in 12 matches.
There’s been plenty of transition for the 17-year-old, who departed Celtic after ten years in their youth ranks, as well as his family roots in Scotland, to pursue a new chapter with the Albion last year.
But it’s a decision the attacker hasn’t regretted since his move to England, stating the support he’s received from the Academy and his host families have played a huge part in his development - something he’s keen to enhance further by scoring against the Seagulls on Friday.
“I’ve started to find my feet now,” said Sule.
“The club’s been helping me to get back home more often, but also the digs families I’ve been with have made me feel so welcome and that’s played a big part in my performances.
“It’s been down to them and the club, who have made me feel wanted and loved since I’ve been here.
“I’m taking every game as it comes and working hard to improve every day.
“I’m starting to understand it all. I’ve got a bubbly personality so I might not have taken all sessions as seriously as I should have done previously.
“But now it’s all starting to click and I’m working harder in training, in the gym, and it all stems from getting those things right and I’m starting to see the results on the pitch.
“In my meetings I have with the coaches, one of my areas I’ve been keen to improve on is getting more goals in the box. For example against West Ham for the 18s, all three of my goals were inside the area; a header, a tap-in, and a one-on-one.
“Stuff like that is really nice to see because I can see the improvements for myself.
“Pressing isn’t my strong point, but I’m starting to understand the importance of it a lot more now.
“I have to do it for the team and I also have to do it for myself because, as one of the last PL2 games against Arsenal showed, I got one of my goals from pressing and also for the 18s against Fulham.
“Knowing when to pass and go myself is a really key area you need to have if you’re going to make it to the top level. That’s what everything comes down to - your decision-making.
“Now, the plan is to score, help the team, try and get the win, and give it 100 per cent on Friday night.”
