Young duo Ollie Bostock and Jamal Mohammed have taken a special step in their careers by signing professional contracts with the club.
The academy hopefuls both penned two-and-a-half-year deals this week, which keeps them at The Hawthorns until June 2026.
It marks a new exciting chapter for Wales U17 international Bostock, who has shown plenty of promise during the 2023/24 season - breaking into Richard Beale’s U21 side as a first-year scholar.
There have been eyes on the London-born youngster’s potential since joining Albion’s development setup as a six-year-old. Prior to even becoming a scholar, Ollie seamlessly spent half of his U16 season playing at a higher level in Leigh Downing’s U18s team.
That theme has continued this term in the club’s PL2 side and, after putting pen to paper on pro terms, the attacker - capable of operating across all of the forward positions - will hope to use this positive news to push towards his first-team aspirations in B71.
For Mohammed, it’s been a frustrating year owing to an injury sustained during the Baggies’ Premier League 2 match against Sunderland earlier in the campaign.
But Jamal is back out on the grass now and the club have demonstrated their faith in the centre-back’s capabilities by offering him a pro deal.
Standing at 6ft 5in, the powerful defender initially signed for Albion from Peterborough as a 15-year-old, having spent almost two years in Cambridgeshire.
Born in the capital, 18-year-old Mohammed impressed when handed opportunities by Carlos Corberán during this term’s 23/24 pre-season matches.
Academy Manager Richard Stevens believes keeping Ollie and Jamal at The Hawthorns is a huge sign of intent, with both serving as an example to younger players coming through.
“For Jamal and Ollie, it’s well-deserved,” said Stevens. “Both are different stories on entry into the academy, and different stories on how the last two seasons have gone for them.
“Jamal did incredibly well as a first-year scholar, played for the U21s as an under-17 and then suffered a frustrating injury back in September. We saw enough in his first year that we wanted to get him back on the pitch and we think there’s huge potential in him.
“Ollie’s been here since his schoolboy years and these are important stories for a football academy. Being here pre-academy, coming through the foundation phase, and I’m delighted that Ollie has committed to us, continued to develop, and now he’s getting the rewards for his patience.
“It’s a challenging industry and as a club we have to work hard to create an environment which provides opportunities for our young players.
“Tom Fellows is a great example of that. He’s been here a long time, has had to take his chances when they’ve come and it’s not always been easy for him. But what we’re seeing now is the accumulation of hard work and effort paying off. He is a shining light for this academy.
“Jamal and Ollie are also examples for the younger players at this football club because we will continue to work hard with them and provide opportunity for them to grow their dreams at the Albion.”
