West Brom will 'definitely' have transfer regret involving Barnsley FC - 'he didn't get much of an opportunity' | OneFootball

Football League World asked our resident West Bromwich Albion fan pundit about the Baggies' potential transfer regret with Barnsley's Reyes Cleary

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

West Bromwich Albion's immediate focus will be on trying to trend upwards under head coach Ryan Mason and compete for a Championship play-off spot, with supporter scrutiny towards the former Tottenham Hotspur assistant having rarely been too far away this term.

The Baggies are, at this moment in time, some way from realistically contending for promotion after missing out on a top-six berth courtesy of a late-season collapse under Tony Mowbray in the previous campaign.

They have struggled for consistency throughout Mason's reign to date, too, with the former Spurs and Hull City midfielder frequently coming under pressure from supporters.

So, as we edge closer to the upcoming January transfer window, West Brom will be intent on gathering a consistent run of form and, following the turn of the year, potentially strengthening the squad in order to supply that extra boost needed for a play-off charge deeper into the campaign.

However, while supporters will want to focus on who could be arriving at the Hawthorns, the developments of one summer departure in particular is proving to be a source of regret and frustration in Albion circles.

West Bromwich Albion 'regret' claim dropped on Barnsley FC's Reyes Cleary

That player is, of course, Reyes Cleary, who lit up West Brom's academy and was primed for big things with the Baggies but only made seven senior appearances and left the club permanently over the summer to join Barnsley following loan spells with Walsall and Hartlepool United during the 2024/25 campaign.

The 21-year-old winger only managed three League Two appearances for Walsall before sealing a January loan switch to Hartlepool, where he made a name for himself in the National League and ultimately earned a move to League One promotion hopefuls Barnsley after returning six goals and three assists in just 20 games.

If there were indeed any lingering question marks about whether Cleary could make the step up to the third-tier, they have been swiftly answered. He has been in inspired form for the Tykes this term, ripping up League One and becoming a firm favourite at Oakwell, with the explosive wide-man having already hit double digits for combined goals and assists in league action.

FLW asked our resident West Brom fan pundit, Callum Burgess, whether he believes the Baggies may now regret not handing Cleary more first-team opportunities considering the performances he's putting up at Barnsley.

In Callum's view, Cleary deserves no shortage of credit for proving his worth at senior level after previously emerging as one of the country's most exciting young operators in age-group football, and he ultimately believes that the forward is making West Brom regret the decision to offload him permanently to South Yorkshire.

Indeed, Callum has questioned why Cleary wasn't given more game time at the Hawthorns, with the Baggies often having had limited competition for places on the flanks in recent years.

"I think first and foremost, all credit deserves to go to Reyes Cleary for being able to make the step-up from the promise shown at youth level in Premier League 2, scoring lots of goals for Albion's academy, to getting into a League One side at Barnsley and producing some really good numbers and score some outrageous goals like that one he scored from the halfway line (against Bradford City)," Callum told FLW.

"You've got to give him a lot of credit for that because, unfortunately for Albion fans, he didn't get much of an opportunity. When you've got the likes of Tom Fellows and Mikey Johnston at the time, I think there was a fair bit of competition on the wings.

"It would've been difficult for him to break through, but in years gone by, there have been seasons where there haven't been many options and there could've been opportunities to give him a go.

"I think back to the season where our options were Brandon Thomas-Asante and (Andi) Weimann behind an out-of-position Jed Wallace as a false nine, I feel that he could've been handed more opportunities then.

"Without giving these youth players an opportunity you can't see how good they are and he's definitely making Albion feel that they'll regret seeing him go on to do bigger things."

Barnsley FC can net big Reyes Cleary cash windfall - it could've been West Bromwich Albion's

Still aged just 21, the future is extremely bright for Cleary and, at this current rate, his services are sure to be cashed in on for a significant windfall in a year or two's time.

It would not be a surprise to see him receive significant Championship transfer interest as early as next summer if Barnsley fail to gain promotion from League One next summer. The Tykes picked up Cleary on a free transfer, and while it's believed that West Brom do have a sell-on clause, that may only be a fraction of what they could've gone on to collect for the winger had they handled his development better.

With explosive speed, tricky feet and a refined end product through both his deliveries into the box and ball-striking quality, Cleary's skillset is hugely exciting and you have to wonder whether the Baggies could've benefitted from that profile in Mason's side this season.

Either way, it appears as though he has slipped through the Albion's fingers and any potential existing regret may only grow in the months, and indeed years, to come.